The makeup industry is still booming in 2023 despite inflation. And, collective retail sales of eye, face and lip products are on track to surpass $16.8 billion this year, according to market research firm Kline. While the past decade has been characterized by fluctuating performance for color cosmetics, consumers returning to the category and new channels of discovery enabled makeup marketers to hit their stride once again.
Retail sales for these products rose 13% in 2022, according to Kline’s Cosmetics & Toiletries USA, and unlike other categories in beauty, where consumer demand was relatively unchanged, makeup’s momentous year was driven by more than price hikes.
TikTok has played a critical role in the rebirth of makeup after the pandemic, creating frenzied demand and capturing new audiences without incurring significant acquisition costs, according to Kline.
Celebrity influence in the makeup community remains positive, with consumers turning to TikTok content to recreate famous beauty looks from their beloved idols. Nudestix tapped model and beauty influencer Sofia Richie in October 2022 for the brand’s first-ever Nude Beauty Director role. The social media personality recently shared her wedding and honeymoon “Get Ready with Me” videos, which featured Nudestix’s iconic Nudies Blush Sticks. The spots earned upwards of 13 million views on TikTok. Outside social media, the most notable celebrity endorsement in beauty recently is ELF Beauty’s partnership with actress Jennifer Coolidge, who debuted in a commercial for the brand during Super Bowl LVII.
According to Google Trends data, “quiet luxury” searches surged 614% in the past year. It signals shoppers are turning to quality basics rather than flaunting logos. Quiet luxury is impacting every retail channel from mass to prestige.
“Consumers are shifting their makeup spending away from mass retail channels and toward department stores, beauty specialty stores, and other prestige outlets that carry products with higher-price points, noted Natallia Bambiza, beauty industry analyst, Circana (formerly IRI and The NPD Group). “Whether it’s a mood-booster, a form of escapism, or a means of self-expression, beauty products hold a special place in consumers’ hearts.”
In the first quarter of 2023, US prestige beauty industry sales rose 16% to $6.6 billion, according to point-of-sale data from Circana. In comparison, the mass beauty market grew 10% to $7 billion. As the fastest-growing category in Q1 across both the prestige and mass markets, makeup is making moves.
Makeup captured nearly 33% of total beauty sales revenue in Q1. And, for the first quarter of 2023, prestige makeup grew 24% to $2.4 billion while mass market makeup rose 15% to $1.7 billion. Consistent with the “Lipstick Index” phenomenon and “treat” mindset Circana has been reporting, lip was the fastest-growing prestige makeup segment, up 43%, with higher-priced designer brand product growing even faster.
According to Circana, mass market eye cosmetics sales increased 6.8% to $2.3 billion for total US multi-outlet (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains) for the 52 weeks ended April 23, 2023. Facial cosmetics sales soared 16.2% to $2.1 billion while lip cosmetics sales leaped 17.7% to $862.6 million. For a deeper dive into category sales, check out the chart above.
Brighter pigments are trending at MAC Cosmetics.
This summer, makeup bags are bursting with a juicy summer color palette, according to MAC Cosmetics global trend expert Cat Quinn. Energizing “Orange Spritz” and bold “Color Clash” combinations are paired with high-shine “Glass Lips” and “quiet luxury-approved soft ochre,” she told Happi.
The brand’s new artist-curated Connect In Colour eyeshadow palettes feature the brand’s most pigmented eyeshadow formula to-date with all-day wear. The new shadows are available in four “silky-smooth textures ranging from ultra-matte to molten-metallic,” said Quinn.
According to Milani Cosmetics CEO Mary van Praag, bold lips—most notably the classic red lip—are de rigueur. Other on-trend looks include dramatic lashes and the “glam grunge” aesthetic.
“As we transition from the ‘clean girl’ and ‘that girl’ beauty trends of 2022, which emphasized neutral tones and a focus on natural makeup, it’s no surprise to see a growing desire for color in the market,” she said. “However, the influence of the clean girl era persists, with minimal makeup continuing to hold strong. Milani is at the forefront of these trends, offering a range of affordable and accessible products that can be used for bold and daring looks as well as the ever-popular minimal makeup trend.”
Milani Cosmetics rolled out its Highly Rated Lash Extension Tubing Mascara earlier this year. It offers an affordable tubing-technology mascara that is said to dramatically lengthen and volumize lashes. Its luxury formula and performance is on par with prestige brands, noted van Praag.
