Beauty, rebalanced
Introducing our 2025 Beauty in Brief Report
Here at Zalando, beauty is more than a product category—it’s a fast-evolving cultural and commercial space. With insights from over 52 million active customers across Europe, we offer a data-driven view into the consumer dynamics shaping the future of the industry.
To support you, our partners in navigating these changes, we’ve developed the 2025 Beauty in Brief Report—a concise, insight-led guide to emerging shifts in beauty. This report is designed to inform strategic planning and help brands respond to new patterns in behavior and demand.
Drawing from data and cultural analysis, the report identifies five key macro trends and eight micro shifts redefining beauty. The focus is not only on what’s trending, but on the deeper drivers behind these movements—and how businesses can respond effectively.
What’s driving change in 2025? A growing demand for balance
Consumers are moving away from rigid, high-maintenance beauty ideals and turning toward products and routines that support emotional wellbeing and resilience. With digital fatigue, stress, and environmental pressures increasingly impacting everyday life, beauty is being reframed as a tool for regulation and recovery rather than performance.
We’re seeing simplification of routines, growing interest in nervous system-friendly ingredients, and a reframing of beauty as a support mechanism for modern life. These evolving priorities are opening up new opportunities for brands that can deliver meaningful, functional solutions.
Macro trend: Energy reset
The beauty routine evolves into a wellness ritual, with simplified product formats, stress-regulating ingredients, and sensorial experiences that promote restoration.
Macro trend: Biohacking beauty
Consumers are focusing on biologically aligned solutions, including products designed to work overnight or with circadian rhythms—such as scalp serums, overnight masks, and multifunctional skincare.
Macro trend: Real-life beauty
Functionality becomes essential. Products are expected to perform in dynamic, real-world conditions—from commutes and workouts to hormonal changes and seasonal shifts.
Macro trend: Comfort in nostalgia
Consumers are gravitating toward familiar formats and aesthetics. This includes a return to 90s minimalism, neutral palettes, and emotionally resonant rituals that provide a sense of stability.
Macro trend: True radiance
Skin health is the new glow standard. Consumers are investing in hydration, barrier repair, and long-term care—embracing K-beauty routines and ingredients that support inner and outer balance.
- +700%increase in searches for calming skincare
- +264%increase in interest in overnight masks
- +81%increase in clean perfume searches
- +232%growth in searches for glass skin
- +133%rise in 90s minimalism-related queries
These trends reflect deeper emotional and behavioral shifts—not just aesthetic preferences. The data demonstrates clear changes in consumer priorities and purchasing patterns across Europe.
Why it matters for your brand
Our goal is to provide you with timely, actionable insights—not only to anticipate change, but to contextualize it. This report is a practical tool to support more informed decisions in product development, marketing, and merchandising strategy.
“ By blending inspiration, entertainment, and commerce, our ambition is to transform how customers engage with beauty. Understanding the cultural context behind consumer behavior is key to that—and this report offers the clarity to act with confidence. ”
Virginie Duigou, Head of Beauty Buying, Zalando
Looking ahead
The Beauty in Brief Report is a resource for rethinking how brands approach innovation, storytelling, and market positioning in 2025. Together, we can shape a beauty landscape that is consumer-informed, culturally aligned, and commercially relevant.
