Top 39 Makeup & Cosmetics Trends (October 2026)

Makeup & Cosmetics Industry: 2026's Defining Movements

CAGR = compound annual growth rate

We rebuilt this list on September 23, 2026 from our live trend database, the same feed that powers the table above. The headline this month: the clean and vegan wave that led last year's table has cooled, press-on nails fell off the rising list entirely, and retail itself became the story. Searches for beauty stores, Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty event and in-person services like brow lamination are now among the fastest climbers in the category. Fragrance still leads on volume, but the growth inside it has moved to men's scent, body formats and solid perfumes. Every search-volume and growth figure below is pulled from that live data.

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1. Fragrance Takes Over Beauty Search

Fragrance is still the loudest category in beauty, but the growth has moved down the shelf. "mens eau de toilette" pulls 27,100 monthly searches as of August 2026 and is up +174% year over year, with +653% of that arriving in the past six months. Home and space scent brand "scentiment" matches it at 27,100 searches (+22%), "body mists" is up +50% at 18,100 searches, and "body sprays" adds another 18,100 searches (+22%). Designer houses are moving too: "jean paul gaultier perfume" is up +173% at 90,500 searches. The terms that led this section last year have turned. "niche scents" is down -45% at 27,100 searches, and "unisex fragrance" is off -33% year over year at 49,500 searches, though it has rebounded +50% over the past three months.

Perfume is still a discovery category, but the entry point has changed. Shoppers who used to start with a signature bottle now start with a mist, a spray, or a men's eau de toilette, and work upward from there.

Why Fragrance Is Booming

Scent is surging because:

• Fragrance wardrobing: Consumers own a rotation of scents for different moods and seasons rather than one signature bottle
• Men's scent catching up: "mens eau de toilette" is up +653% over six months, the sharpest move anywhere in this section
• Lighter formats: Body mists and body sprays, both at 18,100 searches, are a cheaper entry point than eau de parfum
• TikTok scent reviews: Perfume review culture turns individual bottles into viral, searchable moments
• Gifting and self-purchase: Fragrance travels well as both a gift and an everyday treat, keeping demand steady year round

What's Gaining Momentum

Mens Eau De Toilette (27,100 searches, +174% YoY) – The fastest-rising scent term in the category, and the clearest sign that men's fragrance is no longer a side aisle.

Jean Paul Gaultier Perfume (90,500 searches, +173% YoY) – A designer house converting heritage bottles into fresh search demand.

Scentiment (27,100 searches, +22% YoY) – Home and space fragrance pulling beauty-sized search volume as scent spreads past the body.

Body Mists (18,100 searches, +50% YoY) – The cheap, layerable format doing most of the work for first-time fragrance buyers.

Sillage (9,900 searches, +50% YoY) – Perfumery vocabulary going mainstream as shoppers learn to describe what they want.

Solid Perfumes (6,600 searches, +22% YoY) – Travel-friendly balms and sticks growing as an everyday top-up format.

Key Players

• Scentbird – Subscription and discovery model that lets shoppers sample before committing
• Kayali – Layerable, gourmand-forward scents built for fragrance wardrobing
• Lattafa – Affordable Middle Eastern perfumery driving the value tier
• Snif – Modern unisex fragrance with a try-before-you-buy model

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2. Clean, Vegan, and "No-Makeup" Formulas

Formulation is still a search term of its own, but the vegan wave has crested. "vegan mascara" has fallen -33% year over year to 22,200 monthly searches as of August 2026, and "makeup minimalist" is flat at 8,100 searches after sliding -55% over the past three months. What kept growing is the plainer language. "clean makeup" is up +83% at 27,100 searches, "no makeup makeup" is up +23% at 22,200 searches, and "clean beauty brand" has recovered +174% over the past six months to 22,200 searches. The bare-lash look is the standout: "ghost lashes" is up +311% year over year at 22,200 searches.

Shoppers still cross-check ingredients, but the rating habit has cooled with the rest of it. The "ewg" term is down -18% year over year at 74,000 searches.

Why Clean and Vegan Win

Ingredient-first makeup is surging because:

• Ingredient transparency: Consumers want to know exactly what is in a formula, and a clean label answers that in a single word
• Skincare-makeup blur: A minimalist face relies on good skin first, so lighter formulas fit the routine
• Plain language beats jargon: "Clean makeup" outgrew "vegan mascara" and "makeup minimalist" this year by a wide margin
• Cruelty-free as default: Younger buyers treat vegan and cruelty-free formulation as a baseline, not a premium add-on
• Effortless aesthetic: The "no makeup makeup" look keeps demand tilted toward sheer, skin-like products

What's Gaining Momentum

Clean Makeup (27,100 searches, +83% YoY) – The broad clean term is now the healthiest search in this section, well ahead of the ingredient-specific ones.