In April, the company launched Stay Put Matte Liquid Lipsticks, available in 12 bold and highly pigmented shades including Red Flag, which van Praag called “our perfect red.”
Milani recently launched Gilded Eye Shadow Mini Palettes in five shade ranges along with eight single-color Gilded Eyeshadow Sticks. The formulas enable users to create a wide range of looks from bold, smoky to naturally flawless,” according to van Praag.
“Our Fruit Fetish Lip Oils and Keep It Full Maxxx Balmshell Lip Plumper, which launched last year, are still seeing much demand which proves that the natural makeup is still in style,” she added.
CoverGirl’s newest addition to the Lash Blast family is Lash Blast Cleantopia. The formula is infused with 100% cellulose plant fibers, aloe leaf extract, ceramide and sustainably-sourced Rainforest maracuja oil, according to Coty.
Inspired by the structure and strength cellulose fiber gives to plants, Cleantopia exaggerates every lash for “extreme lush volume.” The smudge-proof, flake-proof and clump-free formula nourishes lashes for up to 24 hours. Made of 72% natural origin pigments, Lash Blast Cleantopia is designed with an hourglass lush brush that will fit the eye shape and provide easy application, said the company. Fit for all lash types and lengths, the soft bristles will catch even the smallest lashes to wrap, lift and volumize each one from root to tip.
Florence by Mills expanded into eye makeup.
“We are so excited to bring a brand-new mascara to our portfolio of clean, vegan, CFI-certified makeup products,” said Mary Santangelo, senior vice president, CoverGirl global marketing, at Coty. “Lash Blast Cleantopia is perfect for that big, bold Saturday night volume you’ve been searching for. The prestige-inspired packaging is embossed with leaves to showcase the plant-based power of this product to take clean volume to the next level.”
Another CoverGirl success story is its Clean Fresh Yummy Gloss Collection. Twelve sheer colors are scented with pink-berry citrus, coconut water or red pineapple. The non-sticky clean, vegan, gluten-free formula is infused with hyaluronic acid, açai and black elderberries and naturally-derived antioxidants.
Maybelline New York unveiled its latest campaign with comedian Chloe Fineman, who showcases the durability of the brand’s all-new Tattoo Studio Ink Pen Eyeliner. The digital campaign—titled, “Ugly Cry, Perfect Liner”—includes a 1990s music video-inspired video that highlights the liquid eyeliner’s waterproof, smudge-proof, 24-hour longwear benefits, according to the beauty brand.
Also new from Maybelline this season is Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara. Maybelline’s first avatar, “May,” helped launch the product. She was featured alongside Maybelline global ambassador Gigi Hadid in the campaign which merges the real and the virtual worlds. With up to 24-hour wear, The Falsies Surreal Extensions Mascara contains a hybrid long- and short-fiber technology and extended helix brush with long, twisted bristles that work to extend every single lash for extreme volume and up to 36% visibly longer lashes, said the company.
Known for pioneering the “naked” product category, with bath bombs and shampoo bars that completely eliminate the need for plastic packaging, Lush’s latest innovation is Naked Mascara. Organic cocoa butter helps condition the lashes, while illipe and cupuaçu butters help to soften them, according to the Happi Top 30 company. Japan wax gives lashes definition, rice bran and candelilla wax help to evenly distribute the color and carnauba wax creates a lengthening effect.
Naked Mascara is sold with three different wands, each specifically designed to give different effects to lashes. Lush partnered with HCP-SIMP to offer a 100% bio-based material for mascara molded brushes. The wands are made from non-toxic material using non-plastic and 100% renewable materials, said the company. The wands will be freely offered along with the mascaras and can be recycled at home or brought to the shop to be recycled with Lush.
Happi Top 50 company Anastasia Beverly Hills released its Cosmos eyeshadow palette and tinted lip gloss for the season. The all-in-one celestial-inspired eyeshadow palette features 12 eyeshadow shades, from neutrals to what the brand describes “summery pops of color.” The full-pigment formula delivers high color payoff and buildable intensity, the brand says. The versatile shades and creamy formulas deliver day-to-night looks and are easy to apply and blendable for everyday wear.
