Sleepmaxxing, Next-Gen Supplements and AI Health Assistants Are Shaping 2025’s Beauty and Wellness Trends: Front Row

Heading into a milestone year, the times certainly are a changin’.

Beauty and wellness are being taken more seriously than ever. Women are no longer being judged for their adamance around multi-step skincare and color cosmetics routines because men want a slice of the action. In the Information Age, consumers are turning to AI assistants for consultations about their skin concerns. As beauty enthusiasts understand the need for beauty rest, they’re setting aside their devices at bedtime to get some quality shuteye in a new phenomenon called “sleepmaxxing” involving the stacking of beauty rituals at bedtime using sleep to maximize the performance of everything from overnight masks to mouth tape to slow the aging process as much as possible.

Front Row breaks down the top 10 beauty and wellness trends for the year ahead.

New Luxury Lexicons

Market shifts point to the emergence of beauty, health and wellness as the new cornerstones of luxury and status.

The luxury fashion sector is slowing, with luxury fashion powerhouses like Kering reporting sales down 16% in Q3 of 2024, and LVMH reporting a decline in sales. However, amidst the luxury decline, fragrance and beauty have remained key sales drivers. LVMH reported a 5% increase during the first nine months of 2024 year-over-year in cosmetics and perfume, despite the decline across fashion. The company observed that they’ve seen a “notable trend of shoppers cutting back on luxury purchases” but a “solid momentum in fragrances and beauty.”

Consequently, many fashion brands are moving into beauty. In September 2024, Celine debuted its first beauty range. Cult Gaia introduced a fragrance line the same month, part of a major push towards its goal to transition into a “lifestyle brand.” Prada launched makeup and skincare lines in August 2023. Large marketplaces like Walmart are throwing their hat in the lifestyle luxury ring too, expanding premium beauty offerings with new custom online shops.

Consumer appetite for luxury health and wellness offerings is also on the rise. Equinox debuted a new $40,000-per-year gym membership in May 2024, partnering with testing platform Function Health to provide a 360-degree approach to health including biomarker testing and nutrition planning. Continuum Club — a $10,000-per-month “wellness social club” that uses AI and biometric technology to create hyper-personalized wellness programs — opened its doors in New York City earlier this year. The global wellness economy has grown from $4.9 trillion in 2019 to $6.3 trillion in 2023, and is projected to reach $8.5 trillion by 2027, according to research from the Global Wellness Institute.

Beauty is following in the steps of fashion to take its place in the cultural canon. Beauty and wellness brands can expect increased attention, opportunity and competition. Even cultural institutions are picking up on this sea change. In November 2024, The Louvre signed a three-year partnership with L’Oréal. As part of the partnership, L’Oréal has created a bespoke guided tour of the museum, examining “rituals, objects and beauty practice; canons or idealized visions of beauty; and what questions of appearance and beauty reveal about societies and their transformations.” Fashion brands and art museums have a storied tradition of partnership, but this affiliation marks a first of its kind for beauty brands — and another example of how beauty and wellness is being cemented as a signifier of cultural cachet.

Consumer values are shifting, driving higher spend in beauty. The Dyson Air Wrap — which retails for $600 — was the No. 3 top-selling beauty product on Amazon in Q3 2024. In the beauty category alone, searches for “luxury” on Amazon grew by +54% YoY in the first half of 2024. Analysts expect to see growth of luxury shoppers and continued interest in higher priced, large ticket beauty items on Amazon.

Wellness Empires

Wellness-adjacent athleisure brands are expanding their purview into physical wellness products and offerings. Moreover, athleisure brands are extending their horizons into health services, in an effort to create one-stop wellness empires. Free People Movement opened their third fitness studio in New York in September 2024, offering Pilates and yoga classes. Their push extends the brand’s reach past activewear alone and into a holistic fitness and wellness space. Legacy brand Reebok is getting into the supplement game; in October 2024 it released its first line of sports nutrition and performance supplements.

Sexual wellness brands are also following this playbook, with athleisure brand Sporty & Rich launching sexual wellness products as part of a new sub brand called Sensual Sport. Heavy hitter Alo Yoga is also entering the sexual wellness space. Alo Yoga’s wellness and fitness platform, Alo Moves, launched Embodiment, a new course on sexual wellness for women.