Ghost Lashes (22,200 searches, +311% YoY) – The bare-lash look is the fastest riser in the no-makeup cluster.

Clean Beauty Brand (22,200 searches, +174% over six months) – Shoppers are searching for whole brands they can trust rather than one-off products. The same brand-first search is rebuilding the shelf below the neck too, which we cover in skincare trends.

No Makeup Makeup (22,200 searches, +23% YoY) – The enduring soft-glam base look keeps pulling steady, growing volume.

Westman Atelier (49,500 searches, +22% YoY) – Clean-formulated prestige makeup growing quietly while louder clean terms fall.

Clean Reserve (5,400 searches, +23% YoY) – Clean labeling spreading from color cosmetics into fragrance.

The eye is where this minimalism shows up most sharply: read our breakdown of the ghost lashes trend, the mascara-free look that is up +1288% over the past three months while heavier lash terms like "cluster lashes" fall -19% year over year. The lip version of the same brand-first shift is Eadem, whose $24 tinted balm went from 140 to 60,500 searches a month on creator content alone: read our breakdown of the Eadem lip gloss breakout.

Key Players

• ILIA – Skin-first clean makeup that helped define the category
• Tower 28 – Sensitive-skin-friendly, clean formulas with a cult following
• Kosas – Hybrid makeup built around skincare ingredients

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3. Tinted SPF Becomes the New Base

Sunscreen turned into a makeup category last year, and this year the base-layer conversation widened past SPF itself. "supergoop sunscreen" holds 40,500 monthly searches as of August 2026, up +22% over the past six months but down -55% over the past three, and the generic "tinted sunscreen" term is flat at 40,500 searches. The growth moved to what goes on with it. "luxe foundation" has broken out to 110,000 searches, the largest row in our table and up +22% over the past six months, "setting spray" is up +22% at 49,500 searches, and "cushion foundation" is up +22% at 9,900 searches with +50% of that in the past three months.

The appeal has not changed: one step that is marketed as both skincare and base makeup. What changed is that shoppers now search for what evens it out and what locks it down, not only for the SPF underneath.

Why Tinted SPF Is Surging

The tinted-SPF wave is building because:

• One-step routines: A tinted, sun-protective base is marketed as coverage and daily SPF in a single product
• Skin-first mindset: The clean-girl and minimalist looks reward a natural, luminous base over heavy foundation
• The finishing layer: Setting spray and cushion formats are growing because a light base still needs to stay put
• Shade inclusivity: Broader shade ranges make tinted SPF a realistic foundation replacement for more people
• Social proof: Dermatologist-adjacent creators keep daily SPF front and center in beauty content

What's Gaining Momentum

Luxe Foundation (110,000 searches, +22% over six months) – A breakout base term and the biggest single row in this category's table.

Setting Spray (49,500 searches, +22% YoY) – The finishing step that grew while the base products under it held flat.

Supergoop Sunscreen (40,500 searches, +22% over six months) – The brand that made daily SPF a beauty step is still the reference point, though its three-month trend has turned down.

Cushion Foundation (9,900 searches, +22% YoY) – Compact, sponge-loaded base formats gaining on traditional liquid foundation.

Fake Tan (6,600 searches, +22% YoY) – Colour without sun exposure, sitting alongside SPF in the same routine.

Key Players

• Supergoop – Category leader that turned daily SPF into a beauty routine
• Kopari – Coconut-based skin and sun care with a tinted and body SPF range
• Ultra Violette – "Skinscreen" hybrids blending SPF with skincare finish

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4. The Nail Category Shifts From Press-Ons to Gel-X

Nails are still one of the highest-volume beauty searches, but the format that carried the category has turned over. "press on nails" has dropped -45% year over year to 165,000 monthly searches as of August 2026 and fell out of our rising table entirely, while "fast drying nail polish" is down -18% at 33,100 searches. Salon-grade systems took the growth instead: "gel x nail extensions" is up +50% year over year at 9,900 searches, with +83% of that in the past three months. Indie polish held its ground, with "mooncat nail polish" up +82% at 40,500 searches and the parent brand term "mooncat" up +22% at 60,500 searches. Quick-cure system "dazzle dry" adds another 74,000 searches (+22%).

The through-line flipped this year. In 2025 the win was skipping the salon. In 2026 it is getting a salon-grade result that lasts, which is exactly where gel-x and quick-cure systems sit.