Shades include Wings, a metallic silver green with sparkling reflects; Isle, a metallic blonde gold; Belle, a metallic antique bronze; Wisteria, a matte pastel lavender with sparkling reflects; Lili, a metallic rose gold with multi-dimensional reflects; Hope, a metallic olive green with gold reflects; Paloma, a matte creamy ivory with sparkling reflects; Fleur, a matte golden peach; Liberty, a matte muted hunter green; Peacock, a duo-chrome blueish-green brown with pink reflects; Metro, a matte rich clay; and Muse, a metallic dark chocolate brown.
Glow up with new facial cosmetics by Caliray.
Meanwhile, Anastasia Beverly Hills’ new Tinted Lip Gloss is vanilla-scented with luminous finishes. The smooth formulas glaze on lips for a light-reflecting look in seconds. Glosses feature flat, paddle-shaped applicators that glide with ease and precision. They can be worn over bare lips to accentuate the natural color or layered with liner and lipstick for extra dimension. The shade range includes Goldy, a metallic warm gold; Soft Pink, a baby pink; Sun Baked, a midtone mauvy pink; Caramel; Tan Rose; Latte; Cotton Candy; Deep Taupe, a soft beige brown; Honey Diamond, Peach Nude; Cantaloupe; Butterscotch; Coral; Pink Ginger; Peachy; Amber Sparkle; Guava; Toffee Rose; Honey Kiss; and Dusty Rose.
Anastasia Beverly Hills is big in the influencer community. According to a new study conducted by booking app Hey Goldie, Anastasia Beverly Hills is the second most popular makeup brand at the moment—right behind Huda Beauty. Founded in 1997 by Romanian-born Anastasia Soare and based in Beverly Hills, CA, the company registered 63,000 average monthly searches in the US and there have been more 25.6 million Instagram posts containing the brand’s name.
Soare hosted a dinner in celebration of Anastasia Beverly Hills’ 25th Anniversary in early 2023. The beauty titan marked the special milestone with 25 women who have helped shaped her career and supported her from day one, said the company. Guests included Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Lopez, Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, Sofia Vergara, Jessica Alba, Gayle King and Ashley Tisdale.
Celebrity beauty brand Florence by Mills launched All Eyes On You, its latest eye-centric color cosmetics line, on florencebymills.com and at Ulta. Products in the range include Up A Notch Volumizing Mascara, Eye Candy Eyeshadow Sticks, See Ya Later! Bi-Phase Eye Makeup Remover and On Your Mark Dual Liquid Eyeliner.
Even venerable food brands can be inspirations for cosmetic creations. Through a partnership with PopTarts, Too Faced cooked up two “bite-sized” eyeshadow palettes with colors reflecting the iconic brand’s bestselling flavors. The Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop Tart palette and the Frosted Strawberry Pop Tart palette each contain eight shades of shimmer, matte and metallic hues on the pink, red and brown and golden-brown spectrums, respectively.
These vibrant, high-intensity shades have extreme color payoff with a buttery consistency that blends seamlessly, according to the cosmetics brand. As an added bonus, both palettes smell like their respective flavors.
But the biggest hit of the summer is the “Barbie” movie. NYX Professional Makeup has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures to launch a limited-edition “Barbie The Movie” cosmetics collection.
The limited-edition assortment is inspired by the movie’s vibrant colors and energy. The collection includes two credit card-sized mini shadow palettes with a collectible mini Butter Gloss keychain attachment; a mini cheek palette, including two blushes and a highlighter to bring the sun-kissed looks from the movie to life; two new shades of Jumbo Eye Pencil sticks in vibrant pink and electric blue to highlight Barbie and Ken’s signature colors; Jumbo Lashes featuring wisps of Barbie pink; two Smooth Whip Matte Lip Creams, a Butter Gloss in an exclusive Barbie Land pink shade, and a mirror compact shaped like a flip phone.
Fenty Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury are driving the highest average monthly search volumes among beauty enthusiasts, according to market research firm Spate. Rihanna’s makeup brand saw an increase of 77.7% YoY growth with Charlotte Tilbury growing 29.3%.
Rihanna’s Super Bowl LVII halftime show was viewed by nearly 119 million spectators around the world. The pop singer touched up her makeup using Fenty Beauty’s Invisimatte Instant Setting + Blotting Powder and wore the newly-released Fenty Icon Velvet Liquid Lipstick in MVP. Across the brand, benefits such as hydrating, longwear, glowing, soft matte, shimmer and blurring indicate the types of product marketing that consumers are directly interested in from Fenty. While replicating star power can be challenging, brands should keep these benefits in mind when formulating new products or developing marketing strategies, according to Spate.
