According to Circana's data, prestige beauty grew 4% in 2025. Mass grew 5%.
At first glance, it looks like business as usual - another year of beauty outperforming the wider retail market.
But the detail underneath matters more than the headline.
In prestige, sales growth came almost entirely from more products being sold - not from higher prices. Average selling prices rose just 1%.
In other words, brands didn't grow by charging more. They grew because people kept buying.
Where Growth Is Actually Concentrating
And where those purchases concentrated is telling.
Lip products led makeup across both mass and prestige. Hair was the fastest-growing prestige category, with scalp care marking its third straight year of double-digit growth. Skincare gains came from established staples rather than splashy new trends. Fragrance continued to climb, though growth is beginning to moderate after several years of exponential expansion.
Taken together, this signals selectivity.
Consumers aren't splurging indiscriminately. They're repurchasing the lip liner that gets replaced every six weeks. The scalp treatment that actually gets rid of dandruff. The moisturiser that always sits nicely under makeup.
Growth is still there.
What This Means for Beauty Brands
But the growth is being driven by routine, by problem-solving categories, and by perceived value - not price increases or novelty alone.
For brands, it's no longer about launching something new and pushing the price up. Focus on earning repeat purchases by proving why your product deserves a place in someone's everyday routine.
What This Means For Your Email Marketing
If consumers are consolidating around routine, problem-solving, and reliable value, your email strategy needs to reflect that. Instead of pushing novelty in every campaign, build automated replenishment flows that catch customers exactly when they need to restock.
Send educational deep-dives on why your hero product deserves a permanent spot in their vanity. The brands winning the inbox right now are the ones making themselves indispensable, not just interesting.