Why Nail Culture Keeps Growing

The nail resurgence is happening because:

• Durability over convenience: Gel-x extensions last weeks, which is the trade shoppers are now making against reusable press-ons
• Speed matters: Fast-drying and quick-cure formulas remove the biggest friction point in at-home manicures
• Indie polish loyalty: Niche brands like Mooncat build passionate, collectible followings around limited shades
• Back to the salon: Extension and lamination searches climbed together this year, pointing to appointments rather than kits
• Highly shareable: Nails photograph and film well, feeding a constant loop of social inspiration

What's Gaining Momentum

Dazzle Dry (74,000 searches, +22% YoY) – A quick-cure, long-wear system bridging salon results and home use.

Mooncat (60,500 searches, +22% YoY) – An indie polish brand with a collectible shade range and a durable community.

Mooncat Nail Polish (40,500 searches, +82% YoY) – The product-level term is growing four times faster than the brand term, which is where the buying intent sits.

Gel X Nail Extensions (9,900 searches, +50% YoY) – The clearest riser in nails, and the format taking share from press-ons.

Key Players

• Mooncat – Indie polish label driving collectible, community-led demand
• Olive & June – At-home manicure system and press-on leader
• Dazzle Dry – Quick-dry, long-wear polish system for salon-grade results

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5. Celebrity Cream Complexion Rewrites the Face Category

The face category has moved from powder to cream, and founder-led brands are still leading it. "rhode bronzer" has broken out to 22,200 monthly searches as of August 2026 and is up another +83% over the past three months, while "rhode pocket blush" is up +22% at 18,100 searches. "danessa myricks blurring balm" is up +123% year over year at 49,500 searches, and "westmore beauty body coverage perfector" is up +124% at 22,200 searches. Heritage names are pulling too: "ysl mascara" is up +400% year over year at 40,500 searches, with +309% of that in the past three months. The prestige end of that same shift is ranked on our luxury trends page.

Cream and liquid complexion products win because they layer over minimal skin without the cakey finish of traditional powder, which fits the dewy look everything else in the category is chasing.

Why Cream Complexion Is Winning

Cream and liquid face products are surging because:

• Dewy over matte: Cream blush, bronzer, and balm deliver the lit-from-within finish that defines current makeup
• Founder-led hype: Celebrity brands like rhode turn single product drops into instant, searchable launches
• Skin-like layering: Sheer, blendable formulas sit naturally over tinted SPF and a minimal base
• Multi-use appeal: Blush-and-bronzer sticks and balms double as lip and cheek products for on-the-go routines
• Heritage counter-move: Established houses are answering with hero products of their own, which is what the YSL mascara spike looks like

What's Gaining Momentum

Danessa Myricks Blurring Balm (49,500 searches, +123% YoY) – An artist-brand hero product built around a soft-focus, skin-like finish.

YSL Mascara (40,500 searches, +400% YoY) – The sharpest riser in the face category, and proof that heritage prestige can still break out.

rhode Bronzer (22,200 searches, +83% over three months) – A breakout product search that captures the founder-led launch effect in real time.

Westmore Beauty Body Coverage Perfector (22,200 searches, +124% YoY) – Body-coverage complexion crossing over from infomercial to mainstream search.

rhode Pocket Blush (18,100 searches, +22% YoY) – Compact cream blush turning into a repeat-purchase staple.

Bronzer Stick (8,100 searches, +23% YoY) – The generic format term growing steadily underneath the branded launches.

Key Players

• rhode – Founder-led brand turning cream complexion drops into search events
• Patrick Ta – Artist-led glam brand anchoring the premium cream category
• Danessa Myricks – Multi-use, artist-built complexion products
• Half Magic Beauty – Rising complexion and color line

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6. Global Beauty Aesthetics Go Mainstream

Beauty search is still borderless, though last year's headline names have leveled off. Korean retailer "olive young" is flat at 165,000 monthly searches as of August 2026, the broad "k beauty products" term has fallen -64% year over year to 5,400 searches, and Japanese street-style "gyaru makeup" is flat at 27,100 searches. Adornment is where the growth went. "simple henna designs" is up +23% year over year at 22,200 searches, "simple mehndi designs" is up +123% over the past six months at 18,100 searches, and "face gems" is up +23% at 5,400 searches. Australian value brand "mcobeauty" is up +50% over the past three months at 49,500 searches.

Global looks are no longer niche interest searches, but the shape of that interest changed. The country-level terms cooled and the technique and occasion terms kept climbing.

Why Global Aesthetics Are Spreading

Borderless beauty is growing because:

• K-beauty retail access: Retailers like Olive Young make Korean routines and products easy to search and buy internationally
• Technique beats country: Shoppers now search the look or the method rather than the region it came from
• Ritual and occasion: Henna and mehndi searches climb around celebrations and as temporary body art
• Value brands travel: Labels like MCoBeauty cross borders on price and dupe culture rather than national identity
• Cultural discovery: Social platforms surface global beauty traditions to audiences that would never have found them otherwise

What's Gaining Momentum

MCoBeauty (49,500 searches, +50% over three months) – An Australian value label picking up sharp fresh momentum in new markets.

