Playful, sensorial, and nostalgic, we see feel-good components collide with a resurging celebration of feminine energy to create an unabashedly girly beauty mood. As hype grows for the upcoming Barbie movie and #Barbiecore shows no signs of slowing, consumers embrace the power of the female gaze through beauty looks, as there’s a push to reclaim hyperfemininity, break stereotypes, and promote a liberated femme aesthetic.
Playful Details
The need to indulge is a strong emotional factor for stressed-out consumers seeking feel-good fun, as brands answer with thematic collections that invite a sense of play. TikTok aesthetics are helping to drive this conversation, as users look to various aesthetics or “cores” as they use immersive escapism to romanticize their lives. Aesthetics like #coquettecore, #barbiecore, and #dollycore all grow due to this movement, partially fueled by consumers rejecting the dismissive notion that stereotypically feminine aesthetics are immature or lower in value and relevance, empowering consumers to reclaim their feminine energy through pop pink beauty looks. We see this play out in color cosmetics through examples like Colourpop’s Pretty Please collection, which is inspired by the coquette aesthetic trend, with an unabashedly girly range of makeup products that revel in florals, and the #coquettecore signature vibe of 18th century femininity.
Sweet Inspiration
Aligning with growing trends around food-inspired beauty launches, we see pastel shades like bubblegum pink, candy blue, and frosting yellow grow in popularity, as consumers indulge in unapologetically sugar-coated looks and candy-like products. Glamlite’s Strawberry Shortcake collection, for example, features the childhood favorite character to invoke sweet fun, with strawberry-themed packaging design and vibrant pigmented shades in bold pink and red hues. Building off this, Too Faced launched their gummy bear-themed makeup collection, adorned with multi-hued gummy bears and candy-like shades for an explosion of childhood indulgence and sweet satisfaction, while Rude Cosmetics also launched their colorful Mentos candy palette. We also see dessert-inspired packaging in HipDot’s expressive collaboration with JoJo Siwa, which celebrates youthful energy through the sprinkle handles for its vibrant brush set.
Nostalgia
Nostalgia remains a powerful driver, as brands recall childhood memories through graphics and collections inspired by sprinkles, gummy bears, telephone calls with friends, and popular cartoons from childhood. In addition, retro beauty looks continue to be influential, as consumers look to the past for inspiration and a sense of escapism, experimenting with 60s bombshell bouffants, glossy peach lips, and pastel blue nails that celebrate forgotten beauty trends. Trixie Cosmetics’ Girl Talk makeup collection, for example, celebrates 90s nostalgia and the joy of chatting with friends over the phone, with a delightfully retro collection that features throwback graphics and shades like “Sugar Rush” and “Dear Diary.” Adding to this, Colourpop not only debuted their Snow White collection, with makeup inspired by the princess fantasy tale and characters from the Disney animated film, they also introduced their Alice in Wonderland line, also based off of the beloved whimsical tale as brought to life by Disney.
Mallory Huron, Senior Strategist for Beauty & Wellness
Fashion Snoops
FS is a global trend forecasting agency helping leading consumer-facing brands around the world unlock innovation and propel growth. Through a combination of human and artificial intelligence, we analyze cultural shifts and interpret detected patterns in order to forecast trend-driven business opportunities.