Analysts say the increased focus on wellness is not limited to luxury brands; it’s infiltrating the mass market. These moves reflect a growing preference among wellness consumers for one-stop shops. They’re looking for education, services and complementary products. For example, they no longer want just a running shoe; they want the ecosystem around the shoe — supplements to optimize their runs and recovery and more.

Competition is heating up in the VMS category. Analysts say 259 million units were sold in the vitamin, mineral and supplement category on Amazon in the first half of 2024, a +21% increase YoY. The category generated $6.5 billion in revenue in the first half of 2024 alone, up +13% from the previous year. Analysts expect to see continued growth in the space alongside increased competition from new entrants.

Women’s Wellness Ecosystems

New launches from brands like Ovii, Olly and Hello Cake touch on previously underserved, if not once taboo, issues like menopause, Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and female sexual dysfunction. Meanwhile, other brands are creating new categories entirely. Seed designed the first clinically-validated, microbiome-focused vaginal probiotic suppository; Perelel is redefining holistic prenatal vitamins; and Ritual launched a fertility-supportive lemonade. These products offer targeted solutions at manageable price points and signal growing interest in telehealth providers, over the counter supplements and natural ingredients focused on women’s health.

In 2023, McKinsey valued the US wellness market at $480 billion, noting “women’s health” as a primary driver, with sexual health products becoming the second most-purchased that year after menstrual care. The same year, market research firm Grand View Research valued the menopause space at $17 billion globally — with expectations that it will grow to $24.4 billion by 2030.

Other brands are eager to capitalize on every step in sexual health, with growing momentum in reproductive care. Analysts say these launches are the latest step in a women’s health revolution that has been driving increased focus on women’s wellness and the female experience. Women are looking for more targeted support and information and are turning to brands to find it.

Wellness shoppers are coming to Amazon with more targeted women’s health needs and interests. Searches for “PCOS” in the health and personal care category increased by +239% YoY in the first half of 2024, while searches for “ovarian” increased by +2,858%. Health and wellness brands on Amazon will need to show that they understand and support each stage of the women’s health journey.

The Brain-Beauty Axis

Beauty brands are crossing aisles to help consumers achieve emotional wellbeing. Consumers are increasingly linking internal wellbeing with physical health and appearance. Seventy-two percent of Gen Z and Millennials have engaged in, or are interested in beauty and self-care activities to combat stress and anxiety, per data from Ypulse.

Ulta Beauty launched a Joy Council in September 2024, led by Deepak Chopra — who has been named Ulta’s “Chief of Joy.” The council is part of Ulta’s ongoing Joy Project, launched in 2023, in service of its brand mission to foster joy.

Tula Skincare introduced a new brand voice for its 10-year anniversary in September 2024, positioning itself as a source of daily calm and escape. Other brands are reformulating products to scientifically boost users’ moods. The family behind luxury beauty brand Sisley launched a neurocosmetics brand, Neuraé, in March 2024. The brand is pioneering “neuroscientific skincare” with proprietary mood-boosting ingredients that interact with neurotransmitters and hormones to target neural pathways.

Cap Beauty launched its Serotoner in November 2023 and Blue Soothing Cleanser in January 2024, both of which contain griffonia simplicifolia — a plant whose seeds are used to create 5-HTP, which is said to alleviate depression by enhancing serotonin and is a popular ingredient in supplements.

The beauty and wellness spaces continue to blur, and it’s impacting how Amazon shoppers approach their beauty products. Amazon shoppers are increasingly using emotional terms when searching for beauty products on the platform. Searches for “gentle” in the beauty category on Amazon increased by +21% YoY in the first half of 2024, searches for “calming” in the beauty category have increased +66% YoY, and searches for “soothing” have increased +145% YoY. Expect to see continued overlap between beauty and wellness spaces.

Sleepmaxxing

Beauty consumers are stacking their beauty and wellness habits overnight — making their sleep work double-duty and reflecting a shift in priorities.

TikTok’s new trends “sleepmaxxing” and “The Morning Shed” are taking morning and evening routines to new heights. Beauty consumers are stacking their beauty and wellness habits overnight to maximize beauty benefits while they sleep. Beauty enthusiasts are going to sleep wearing multiple products like overnight masks, bonnets, mouth tape and chin straps, to name a few. The Morning Shed trend has 75 million posts on TikTok attributed to the phrase as of October 2024.