Simple Henna Designs (22,200 searches, +23% YoY) – Minimalist henna remains the strongest adornment search in the category.

Simple Mehndi Designs (18,100 searches, +123% over six months) – Occasion-driven body art with strong seasonal demand.

Face Gems (5,400 searches, +23% YoY) – Stick-on adornment growing alongside henna as makeup borrows from festival looks.

Body Shimmer Oil (5,400 searches, +125% YoY) – Glow moving below the neck, one of the fastest risers by percentage in the table.

Key Players

• Olive Young – Korea's dominant beauty retailer and a global K-beauty gateway
• Laneige – Flagship K-beauty brand anchoring the skincare-makeup crossover
• Sephora – Global retailer surfacing regional aesthetics to mainstream shoppers

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7. Retail and Near-Me Services Take Over the Table

The fastest-climbing rows in our table this month are not products. They are places. "ulta 21 days of beauty" is up +83% year over year at 90,500 monthly searches as of August 2026, an event term that has broken out over the past three months as the sale approached. "beautyhouse" is up +173% at 74,000 searches, "beauty stores" is up +123% at 60,500 searches, and "beauty boutique" is up +83% at 18,100 searches. In-person services climbed with them: "cosmetic dentistry near me" is up +83% at 90,500 searches and "brow lamination near me" is up +50% at 49,500 searches.

Two smaller rows point the same way. "target beauty studio" has broken out to 12,100 searches on a +1951% three-month move, and "fragrance store near me" is up +23% at 22,200 searches. People are looking for a counter to stand at, not only a product to add to a cart.

Why Retail Search Is Climbing

Store and service searches are growing because:

• Event-driven demand: Sale calendars like Ulta's 21 Days of Beauty turn a retailer into a seasonal search spike
• Shade and scent are hard online: Foundation and fragrance are the two categories shoppers still want to test in person
• Services sit next to the shelf: Brow, lash and dental-cosmetic appointments now show up in the same search session as products
• Local intent keeps growing: "Near me" phrasing climbs as shoppers expect a same-day option
• Past the default two: Terms like "beautyhouse" and "beauty boutique" show people looking beyond the biggest chains

What's Gaining Momentum

Cosmetic Dentistry Near Me (90,500 searches, +83% YoY) – A local-service search climbing at the same pace as store search, and a reminder that shoppers file appearance work and makeup in one place.

Ulta 21 Days Of Beauty (90,500 searches, +83% YoY) – A retailer's sale calendar behaving like a trend in its own right.

Beautyhouse (74,000 searches, +173% YoY) – One of the sharpest risers in the table, and a sign that shoppers are hunting for stores by name.

Beauty Stores (60,500 searches, +123% YoY) – The plain category term for physical retail, growing faster than most products on this page.

Brow Lamination Near Me (49,500 searches, +50% YoY) – Salon brow services back in demand after several years of at-home routines.

Brow Gels (14,800 searches, +22% over three months) – The at-home product riding the same brow revival, freshly broken out this year.

Key Players

• Ulta Beauty – Mass-prestige chain whose sale calendar drives its own search spikes
• Target – Mass retailer whose in-store beauty studio has become a search term of its own

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Summary

The makeup and cosmetics landscape of 2026 has moved from formulas to places. Whether shoppers are building a scent rotation around mens eau de toilette (27.1K searches, +174%), reaching for clean makeup (27.1K searches, +83%), layering luxe foundation (110K searches) over SPF, booking gel x nail extensions (9.9K searches) instead of buying press-ons, chasing a rhode bronzer (22.2K searches) drop, or simply looking up beauty stores (60.5K searches, +123%), the common thread is discovery that ends somewhere real.

The winning approaches in cosmetics share these characteristics:

• Skin-first formulas that blur the line between makeup and skincare
• Plain language over jargon, where "clean makeup" and "no makeup makeup" outgrew "vegan mascara" and "makeup minimalist"
• Salon-grade durability, from gel-x systems to quick-cure polish and setting spray
• Somewhere to go, with retailers, sale events and near-me services growing faster than most products

For entrepreneurs and investors, the data points to several high-growth opportunities: men's and body-format fragrance, clean-labeled color cosmetics, base layers that sit over tinted SPF, gel-x nail systems, founder-led cream complexion, and retail experiences that turn a store into a search term. See how Rising Trends helps you find trending beauty products before they peak.