In 2024, skin care was the softest-growing category in the U.S. prestige beauty market, per Circana*, with dollar sales up 2% and units growing slightly faster; mass market sales were up just about 1% in the same period. These numbers mask a key reality of the market: skin care shoppers are quickly migrating to the masstige space.
Log in to view the full article
In 2024, skin care was the softest-growing category in the U.S. prestige beauty market, per Circana*, with dollar sales up 2% and units growing slightly faster; mass market sales were up just about 1% in the same period. These numbers mask a key reality of the market: skin care shoppers are quickly migrating to the masstige space.
Last year, prestige facial skin care dollar performance fell 2% (top performers included lip treatment and face cleansers), while mass dropped 1%. Yet the masstige facial skin care market boomed by 13%, making it the strongest performer in the masstige space. The message is clear: shoppers are moving to the middle, opting for elevated, but accessible brands and products, while remaining skeptical of higher-priced options.
As the data above shows, consumer spending is moving beyond the face. Per Circana, body skin care sales still outperform the facial segment, driven by formats such as creams, lotions, cleansers and hand soaps. Let’s break down those trends.
According to Circana data, mass body care retail sales volume totaled $6.9 billion in 2024. Notably, upstart ingredient-focused brands are taking market share among body wash shoppers, but hand and body lotion is still ruled by establishment, dermatologist-backed and natural brands.
Body creams were the superstar of the prestige body care space (as noted above), generating about 70% of incremental dollar volume gains and growing by 20%. Brands highlighting retinol (driving 17% growth) and shimmer effects (driving 158% growth) outperformed the overall category, per Circana. Prestige hand soap sales, meanwhile, grew 124%.
Other skin care growth areas included prestige lip treatments and face cleansers.
2024 Top Skin Care Sellers
The top five skin care brands in dollar volume sales in 2024 were all mass, including Dove, CeraVe, Neutrogena, Olay and Old Spice; the top skin care launch item in dollar volume sales was a mass SKU, Secret’s Whole Body Deodorant in Peach + Vanilla Blossom.
Top masstige brands last year included La Roche Posay, The Ordinary (which had the top masstige skin care launch item in dollar volume sales, the Hyaluronic Acid +B5 Hydrating Seruym), Honest Beauty, Boots and Byoma, while top prestige brands included Clinique, Lancome, Sol de Janeiro, Estee Lauder (which had the top prestige skin care launch item in dollar volume sales, the Revitalizing Supreme+ Youth Power Creme Broad Spectrum SPF 25) and La Mer.
Tech- & Pro-driven Beauty: Consumers Embrace Skin Wellness
Looking ahead, Mintel insights shared during a recent CEW briefing showed that 52% of consumers desire technologies that can help them visualize and optimize their results. This includes services such as sebum RNA monitoring (as seen from Kao) and tracking of the gut-mind-skin connection.
Furthermore, per Mintel, 55% of U.S. adults believe that seeing their skin wellness progress digitally (similar to wearable fitness trackers) keeps them motivated.
Pro skin care and devices are also driving shopper interest in skin care, particularly around longevity concepts. Per Spate and Google, this includes liquid microneedling, skin boosters, NAD, biostimulators, green light therapy and LED face masks.
Meanwhile, consumers are increasingly searching out a range of professional beauty procedures, including the Nefertiti lift for the neck and jawline, hyaluronic lip pens, deep plane facelifts, blepharoplasty for the eyelids, neck lifts and Renuva treatments for age-related fat volume loss.
Other preferred treatments includ laser facials, salmon sperm facials and DermaV laser treatments, which target vascular and pigmented lesions.
2025 Skin Care Trends on the Horizon
Looking ahead, NielsenIQ data points to beauty concepts on the horizon, including:
- SPF sheet masks
- soil based ingredients
- skullcap mushrooms
- lactobionic acid for exfoliation
- anti-inflammatory CBG
- bio-silk for strengthened skin barriers
*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.
