The Beauty Contract: What's Fueling the Top 10 Gen Z Brands and Products?

[cafeteria], a production platform for teens and brands, has released its 2025 Next-Gen Spenders: Beauty Edition report. The insights platform listened to 2,100+ of its teen and Gen Z users to curate 335 hours of insights about 270+ beauty brands and behaviors to find the top 10 brands and products Gen Z is loving. 

These are the top 10 brands and products [cafeteria] users are talking about the most.

• CeraVe – Foaming Facial Cleanser
• e.l.f. – Halo Glow Liquid Filter
• Rare Beauty – Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
• Fenty – Gloss Bomb
• Charlotte Tilbury – Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray
• Rhode – Peptide Lip Treatment
• Glossier – Glossier You
• Summer Fridays – Lip Butter Balm
• Neutrogena – Oil Free Acne Wash
• Sol de Janeiro – Brazilian Bum Bum Cream

Using a proprietary AI model based solely on user responses, [cafeteria] has identified pre-trend brands gaining momentum.

• Good Molecules
• Bubble
• ANUA
• Tree Hut
• Byo

Gen Z's Shifting Beauty Habits 

Beauty is experiencing a clear shift in how young people approach skin care, hair care, cosmetics and fragrance. In addition to the top 10 most talked about beauty and skin care brands and the top 5 brands to watch, [cafeteria] has uncovered several surprising insights that signal significant shifts in behavior among young consumers. 

Teen girls and young women are prioritizing ingredient labels over brand labels.peopleimages.com at Adobe Stock

• Teen girls and young women are prioritizing ingredient labels over brand labels. They are loyal to formulas as much as brands, they are savvy about active ingredients and they expect transparency. Even slight changes to a formula will not go unnoticed. 

• Meanwhile, males are gravitating toward fragrances and brands that drive social currency. They want currency, longevity and prestige, and they have a clear fragrance hierarchy when it comes to their wallets. 

• Males also care about their skin, but resist the language of a "skin care routine". To them, it's about "washing my face," which is quick and functional. When routines are explicitly mentioned, it's about acne control, not ritual.

Brick-and-Mortar vs. Digital Discovery

The report also reveals that omnichannel marketing should balance digital discovery (primarily TikTok, where 61% of Gen Z discover their beauty products) and brick-and-mortar purchases (58% still prefer shopping in‑store).

For many Gen Z digital natives, the beauty journey means discovering a product or brand on TikTok, buying in-store and repurchasing online.

• 61% discover beauty products through TikTok (3.4x more than Instagram).
• 58% still prefer shopping in-store
• 21% shop both in-store and online, depending on the product

Gen Z's Ingredient-Based Language 

Gen Z shops formulation first, brand second. This generation speaks in the language of ingredients. Where previous generations said, "I need Tylenol or Chapstick" (brand over chemical), Gen Z says things like "I need niacinamide." For this generation, ingredients are code for skin solutions. 

 This generation speaks in the language of ingredients. Виктория Попова at Adobe Stock

• Hyaluronic acid = hydration
• Salicylic acid = acne control
• Glycolic acid = exfoliating
• Vitamin C = brightening
• Niacinamide = multi-tasking
• Caffeine = de-puffing

It's what's inside that counts. They are looking for actives, clean formulations and transparent science. For Gen Z, brands like The Ordinary, for its ingredient-forward packaging, and CeraVe, a reliable staple, embody this new ingredient code. 

Brand Loyalty

Loyalty is earned product‑by‑product, with consistency. For Gen Z, formula consistency is expected—changes feel like betrayal. The beauty contract below lists the top three things Gen Z expects from brands when it comes to maintaining their loyalty. 

• Don't harm my skin

• Don't change formulas without telling me

• Don't take my loyalty for granted

Adverse reactions are the #1 reason Gen Z walks away from a skin care brand. No hesitation, they drop immediately and permanently. For roughly half who stop a product, the culprit is breakouts, dryness or irritation. TikTok and celebrity hype are often cited as pushing products not compatible with their skin.

For two brands that recently reformulated its hair care products, 1 in 7 who stopped buying them cited the formula change. Reformulation resentment spans other beauty categories as well. 

For wellness and beauty brands that are evolving its formula or launching new SKUs, the key narrative should emphasize consistency, transparency and why change is positive.

Fragrance As Wardrobe

Fragrance is no longer a signature; it's a playlist. Gen Z is pairing fragrances, layering them and rotating them to match their moment-to-moment experiences. 

44% of females own 6 or more fragrances. They are collectible and experiential. On average, females choose dessert over flowers. When talking about their favorite scents, gourmand scents make up 56% of mentions. Gen Z is pairing fragrances, layering them and rotating them to match their moment-to-moment experiences.tania_wild at Adobe Stock

• Gourmand: vanilla, sweet, caramel – 55.7%

• Fruity: berry, cherry, coconut – 19.0%

• Fresh: clean citrus, mint, ocean – 16.7%

• Floral: rose, lavender, jasmine – 14.9%

Meanwhile, male buyers still meet traditional brand status cues. When it comes to fragrances, males have a clear fragrance hierarchy:

• Social currency: getting compliments and noticed by others
• Brand prestige: designer houses (top 3 are Dior, Versace and Gucci)
• Performance: longevity and projection

In addition, body mists aren't budget alternatives—they're a distinct go-to category for 39% of female fragrance buyers. Bath & Body Works leads (58%), followed by Victoria's Secret (41%), while the premium favorite is Sol de Janeiro (15%).

Lip is Leading 

Splurge-worthy brands include Saie, ILIA, Tower 28 and Merit.

For Gen Z, 79% name lip products as their holy grail daily essential. DisobeyArt at Adobe Stock

In hair, TRESemmé leads the mass market, making up 19% of brand mentions, trailed closely by Pantene at 17%. When shopping at Ulta and Sephora, Gen Z chooses amika (23%), Olaplex (20%) and OUAI (18%). 

Hair oils are also a staple for 15% of Gen Z females who are choosing premium brands. Moroccan Oil leads with 30% of oil users, followed by Ouai (22%), Olaplex (15%), Gisou (11%) and Kerastase (10%).

Among males, Gillette is the clear favorite with 44% of brand mentions. 1 in 4 are going electric, with Philips Norelco and Manscaped as the go-to brands.