Welcome to 2025, a year wrapping us in the sensorial comfort of Pantone's Mocha Mousse1 — and one compelled by the essential need for innovation and efficacy in beauty. McKinsey & Co. projects the market will level off at a 6% CAGR from 2023 to 2028, descending from its unexpected 10% retail sales growth in 2023, which the firm attributes mainly to price increases.2
"The beauty industry has proven resilient in the face of economic turbulence, but the era of de facto price-fueled growth is over," the firm reported. "To build sustainable momentum, best-in-class beauty brands will need to create real value from product differentiation, supported by greater productivity."
Global Cosmetic Industry named3 its top 15 predictions for beauty in 2025, including:
- elevated efficacy,
- preventative and regenerative beauty,
- sustainability and inclusivity,
- medical aesthetics-inspired precision solutions (think: Personalization 2.0),
- age-agnostic beauty, and
- wellness and integrative vitality, among others.
From the technical perspective, this translates as delving deeper into biotech, merging and optimizing ingredient efficacies, thinking like a material scientist, tapping into emotions and mindful beauty, leveraging exosomes and endophytes, exploring the microbiome and more. The bottom line: reimagining beauty.
From the technical perspective, this translates as delving deeper into biotech; merging and optimizing ingredient efficacies; thinking like a material scientist; exploring emotions and mindful beauty; leveraging exosomes, endophytes, the microbiome and more. The bottom line: reimagining beauty.
Our first issue of the New Year seeks to do just that, particularly for the sakes of sustainability and skin health. For example, Jackowetz and Hanson examine the untapped potential of water itself that, when treated using an ultrafine bubble technology, can deliver actives into skin as well as optimize biotech processes.
Barthier, et al., test the effects of a white (aqueous) propolis extract — sourced through bee-friendly practices — on the microbiome for skin benefits, while our Expert Opinions piece reveals trends and ideas for skin barrier reinforcement products, such as strengthening solutions and preventative care.
Steventon explores how the value of beauty and the industry's expression of it impacts well-being. Finally, Brown and Narayana demonstrate how whole-genome sequencing and site-specific testing can direct the development of phage therapies to treat facial skin conditions by targeting underlying microbiome imbalances.
As a bonus, you'll find novel beauty innovations and ideas among the 2025 C&T Allē Awards finalists; join us on March 12, 2025, at the awards dinner4 to see who wins!
We look forward reimagining beauty with you this year.
References
1. https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2024/12/05/pantone-color-of-the-year-2025/76764137007/
