2025 beauty trends to be driven by psychodermatology, solid formulas, and AI

Over the next two years, the beauty industry will see solid and powder formulations replace liquids, skincare that acknowledges the impact of emotion on skin and an increase in both activism and the use of artificial intelligence.  

Trends prediction agency WGSN forecasted the future of the beauty industry in 2025 in its report, sharing six key trends.

The first is Flex-abilities, whereby the continuation of global crises will see stress become a more prominent feature of daily lives. 

“Emotional beauty” is set to grow, with the connection between mind and skin at the centre of new product design, recognising the effect of emotion on skin conditions. 

In addition, indulgent formulas that boost the mood are set to trend, as well as the acceptance of indulgence in life – for example, if partying all night makes you happy, do it but then use products to help you avoid the skin consequences.

The second trend is Layered Realities, which focuses around the metaverse and a fusion of real and virtual. 

In 2025, WGSN said we will see “digital duality” adding a sensorial layer to beauty through the use of personal avatars to help consumers with product choice, and mind-link technologies, such as platforms that measure the emotional response to scents through brainwave activity. 

In addition, rapid prototyping will enable businesses to work faster and more sustainably.

Trend three is Resource Ready, where businesses will use resource scarcity as an opportunity to drive more sustainable production and consumption.

For beauty, this is likely to mean lab-grown alternatives to rare natural ingredients, as well as compostable packaging.  

Fourth trend Urgent Optimism will see people losing trust in political processes and taking change into their own hands. 

WGSN said we will see more activism from beauty brands around inclusivity, as well as the challenging of filtered images and unsubstantiated terms, such as “clean beauty”.

Preservation Mode is trend five and focuses on how a history of overconsumption will lead to demand for preservation in coming years.

As well as more sustainable ingredient sourcing, this will mean a switch from liquids and creams to solid and powder formats that have a longer shelf life and are easier and cheaper to transport. 

The last trend, Strategic Imaginations, is a move from the information age, where knowledge was the driver of growth, to the imagination age, where creativity will be valued more highly. 

For beauty, this will mean more multi-sensory design, using AI tools and neuroscience. Creative storytelling will also become even more important in the product sales process.