Consumers & Markets | Global Cosmetic Industry

With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics approaching, Gillette Venus recently announced partnerships with U.S. figure skaters Alysa Liu, Isabeau Levito and Starr Andrews, extending its long-standing “ritual” positioning into cold-weather performance conditions.

Ulta Beauty Formalizes Its Playbook as Beauty-Sports Partnerships Go Pro

The strategy reflects a broader recalibration underway across beauty: sports partnerships are no longer about visibility alone.

Consumers are increasingly gravitating toward niche scent profiles, limited launches and storytelling-led olfactive identities—moving away from mass-recognizable designer fragrances.

Indies Set the Pace, Conglomerates Hold the Shelf—2026 Lessons for Beauty

More than 50% of women learned about menopause’s impact on skin only by experiencing it themselves, notes a recent Galderma study.

Menopause Skin Care: The Multi-Billion Dollar Opportunity Hiding in Plain Sight

Wealthier, asset-confident consumers tend to trade up, seeking science-backed efficacy, personalization, and experiential value, while less wealthy or paycheck-tight consumers trade down, prioritizing clarity, reliability, affordability, and multifunctional performance—though many shoppers move fluidly between the two, mixing premium hero items with value-focused everyday purchases. Across income tiers, both groups increasingly demand transparency, demonstrable results, and smart, efficient solutions, making performance the ultimate currency in a barbell-shaped market.

Beauty in Two Worlds: K-shaped Strategies to Capture Both Premium and Value Consumers

Across tiers, transparency, multifunctionality, and demonstrable performance are non-negotiable.

To celebrate packaging's place in beauty, Global Cosmetic Industry spoke to experts across the packaging industry to ask one key question: What is a key trend you see coming in 2026?

Practical, Powerful and Personal: Beauty Insiders' Packaging Predictions for 2026

Beauty is evolving, and so is packaging. Hear from experts in the packaging industry on what trends are coming for 2026.

As we head out of the holidays and step into 2026, the time has come to make our New Year's beauty resolutions, big and small.

Beauty Resolutions: What to Manifest in 2026

Global Cosmetic Industry's first edition of the year is covering everything from packaging, skin care, sun care and makeup, reporting the latest trends in hybrid-everything and hyper-personalization across categories.

The Future of Beauty Is Now: Download Accupac’s 2026 Trend Report

The Future of Beauty Is Now: Download Accupac’s 2026 Trend Report

Accupac’s 2026 Trend Report highlights a new era of beauty—where proof is experienced, sustainability drives real impact, bioinnovation supports long-term vitality, and adaptive beauty responds to changing skin, life stages, and environments.

'Carbon-conscious formulation represents a growing commitment within the cosmetics industry to minimize environmental impact by reducing the carbon footprint across the entire product lifecycle,' says Univar's Irena James.

Can Beauty Really Be Low-Carbon? Our Expert Says Yes.

The UAE debut follows Ulta Beauty’s regional entry in Kuwait at The Avenues on November 7, 2025 (pictured), and underscores a rapid expansion strategy across the Gulf.

Ulta Beauty Lands in the UAE, Fast-Tracking Middle East Expansion

Ulta Beauty’s Middle East expansion positions the retailer to test its mass-to-prestige, service-led model in one of the world’s fastest-growing and most brand-driven beauty markets.

'Fragrance has been benefiting from deep changes in consumer trends, including frequency of use, appetite for more premium, luxury scents and new habits to “collect” various scents and brands,' says Alexandre Terseleer, a partner in the private equity practice at global strategy and management consulting firm, Kearney. 'However, at this stage the offering has become so vast that most consumers start feeling overwhelmed–lending itself well for consolidation at the level of brands (and portfolios thereof).'

Megadeals, Fragrance Frenzies and the Gen Z Wallet: Your 2026 Beauty M&A Playbook

Alexandre Terseleer, a partner at Kearney, unpacks the latest beauty M&A trends.

When consumers request vegan skin care, 89% are actually seeking associated benefits such as cruelty-free, clean or natural formulations. Only 11% correctly identify 'vegan' with its actual meaning—animal-free ingredients.

Prestige Skin Care's 'Vegan Paradox' Driven by Consumer Confusion

A new study analyzing consumer attitudes in the prestige skin care sector has uncovered a significant "intention-action gap" regarding vegan product claims.

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The Future of Beauty Is Now: Download Accupac’s 2026 Trend Report

Accupac’s 2026 Trend Report highlights a new era of beauty—where proof is experienced, sustainability drives real impact, bioinnovation supports long-term vitality, and adaptive beauty responds to changing skin, life stages, and environments.

Drunk Elephant Says Goodbye to Sephora Kids with New Age-Appropriate Campaign

“Dupes,” minis, and discovery sets are thriving alongside true luxury.

U.S. Beauty Market Outlook 2026: Value, Wellness, and Technology Power a Category That Keeps Growing

Consumers are still buying beauty—carefully, strategically and with a sharper eye on value.