I like to think about things as the year comes to an end. I think about my favorite times, the things I’ve done well, and even the things I might want to work on in 2026. But as a beauty editor, I also like to think about how the industry is always changing. In December, I like to look back on the beauty products that have really stood the test of time this year, the brands that people have been buying more than ever, and the trends that have been popular in the beauty world over the past year.
I have a lot of data at my job, so I’ve been able to talk to some of the biggest beauty retailers about the most popular beauty products of 2025 over the past few weeks. We’ve really looked into the numbers for skincare, makeup, hair care, and fragrance, and to be honest? Some of the numbers have really surprised me.
We seem to care more about our beauty routines than ever before. We’re not only spending more money on the things we like (more on that later), but thanks to social media and AI, we all know a lot more about what we should really be using. Retailers are working hard to keep up with the growing demand from customers. In 2025, Boots opened its first fragrance-only store, which was the first of its kind. Space NK also opened its flagship store on Oxford Street in the heart of central London. John Lewis says that by the end of 2025, the store will have more than 540 beauty counters across the country (+7% from last year), as well as more than 400 beauty services and almost 160 beauty brands.
You might like this collage of popular beauty products from 2026.
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Frosty lipstick, matte makeup, and side bangs (gasp!) are some of the biggest beauty trends of 2026. They remind us of 2006.
But what are we buying I’ve made a detailed guide to the most popular products of the year below. Keep scrolling to see if they are already in your bathroom cabinet or on your dressing table, or if now is the time to join in.
The Most Popular Beauty Items of 2025
1. Serums Based on Science
A collage of the best-selling serums, a picture of a bathroom sink and cupboard with luxury skin care products in them, and a stat from John Lewis on serum sales in 2025
(Thanks to @emmahoareau, SkinCeuticals, @eggcanvas, @emmahoareau, and Medik8 for the picture)
The face serum has been the most popular skincare product of 2025. These are not just any old serums; they are new powerful serums that really do make a difference in the skin. John Lewis says that serum sales are up 26% from last year, and Charlotte Tilbury’s Magic Serum is one of the store’s best selling products.
Medik8’s Liquid Peptides Advanced MP Serum is one of Cult Beauty’s top 20 best selling products of 2025. Lookfantastic says that Medik8 C-Tetra Vitamin C Serum (£42) and SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum were two of its best selling skincare products of the year. These skin care products aren’t cheap and that’s no secret. But the new ideas behind them are amazing.
Lookfantastic’s new-season trend report, which came out in August, says that the demand for professional dermatological and science-based skincare is still growing. Searches related to skin care are up 8.8% year over year. So it’s not surprising that beauty shoppers are willing to spend money on these well known brands.
Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP is one of the best-selling serums.
Medik8 Liquid Peptides Advanced MP costs £79.
Buy Now SkinCeuticals C E Ferulic Serum with Vitamin C
Skinceuticals £165 for C E Ferulic Vitamin C Serum.
Buy Now Charlotte Tilbury Magic Serum Crystal Elixir
Charlotte Tilbury Magic Serum Crystal Elixir costs £65.
2. Blindness from Blush
A collage of popular blushes, a woman with a bold blush look, a woman putting on blush, and a Lookfantastic stat about blush sales in 2025
(Image credit: @eggcanvas, Merit, @nnennaechem, Patrick Ta, @alllisonho, Saie)
In 2025, we all started using more blush in our makeup. I’ve worked in the beauty business for a long time, and I don’t think I’ve ever written as much about blush trends as I have in the last year. Blusher is the second fastest growing type of makeup on Lookfantastic, with sales up 21% from the previous year.
The store says that in 2025, there will be a big rise in the development of new products across all types of blush, such as liquid cream and powder. Taking this into account, it’s not surprising that Patrick Ta’s Major Headlines Double-Take Cream and Powder Blush Duo is Cult Beauty’s best selling product of the year, with Merit’s Flush Balm coming in second.
Buy the Most Popular Blush Merit Flush Balm
Merit Beauty Flush Balm is £26.
Buy it now Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is 7.5ml.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is £24.
PATRICK TA Major Headlines has a Double-Take Cream and Powder Blush Duo.
Patrick Ta Cream and Powder Blush Duo for £34.
3. Fancy Smells
A collage of pictures of luxury fragrances and lifestyle, along with a statistic from John Lewis about sales of high-end fragrances
(Images from @eggcanvas, Chanel, @iramshelton, Nishane, and Maison Francis Kurkdjian)
Luxury perfumes are really popular right now, aren’t they? I don’t know when we all started spending more on smelling good, but it seems like everyone I know is buying high-end designer scents. In 2025, there has been a higher demand for high-end fragrances, especially at John Lewis.
