Every January, the beauty industry floods your feed with trend reports. Most of them tell you what's already happening. This one is about what's coming, and more importantly, why. After 15 years covering this industry from the inside, here's what I think 2026 is actually going to look like.

MAKEUP MAXIMALISM

It’s time to free yourself from the clutches of “Clean Girl Beauty.” Fatigue with the Hailey Bieber-fication of our makeup routines has lingered for a while, but 2026 is the year I think people embrace full glam again. There are a few factors here: I’ve seen 2016-era makeup trending again, with TikTokers nostalgic for looks of the YouTube Beauty Guru era they were too young to experience in real time. It’s hard to believe, but the blocky, Dip Brow eyebrows are gaining traction again. Meanwhile, Euphoria is coming back on air, and the brilliant work of makeup artist Donni Davy, who inspired us all to wear more colorful liner, glitter, and rhinestones just because, will be front and center again. Pop stars are also leading the makeup maximalism movement. Doja Cat’s been leaning into ‘80s makeup with bright undereye blush up to her temples, while Zara Larsson embraces bedazzled lids and Barbie-esque matte teal eyeshadow. Meanwhile, Chappell Roan’s high-impact drag-inspired makeup looks recently landed her an ambassadorship with MAC. All signs reveal it’s time to dust off those Pat McGrath Mothership Eyeshadow palettes I know you still have in a drawer somewhere (I like to pretend expiration dates don’t exist for those)!

MICROTRENDS ARE DEAD, LONG LIVE EXPERTS

2021-2025 saw the rise of TikTok-fueled microtrends and “aesthetics.” It seemed as if we started to measure time in Tomato Girl Summers and Mob Wife Winters. Now, with recession-driven skepticism for overconsumption and collective disillusionment with the gimmicks that fuel it, people are yearning to go back to beauty basics. With that, comes a desire to not just be entertained by beauty, but educated in it. How do you contour? How do you apply concealer? As I’ve outlined before with the Makeup Artist Brand Renaissance–the surge of celebrity makeup artist-led brands launching–trust is now rooted in expertise. People want to learn techniques and try formulations from the very pros who field test them on red carpets, stages, and movie sets. This isn’t specific to makeup only (Chris McMillian launched a haircare line last year and Celisse is a new nailcare brand co-founded by pro artist Holly Falcone). I expect more retailers will seek out expert-fronted brands because of their built-in trust and built-in customers (many of these pros, on top of working with celebs, have fanbases of their own).

BEAUTY x SPORTS COLLABS WILL EXPLODE

Life imitated art when Sephora announced a multi-year partnership for the new WNBA team, the Golden State Valkyries. This was literally a storyline of the Kate Hudson-fronted Netflix series Running Point (except it was for an NBA team). Even the team’s training center is named the Sephora Performance Center – and I think this is only the beginning of beauty’s takeover in sports. 2026 is an Olympic year, after all! Athletes have always had individual endorsements, but now, we’re seeing entire teams or leagues get backing from beauty brands. Glossier was an anomaly when they became the WNBA’s first official beauty partner in 2020, but now there’s countless partnerships like Charlotte Tilbury x F1, e.l.f. x National Women’s Soccer League, and ILIA x Paris Saint-Germain. I believe this long overdue crossover is a result of women athletes commanding more of the pop culture zeitgeist (see: Angel Reese being the first professional athlete to walk the VS Fashion Show), and the easy organic integration of beauty in an athlete’s routine. I, as a tennis fan, would selfishly love to see a haircare brand sponsor the WTA. Think of all the potential content with sun exposure/damage, sweat, constantly having to style it out of your face, etc. Imagine a Ouai x WTA collab? WT-Ouai?!

WORLD BUILDING

Marketing used to be a Wizard of Oz-ian, invisible force that drove sales. Now, it’s the main attraction. How many times have you seen a campaign on social barraged with “give the marketing team a raise!” or “genius marketing!” comments? To that point, I think we can expect more beauty brands to expand their footprint beyond beauty products into clothing, media, and experiences. Brands don’t want you just using their products. They want you living in their universe, wearing their clothes (Summer Fridays x GAP), drinking their beverages (Tower 28 x Poppi), scenting your home with their vibe (Salt + Stone x Cherry LA), and traveling with them (Cocokind). Tarte even tried their hand at creating a reality TV show on their most recent #TrippinwithTarte activation! I predict serialized unscripted (and scripted!) entertainment content is the next frontier for beauty brands, especially as more and more people trade traditional television programming for YouTube.

BEAUTY TOURISM BOOM

I recently reported on the rise of Turkish hair transplants for ELLE and it blew my mind just how big of a cost difference it is to get the treatment done abroad. I’m talking tens of thousands of dollars’ difference. Many of the people I interviewed mentioned they were influenced by social media destigmatizing the procedure, and that accessibility is now extending to skin treatments and even plastic surgery abroad. South Korea, in particular, has exploded as a destination for beauty tourism, with its cosmetic surgery market expected to generate over $6.3 million by 2030. You’ve likely seen everyone from Kim Kardashian to countless skinfluencers documenting traveling for a marathon of treatments like PDRN injections, lasers, facials, and local skincare products. The popularity is driven by cost, the low barrier to entry (there are countless concierges with translators to streamline bookings), and innovation. It’s no secret K-Beauty drives trends in the U.S.–everything from snail mucin to the popularity of “blurred” finishes on makeup can trace its roots to South Korea. Related: K-Beauty retailer Olive Young is opening its first US store in California this May, so I wouldn’t be surprised if beauty tourism goes domestic, too. Heck, even I’m tempted to hop on a flight to LA just to peruse the aisles and aisles of Korean makeup and skincare products!

Do you agree with any of these predictions? I’d love to know your thoughts in the comments!