Charlotte Tilbury’s new matte Pillow Talk blush
A-listers are part of Charlotte Tilbury’s marketing plan, too It recently announced a partnership with Bella Hadid. Spate says it will monitor the brand’s top-searched products, which include the Hollywood Flawless Filter, Hollywood Contour Wand and Pillow Talk. New for the season are Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wands. Inspired by the viral, sell-out success of Pinkgasm, Charlotte’s Pillow Talk Matte Beauty Blush Wands are a lightweight, wearable liquid blush in wand format. According to the company, the new texture innovation imparts the ease of a cream blush with a matte finish.
The top-selling Shape Tape line at Tarte Cosmetics is growing with the new Shape Tape Radiant Concealer. The third addition to the Shape Tape collection features a “featherlight” medium coverage concealer ideal for creating a “no-makeup makeup” look. A triple hyaluronic acid blend plumps, smooths and hydrates skin alongside centella asiatica, vegan collagen and niacinamide to calm redness and give a softer, more even and radiant complexion, according to the company.
Also new this season from Tarte is Maracuja Juicy Blush, a color changing rouge that reacts to the body’s unique pH to deliver a flattering, custom “just saw my crush” flush. The products are available in two shades (coconut and orchid) and four shift shades (rose, apple, honeysuckle and “Big Ego”).
Endless Sunset Palette is the latest facial cosmetics creation from indie beauty brand Caliray founded by Urban Decay’s Wende Zomnir. According to the beauty company, Caliray Endless Sunset Palette is a talc-free, long-wear, multi-purpose eye and cheek compact infused with magnesium myristate, amino-acid and rice extract. The palette is housed in a compostable bamboo compact and the shades are refillable.
There has been a substantial increase in the demand for high-performance metallic pigments that come with eco-friendly attributes, according to market research firm Fact MR. In fact, the metallic pigments market is forecasted to grow over the next 10 years. The development of innovative metal oxides with new flake technology and unique substrate layering is predicted to open up lucrative opportunities. Metallic pigments are used widely in cosmetics and personal care products to manufacture dermatologically-safe and high-quality skin care solutions and skin-friendly makeup, said the market research firm.
Anime lashes and tubing mascara are also capturing the attention of wide-eyed consumers, noted Spate in its market research. Anime lashes represent a style of bold, dramatic and exaggerated false eyelashes inspired by anime characters. This may be a very low volume trend—indicating lack of broad consumer awareness—but it has virtually no competition, presenting an opportunity for a brand to carve out a niche in the oversaturated beauty space, according to Spate.
Additionally, cat eye lashes are experiencing a surge in popularity, with a year-over-year growth of +281.0% in searches. The growing interest in both anime lashes and cat eye lashes suggests that consumers seek false eyelashes that provide a very distinct and specific aesthetic.
Milani is a leader in the color cosmetics marketplace.
On the other hand, tubing mascara is a high-volume trend—indicating significant consumer awareness — with an average of 23.4K monthly searches and significant competition from brands like Blinc, Tarte Cosmetics and L’Oréal Paris. Consumer searches for “drugstore,” “Ulta” and “Sephora” indicate a desire for a variety of shopping options when it comes to tubing mascara. The search for primer alongside tubing mascara presents an opportunity for brands to offer two-in-one products or bundled packages, according to Spate.
“We are always keeping a finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving beauty industry landscape,” noted van Praag of Milani. “Looking ahead to 2024, we foresee several key trends that will shape the industry led by Gen Z who will continue to influence and drive consumer behavior. One significant trend we anticipate is the continued rise of dupe culture (those knock-off versions of more expensive products). The modern makeup consumer is savvy and well-informed, searching for affordable alternatives to high-end products without compromising on quality.”
New Color Cosmetic Ingredients
Micro Powders, Inc.
Tarrytown, New York
Phone: (914) 793-4058
Email: info@micropowders.com
Website: micropowders.com
NatureGel MC750
INCI: Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil Microcrystalline Cellulose, Polyhydroxystearic Acid, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Tocopheryl Acetate
Applications: Facial makeup foundation, concealer, BB cream; Eye makeup: mascara, shadow, liner; Lip makeup: lipstick, liner; Blush/Cheek Color, Primer
Comments: NatureGel MC750 is a unique all-natural anhydrous gel designed to be rich and creamy without unpleasant and greasy aesthetics. Use as-is, or effortlessly add to existing formulations to elevate mattifying and soft focus effects. It can also be used to produce special cream-to-powder loose and pressed powders.
