In a time of uncertainty, consumers are demanding two things, according to Circana’s Larissa Jensen: “efficacy and elevated value.” While U.S. mass beauty sales grew at twice the rate of prestige beauty in the first half of 2025—4% versus 2%, respectively—a dive into category-by-category specifics points to a more nuanced picture of where growth is coming from. Below, we’ve compiled the winners and losers across sectors.
Skin Care Winners & Losers
Winners
- Mass brands
- Masstige, which posted double-digit growth, versus 4% for mass
- Body skin care (creams, cleansers, hand soaps, etc.)
Losers
- Prestige skin care
- Facial skin care, particularly in brick-and-mortar channels
Fragrance Winners & Losers
Winners
- Mass and prestige fragrance, which grew 17% and 6%, respectively, faster than the general market
- Women’s mass scents
- New launches, which accounted for almost 1/3 of fragrance dollar gains in Q2
- High-concentration scents (eau de parfums, parfums, etc.)
- Mini/travel size juices, posting a 15% gain in units sold
Losers
- Brands that haven’t caught onto the fragrance boom
Hair Care Winners & Losers
Winners
- Prestige brands, particularly styling, shampoos and conditioners
- Treatments
- Scalp care, which jumped 19%
- Mass brands
Losers
- Brands that haven’t yet tapped into the skinification of hair care
Makeup Winners & Losers
Winners
- Lip products, particularly contouring products such as liners
- Prestige eye makeup, particularly mascara
Losers
- Makeup overall, which had 1% prestige growth and a -1% mass decline
- Facial makeup
As brands prep for the final months of 2025 and the year to come, brands have an opportunity to tap into strong interest in scented products—perhaps beyond pure-play fragrances, as seen with full-body deodorants and hair mists—as well as other consistently strong sectors such as lip makeup, skin care-inspired hair products and elevated mass skin care.
Happy innovating!
Meet the Beauty Innovators Joining Our Advisory Board
Global Cosmetic Industry continuously refreshes its advisory board, welcoming new voices to provide fresh perspectives and strategic insight across our print, digital and social platforms. This month, we’re excited to introduce three esteemed additions to the board: Lorne Lucree, Manessa Lormejuste, and Alec Batis.
Lorne Lucree is a leader in beauty innovation, product development and R&D, with expertise in formulation science, packaging, sustainability and consumer insights.Lorne Lucree
Manessa Lormejuste is a beauty scientist and product developer with more than eight years of experience at top companies like L’Oreal, Johnson & Johnson and Beautycounter. Manessa Lormejuste
Alec Batis is a product innovator, chemist, and co-founder of Sweet Chemistry Labs, with 35 years of experience developing iconic beauty products for brands like L'Oréal, Kiehl's and 
Alec Batis is a product innovator, chemist, and co-founder of Sweet Chemistry Labs, with 35 years of experience developing iconic beauty products for brands like L'Oréal, Kiehl's and NARS. Alec Batis
We're excited to have these new voices join our existing team to help shape our content for the year to come!
![According to the Personal Care Products Council, 'Between 1990 and 2022, the [U.S.] personal care products industry generated a trade surplus every year, reaching $2.6 billion in 2022...'](https://img.gcimagazine.com/mindful/allured/workspaces/default/uploads/2025/08/adobestock-353393403.MryFiCWzOJ.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=191&q=70&w=340)