The trend reflects more than just the endless pursuit of beauty; it also signals a shift in time people are willing to spend on their morning beauty routines. The Morning Shed takes these time-consuming activities and compiles them into a routine the night before, making the morning quest for a bouncy blowout and glowing skin quicker and effortless, analysts say.

The shift in spending more time at night to stack beauty activities gives way to new moments for brands to focus their products to nighttime routines, or on convenience and the ability to be stacked with other products and habits.

The sleep economy on Amazon is booming. In the beauty and vitamins, mineral and supplement categories combined, sales for sleep products increased by +20% YoY in the first half of 2024. Searches for “sleep” in the health and personal care category on Amazon increased +40% YoY in the first half of 2024. Expect a continued focus on sleep and overnight treatments among Amazon shoppers.

Next-Gen Supplements

Consumers’ quest for health is driving supplement innovation. Survey data from the Council for Responsible Nutrition now suggests that 74% of American adults take a daily supplement. But this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re swallowing pills. Market research firm SPINS found that gummies were the supplement category’s top product form (by dollar share, 18.9%); powders saw the highest YoY percent change (8%); and users are increasingly prioritizing enhanced absorption, customizable dosing and convenience.

While supplement sales continue to grow, the move away from traditional capsules aligns with what the media calls “pill fatigue.” Moreover, a new wave of topical supplements like patches, creams and sprays are capitalizing on this, and offer a slow drip of core ingredients without as many fillers, additives or digestive issues as other formats. Similarly, consumers have also grown more comfortable with multiuse pens, which streamline at-home injections. Body Brilliant recently launched the UK’s first NAD+ Pen. These new forms allow for a more seamless integration into daily habits and reflect a shift in how consumers think about their supplement intake. In September, Starbucks quietly rolled out AG1 supplement drinks at select locations in the US, offering a supplement alternative to morning coffee. Bespoke wellness programs like EQX Optimize use supplements to tailor each fitness plan, while hydration patches can measure sweat levels to flag which electrolytes are needed.

Pill fatigue represents a opportunity for wellness brands to experiment with new formats and delivery systems. Consumers are integrating wellness into every step of their daily lives and seeking supplement formats that facilitate that. In the same way, they are prioritizing formats that offer efficient dosing and hungry for educational content that explains the benefits of these innovative formulas.

While developing these solutions, brands should think about how their products will fit into their customers’ routine. Visible formats will provide an opportunity for increased brand recognition while aligning with new interest in efficient dosing, and fewer additives.

Early interest in topical treatments is starting to appear on Amazon. Searches for “patches” in the health and personal care category on Amazon grew by +59% YoY in the first half of 2024. As wellness habits continue to evolve, analysts expect to see increasing interest in supplement innovation among Amazon shoppers.

Male Beauty Boom

The beauty industry has traditionally been fueled by female consumers, but the tides are turning.

Recent headlines have highlighted growing interest in the beauty industry among male consumers. The global male grooming market is expected to reach $115 billion by 2028, up 44% from nearly $80 billion in 2022. Seventy-two percent of US male consumers between the ages of 18 and 34 use makeup, according to April 2024 findings from Mintel.

Amazon in particular is emerging as a top shopping destination for male beauty consumers. Searches for men’s cologne and perfume on Amazon increased 262% YoY, comparing January through October 2024 with the same time frame 2023, according to Front Row Catapult data. Sales for the men’s fragrance category grew by 23% YoY looking at the same time frame. The men’s skincare market on Amazon grew 14% YoY, comparing June through November 2024 with the same time frame 2023.

Amazon is capturing more of the male beauty market than specialty beauty retailers. According to research commissioned by Front Row in February 2024, among 1,790 Americans who purchased beauty, skincare or grooming products in the previous six months, 48% of Amazon beauty shoppers are male, compared to only 33% of specialty beauty shoppers. As the male beauty boom continues, beauty brands selling to men on Amazon are most likely to benefit.

AI Health Assistants

For years, wearables have unlocked unprecedented access to personalized health data. Now, brands are using AI to take those measurements one step further — turning them into personalized health plans.

