Lookfantastic predicts next beauty season led by longevity and efficacy

Lookfantastic has released its Autumn/Winter (AW) 2026 Trend Report, highlighting the rise of simplified beauty routines shaped by long-term efficacy, multifunctionality, and wellness. The report spotlights enhanced skin barrier support, simplified skin care, and beauty longevity as trends set to shape the beauty category in the upcoming season. 

Moreover, the rise of scalp-focused hair care and the growing convergence of beauty and health point to consumers becoming more educated and prioritizing results.

The report draws on Lookfantastic’s digital trend intelligence, its platform data, and insights from TikTok, Reddit, and industry experts.

The European premium beauty retailer’s trend “Skin barrier 2.0” emphasizes a future-oriented outlook on skin health and barrier strengthening, rather than only targeting visible concerns. “Skin streaming” points toward a streamlined and simplified approach to skin care, where multifunctional and multi-tasking products are favored over elaborate routines.

Meanwhile, “Beauty longevity” focuses on preventing skin aging, encouraging cell regeneration, and emphasizing long-term skin resilience. It demonstrates the shift away from the traditional corrective approach to anti-aging. 

Barrier care boom

According to Lookfantastic, “skin barrier” now ranks as the retailer’s fifth-highest skin concern. On-site searches are up 28.5%, and the trend saw 182% growth over a three-year period.

SPF being integrated into multiple product formats exemplifies streamlined skin care.On Reddit, L’Oréal subsidiaries CeraVe and La Roche-Posay, which are both known for their barrier-supporting formulas, have become the most viewed brands in beauty communities over the last six months. Lookfantastic says the “Skin barrier 2.0” trend is driving demand for products containing ceramides, postbiotics, and restorative ingredients that support the skin’s natural defenses.

Exemplifying the trend, dsm-firmenich unveiled its climate-protective skin barrier ingredient, sourced from Alpine florals, earlier this year. Personal Care Insights also recently reported on a milestone in probiotic skin science, where scientists innovated microcapsules capable of keeping probiotic bacteria alive for over 12 months. The finding was touted as a breakthrough for microbiome and barrier-repair skin science.

Optimizing cosmetic routines

Lookfantastic finds that beauty shoppers are actively scaling back their routines and rejecting the elaborate, multi-step regimens that once dominated the market — like the viral 10–20 step Korean skin care craze a few years ago.

Instead, consumers are seeking multitasking products that deliver multiple benefits in a single step. The report suggests that the most successful products will be those that combine several functions without compromising on efficacy.

SPF emerges as a clear example of the “Skin streaming” trend. In the past few years, the product has moved from a separate step to an essential, now integrated into broader skin care and makeup solutions.

Beyond quick-fix solutions

The report also found that consumers are adopting a more proactive and science-led approach to anti-aging skin care. Prevention, regeneration, and resilience are prioritized over merely correcting visible concerns.

According to Lookfantastic, searches for longevity-related skin care rose 4.7% quarter-on-quarter, indicating growing consumer interest in long-term skin health rather than quick fixes.

The beauty retailer highlights PDRN as a hero ingredient within the trending category. Searches for products containing the ingredient rose 54%, and TikTok growth reached 990.91% over three years.Streamlined routines are driving demand for multifunctional products that combine several beauty benefits in one step.

Retinal is also gaining momentum, with searches up 26.2% quarter-on-quarter and 4,837% growth on TikTok since 2023. Lookfantastic says the ingredients are increasingly appearing in everyday formats, such as mists and moisturizers, making longevity-based skin care more accessible.

Beyond topical applications, the trend is reportedly also extending into beauty tech, like at-home LED masks. Sales of electrical skin devices at Lookfantastic rose 101.3% year-on-year.

The trend blends prejuvenation, pro-aging, and healthy aging into the wider topic of skin longevity. Personal Care Insights recently reported on how longevity-driven thinking is finding its way into makeup formulations, with traditionally simple categories like lip care extending past hydration to target age-related concerns.

Hair growth revolution

Lookfantastic says the skinification of hair care has led to consumers now treating their scalps with the same level of attention as their facial skin. According to the retailer, the scalp ages up to six times faster than facial skin, reinforcing consumers’ demand for proactive hair care at the root level.

According to the AW2026 report, the hair loss and growth category grew 37% year-on-year. Terms like “hair growth,” and brands “Pureology” and “Nioxin” generated 18,789 searches in the last quarter alone.

Moreover, products associated with hair growth and thickening benefits rose 15.9% year-on-year.

“There is significant growth in the hair loss and growth area. At Lookfantastic, this is at +37% year-on-year,” says Beth Eyre, buying manager at Lookfantastic.

Eyre attributes the growth in the hair loss category to a broader understanding of the mechanism of hair loss and thinning, and social acceptance in discussing hair loss.

Lookfantastic predicts consumers will increasingly prioritize long-term skin health and barrier resilience.She also outlines that more open conversation around menopause, perimenopause, and post-partum, and the increasing use of GLP-1s, which lists hair loss as a side effect, are driving hair care demand.

Beauty meets wellness

The crossover between beauty and wellness is also predicted to shape the upcoming season of cosmetic innovation. Consumers are increasingly adopting a holistic approach to self-care, recognizing that factors like sleep, nutrition, stress management, and hormone balance have a direct impact on how healthy the skin and hair are.

Lookfantastic reports that wellness-related product sales grew 28% year-on-year. Collagen grew 6.8% quarter-on-quarter with a 19.6% conversion rate, while supplements and vitamins remain a high-performing segment with 20% conversion. 

Personal Care Insights recently spoke with beauty tech company Revieve and ingredient manufacturer Symrise about the strengthening convergence of the two categories.