Beauty is entering an era of disruption.
The Future Laboratory unveiled its annual beauty, health and wellness future report, titled “The Great Beauty Blur,” looking at the future of the industry in 2026 and beyond. The report explores how years of monotony and a lack of innovation is resulting in a movement of new beauty ideals that aim to shake up the market.
“The events of the past decade have shown us that society is facing a deepening identity crisis, where appearance is increasingly weaponized by politics, media and technology. Beauty styles now signal ideology, entrench hierarchies and narrow diversity,” said The Future Laboratory insights and engagement director and beauty lead Olivia Houghton. “’The Great Beauty Blur’ shows why it’s crucial for brands and culture-makers to understand and challenge these trends before they shape the long-term future of human expression.”
The report first looks at how years of mass trends, the rise of social media and the use of digital tools, such as artificial intelligence, have led to a homogenized beauty standard and a lack of innovation in the category. Additionally, as certain brands and products win the market, others are trying to follow in their footsteps rather than ideate something new. However, Houghton emphasized that innovations are crucial market drivers.
“Around 10 percent of annual sales in the beauty industry come from genuinely new innovations, but then innovation is challenging because only around 10 percent of new beauty brands managed to survive long term,” she said.
The firm identifies this ongoing sameness as one of the biggest threats to the industry, which is leading to a rise in trends that are pushing for the opposite.
With this, the brand identified several movements that have been taking shape, including “anti-fluency aesthetics,” such as bold prosthetics and avant garde looks. The report specifically points to “Beetlejuice lips,” which feature neon and black pigment to create a cracked effect, and the glass skin mask-like look created by Pat McGrath for the Maison Margiela spring show.
The report also highlights that brands and creators will begin to lean into ambiguity, allowing the consumer to interpret new ideas on their own rather than creating one hyper-specific trend. This concept shows beauty from a more artistic lens, and the report points to examples like “Aesop’s synaesthetic collaboration with Jack Coulter, translating scent into a visual abstraction.”
The Future Laboratory also predicts a resurgence of “local rituals, cultural heritage and traditional aesthetics,” pointing specifically to “community-led scent movements like TikTok’s Black Girls Smell Good.” This is also leading to what the firm calls “stackable beauty,” where multiple approaches are being layered to create new approaches.
Finally, with product innovation being a crucial driver of the industry, the firm is predicting a new era of ideas that emphasizes sensory experiences, and a push away from prioritizing digital presence over real life.
“It’s not the full rejection of technology. It’s how can we make sure that this technology works with humans,” Houghton said.
As an example, the report pointed to Estée Lauder Companies’ partnership with Exuud to create a “smart fragrance delivery system that releases aromatic molecules in controlled bursts, inspired by the way flowers emit scent.”
These multifaceted pushes toward what’s new and disruptive will be crucial for the longevity of the industry and brands, according to the firm.
The report states: “Beauty has become predictable — and predictable is powerless. Brands that embrace layered experiences, cultural storytelling and interpretive aesthetics will reclaim depth, provoke thought and reshape how we see ourselves.”
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