Oura and Whoop spearheaded the move towards “AI Coaching” by integrating chat features that allow users to ask their devices questions like “What kind of workout should I do today?” or “How much sleep do I need?” In the world of beauty, RoC Skincare is leveraging AI to deliver “highly personalized and evolving skincare recommendations,” while Haut.AI has secured a patent to do the same while anonymizing consumer data. Across the board, AI is allowing brands to build hyper-personalized recommendations — and they’re becoming the norm.

Consumers are turning to AI tools as trusted advisors. Trends like “skintellectualism” prove that beauty shoppers are more educated than ever — but it’s not just them. Many health-conscious consumers are now just as informed, and it’s changing their expectations of brands. Analysts say brands can leapfrog this by leveraging AI to tailor recommendations and offerings to each individual customer. The same information can then be used to identify product gaps, or specific callouts for broader marketing.

Amazon beauty consumers are looking for personalized input when it comes to their health. Searches for “personalized” in the health and personal care category on Amazon increased by +45% YoY in the first half of 2024. Responding to this increased interest, Oura launched on Amazon in March 2024 — and generated $77.7 million in revenue in the first ten months.

The Ozempeconomy

A recent Kaiser Family Foundation poll found one in eight Americans have tried a drug like Ozempic, while Goldman Sachs estimates up to 70 million Americans will have tried the drug (or one of its competitors) by 2028.

With their meteoric rise, these drugs have fueled growing interest in synergistic products. In April, The New York Times reported both GNC and The Vitamin Shoppe were highlighting formulas for GLP-1 side effects; adding electrolyte, fiber and protein powders under dedicated displays. Meanwhile, SoWell launched a three-supplement “GLP-1 Support System,” and Nestlé created a line of frozen meals for GLP-1 users.

In September, Kourtney Kardashian’s supplement brand, Lemme, had launched an over-the-counter, plant-based supplement named GLP-1 Daily, and natural alternatives have continued to pop up. Topics like “Ozempic skin” and “Ozempic face” have also been trending, and triggered interest in “firming” solutions and creams.

Analysts say Ozempic’s popularity has had a trickle-down effect, sparking product innovation and growth opportunities for complementary formulas and goods. Brands can take a cue from these launches by either repositioning their existing formulas in a way that resonates with GLP-1 users, or taking a look at why this trend may be stalling interest in former bestsellers.

These changes also signal that supplements are becoming a tool for health management. Individual ingredients are often more important than overarching categories like nutrition, and are being sourced for specific, optimized use-cases.

Moreover, interest in GLP-1 has exploded on Amazon. Searches for “GLP-1” on Amazon increased by a whopping +3,229% YoY in the first half of 2024, while searches for “Ozempic” increased by +266%. GLP products in the health category on Amazon generated $2.7 million on Amazon in the first half of 2024, a +23% increase YoY.

Wellness Worlds

Health and wellness brands are building services around their products to create all- encompassing wellness worlds. There is a growing shift among wellness and wellness-adjacent brands to create an ecosystem around their products. They’re building out services and education that complement their products to support wellness lifestyles and to keep consumers within their brand universe.

Skincare brand Philosophy is also expanding into education. In June 2024, the Coty-owned brand opened a skincare academy in New York City. Visitors can learn about Philosophy’s product formulations and watch live demonstrations of laboratory experiments.

Traditional Chinese medicine brand Elix is pivoting its offering from health product to health service. As of June 2024, the brand’s main offering will be a personalized wellness coaching program. Elix launched selling personalized wellness tinctures, and pivoted after its customers repeatedly asked for additional guidance and one-on-one support.

The wave of wellness brands expanding their remit to offer education and services beyond their products points to evolving expectations of brands, analysts say. Consumers are looking for information and personalized recommendations when it comes to their health and wellness — a supplement alone is no longer seen as sufficient for achieving wellness. In response, brands are stepping in to offer 360-degree services that support their products — and serve to keep consumers in their brand ecosystems.

Amazon consumers are on the hunt for holistic health solutions. Searches for “holistic” in the health and personal care category on Amazon increased by +395% YoY in the first half of 2024. Supplements will be further embedded into wellness-forward lifestyles, and consumers will be looking for information about how it fits into their personalized regimen.