Use level:1-10%
Naturecel 750
INCI: Microcrystalline Cellulose
Applications: Facial makeup foundation, concealer, BB cream; Eye makeup: mascara, shadow, liner; Lip makeup: lipstick, liner; Blush/Cheek Color; Primer
Comments: Naturecel 750 is an ultrafine powder of microcrystalline cellulose for best-in-class soft focus and line filling. It is designed to be a suitable alternative to talc, with high transmission haze and total transmittance. Its luxurious silky sensorial effects make it perfect for all facial cosmetic applications.
Use level: 1-15%
Celscrub 20
INCI: Microcrystalline Cellulose
Applications: Lipstick or liner primer/scrub
Comments: Celscrub 20 is a specially processed microcrystalline cellulose that is designed to exfoliate and then vanish during scrubbing. Provides mild exfoliation and then disappears – perfect for lip primers.
Use level:1-10%
Shin-Etsu Silicones of America, Inc.
Akron, OH
Phone: 1-330-630-9860, 1-800-544-1745
Email: first initial last name@shinetsua.com (e.g. cosmetics@shinetsua.com)
Website: www.Shinetsusilicones.com , www.silicones.jp
TSPL-30-ID
INCI: Isododecane Methyl (and) Trimethylsiloxysilylcarbamoyl Pullulan
Suggested Use Levels: 3-30%
Applications:
• Face: Facial Illuminators, foundations, BB/CC Cream
• Eyes: eye shadows, mascaras, lipsticks, blushers, pencils,
• Lips: Lipsticks, Liquid lipstain, Lip Creams, pencils
• Brows: Brow gels and creams
• Nails
Comments: TSPL-30-ID is a 30% siliconized pullulan film former in isododecane. It is a film former derived from GMO free source. Siliconization of Pullulan polymer renders the polymer water repellent and oil repellent, which are the key elements to achieve anti-transfer benefits for long wear lip color applications. The carrier isododecane provides fast drying. Silicone moiety further modifies the film flexibility for comfort and non-tacky feel without compromising the adhesion properties.
X-22-8365
INCI: Undecane (&) Acrylates/Dimethicone Copolymer (&) Tridecane
Suggested Use Levels:
• Emulsions: 2.5-10%
• Anhydrous: 15-30%
Applications:
• Face: Facial Illuminators, foundations, BB/CC Creams.
• Eyes: eye shadows, mascaras, lipsticks, blushers, pencils,
• Lips: Lipsticks, Liquid lipstains, Lip Creams.
• Brows: Gels, Creams, and Pencils.
• Pigment Treatment.
Comments: X-22-8365is a 40% active, silicone grafted silicone-acrylate film former in a carrier derived from bio-based alkanes. It is designed to be a durable, smooth, and pliable film for applications requiring comfort, long lasting and non-transfer properties. The acrylate backbone offers strong adhesion to the substrates; the grafting polysiloxanes chains offer hydrophobicity, flexibility, silkiness and non-tacky feel. The product is fast drying; upon drying, the film is water and sebum resistant. The product is silicone and organic compatible.
KSG-45
INCI: Coco-Caprylate/Caprate (&) Vinyl Dimethicone/Lauryl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
Suggested Use Levels:
• Emulsions: 3-25%
• Anhydrous: 15-90%
Applications:
• Face: Facial Illuminators, Foundations, BB/CC Cream
• Eyes: Eye Shadows, Mascaras, Lipsticks, Blushers, Pencils
• Lips: Lipsticks, Liquid Lip Stains, Lip Creams, Liners
• Brows: Gels, Creams, Pencils
• Sun Screens: Face, Body
Comments: KSG-45 is a C12 alkyl modified elastomer gel swollen in a carrier derived from coconut oil. It is a multi-functional sensory enhancer with an exceptional dry, cushiony, silky, smooth feel with no residue. The elastomer gel is designed to be compatible with organic/natural formulation ingredients and chemical UV filters. KSG-45 is an effective thickener for esters, and natural organic oils. When added to the oil phase, it helps to stabilize both w/o and o/w emulsions. Further, KSG-45 provides excellent blurring in both silicone and organic based formulations.
