The color cosmetics market of 2025 is being shaped by the twin forces of fun and functionality.
Makeup, which is the largest U.S. prestige beauty category, saw 2024 dollar sales rise 5%, per Circana*. Mass, however, was down roughly 3%.
As has been the case for more than a year, lip products were the top category performers, increasing 19% on the strength of hybrid products with color payoff (fun) skin care benefits (functionality). Leading lip formats included oils and balms.
Prestige face makeup products with moisturizing, brightening, and mattifying benefits, meanwhile, outgrew skin care products with the same benefits–signaling shoppers’ desire for multitasking solutions.
This backs up Circana data, which shows 94% of shoppers use makeup to address one or more skin concerns. This is evidenced in the 6-point jump in makeup usage with anti-wrinkle and brightening claims in the last year.
Other top-growing claims include moisturizing, “natural,” SPF and oil-free. The presence of “free from” claims isn’t surprising; makeup is a leading category in the “clean” beauty space.
Meanwhile, Spate and Google data points out that top-growing makeup brands in terms of search and social media data include players focused on the concerns of older consumers, including Laura Geller and Jones Road.
Despite the focus on functionality and enhanced benefits, shoppers are still turning to makeup for fun. This includes blingy eye makeup, according to Spate and Google data, as well as colored and glitter mascaras, glitter freckles and peel-off lip liners/stains.
Circana points out that Gen Z comprises ¼ of makeup users; these shoppers are prone to treating themselves with makeup.
Top 2024 Makeup Sellers
Per Circana, the top five makeup brands in terms of dollar volume sales in 2024 were all mass, including Maybelline, e.l.f. Cosmetics (which had the top makeup launch item, the Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray, with an MSRP of $10), L’Oreal Paris, KISS and Nyx Cosmetics.
The top brands in masstige makeup in 2024 included OPI, Essie Cosmetics (which had the top masstige launch item in terms of dollar sales, the layerable Nail Art Studio Special Effects Nail Polish in Astral Aura) and Tweezerman, while top prestige brands were Clinique, MAC and Tarte (which had the top makeup launch in terms of dollar volume sales in the prestige space, theTartelette XL Tubing Mascara).
*This report is based on insights derived from CEW’s State of the Industry: Global Trend Report 2025 (among other sources), which covered key industry trends for 2025 with insights from top experts:
- Sarah Jindal (Mintel): 3 key consumer trends for 2025.
- Leslie Ann Hall (Iced Media): Strategies for future-proofing social shopping success.
- Tara James Taylor (NielsenIQ): Must-know global trends.
- Joëlle Grünberg (McKinsey & Company): Luxury and retail growth insights and their impact on beauty.
- Yarden Horwitz & Sam Mintz (Google & Spate): Gen Z's influence on beauty trends.
- Larissa Jensen (Circana): Year-in-review report on beauty industry performance.