The average price of a fragrance has gone up from £70 to £100 over the past two years, which is a 42.9% increase over that time. Some of the store’s best selling scents this year are Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s Baccarat Rouge 540, Chanel Coco Mademoiselle (£109), Chanel No5 (£149), and Creed Aventus (£220).
These may be more classic high-end scents, but Harrods’ best-seller list is full of niche luxury fragrances. The brand says that Nishane’s Oudous Lux Solis Extrait de Parfum was its best selling new fragrance of 2025. It costs £310 per bottle, which is a lot of money.
Other top sellers include Maison Crivelli Oud Cadenza and Fragrance du Bois Rude Oud (£210).
Back to Lookfantastic’s report on the latest trends, the global perfume market is expected to be worth $50 billion (about £37.6 billion) by 2030. Yes, it looks like we won’t be cutting back on our spending on high end perfumes anytime soon.
4. Live, Laugh, and LED
A collage of women wearing LED masks and cutouts of the best-selling LED masks, along with a Lookfantastic stat about LED mask sales in 2025
Thanks to Dr. Dennis Gross, @monikh, Shark, @eggcanvas, Silk’n, and @lucywilliams02 for the picture.
Nowadays, it’s hard to scroll through TikTok or Instagram without seeing someone wearing an LED mask as part of their skincare routine. These high tech tools have taken over the skincare device market, and Lookfantastic says that sales of LED masks will go up by a huge 96.7% in 2025.
The brand buying team says the store is excited to see this category grow, with wellness, longevity, and routine still being popular in 2026.
The Shark LED mask was one of the best selling skincare products of the year, but the Dr. Dennis Gross Drx Spectralite Faceware Pro LED mask is the best selling item on Cult Beauty’s list for 2025.
Retailers and brands like Boots and Beauty Pie also released their own cheap versions of the popular beauty tool this year. This is why I think sales will keep going up in January and beyond.
5. Not hard on the eyes
A collage of women with little eye makeup, a woman with a Merit tote bag, and the best selling eye makeup products of 2025, along with a quote from Who What Wear about the best selling eye makeup product of 2025.
We’ve also noticed that people want more simple eye looks when it comes to makeup. People are looking for makeup that they can just swipe on and go because, let’s be honest, who has the time to spend more than a few minutes on their eye makeup these days?
The Victoria Beckham Beauty Satin Kajal Liner was our best selling beauty product on the site for the whole year. Lookfantastic also says that Armani’s Eye Tint, which is an easy to blend liquid eyeshadow, was one of its best selling makeup items of the year.
Our readers really liked Merit’s Solo Shadow, which was also a best seller for us. The cream to powder formula was a big hit.
6. The K Beauty Craze
A collage of cut-out pictures of Korean beauty products that are popular right now, along with a quote from Boots about how well Korean beauty products will sell in 2025.
K Beauty is probably doing well right now, and that’s not a surprise. This trend isn’t new, but more people in the West want to buy K Beauty products. I have the numbers to back this up.
Believe it or not, Boots sold one K Beauty item every 15 seconds from January 1 to October 10, 2025. But that’s not all. Lookfantastic says that K Beauty has been searched for over 4,500 times this year.
K Beauty skincare sales have also gone up by 174%. Beauty of Joseon, Laneige, and Anua are some of the brands that are leading the way.
I’m excited to see where this category goes in 2026, even though more and more Korean beauty brands are coming to the UK.
7. Healthy hair is worth a lot of money.
A collage of popular hair health products and pictures of women doing their hair, along with a Lookfantastic stat about hair serum sales in 2025
Last but not least, we need to talk about how to keep your hair healthy. In particular, serums. Lookfantastic says that hair serum sales are up 42% from last year.
The Kérastase Genesis Hair Serum was the most popular hair product of 2025, along with the Kérastase Nutritive 8H Magic Night Serum (£47).
Champo Pitta Growth Serum is one of Harrods best selling hair products of 2025, which is a similar trend continuing.
At the same time, masks, oils, and leave-in treatments that nourish the skin are also becoming popular. Gisou says that one of the Honey Infused Hair Oils sold every 20 seconds this year.
Cult Beauty tells me that the K18 Biomimetic Hairscience Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask (£30) was its fifth best selling product overall in 2025.
Over the past few years, both brands and customers have moved a lot toward skinification in hair care. There are now so many ways to learn more about hair health that I think this trend will keep growing, just like our hair.
