ICYMI: 6 Beauty Trends Set to Take Over in 2026

Photo: Launchmetrics Spotlight

The "clean girl" is dead, a new citrusy hyperfixation enters the chat and PDRN (a.k.a. salmon sperm) is going global.

To gauge what the industry will be buzzing about in 2026, we consulted beauty experts and trend analysts for their predictions on the biggest emerging trends.

Setting the stage in 2025, we saw an influx of teen- and tween-focused beauty brands popped up to snag Gen Alpha's attention. Industry veterans launched new beauty brands in droves (see: Chris McMillan, Hung Vanngo, Alli Webb's Messy, Mary Phillips's M.ph), while major acquisitions — like E.l.f. Beauty snagging Hailey Bieber's Rhode in a lucrative $1 billion deal and Ulta Beauty adding Space NK to its portfolio — made global headlines. Plus, bananas became beauty's fruit-of-the-moment, matte lips returned with a 2025 "skinification" facelift and wellness brands peddled "hormone-balancing" solutions.

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