More and more, people are ignoring short-lived trends and seeing their routines as a “skinvestment,” focusing on results and long-term effects, as well as gentle but effective formulas.
A strong skin barrier is very important as skin health below the surface becomes more important.
People are calling this change “post-glass skin” or “glass skin 2.0” in 2026, but it is part of a bigger change in what people want from skin care and where the industry is going: towards repair, resilience, longevity, and regeneration.
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According to Boots’ 2026 Beauty & Wellness Trends Report, 80% of adults are taking a preventative approach to their beauty routines, focusing on long-term care and maintenance rather than quick fixes.
It also says that “skin stability is front of mind,” and that 47% of people change their routine because of environmental factors and flare-ups. This is part of a larger trend in beauty and wellness that aims to build mental, physical, and skin resilience.
In the same way, the skin care category and how it has done over the past year show the real direction of trends below the surface.
According to Euromonitor International, the skin care market grew by 4.5% to US$169.9 billion in 2025. Overall, the category grew by not much.
According to Circana, skin care sales in Europe grew by 4.6% overall, but there were some big differences between regions. For example, sales in France fell by 4% while sales in the UK grew by 11%.
A lot of mass
But if you look more closely at what is causing growth, you can see that mass market skin care is growing much faster than high-end skin care.
According to Kantar (52 w/e 4 January 2026), mass skin care sales in the UK rose by 21%, while premium skin care sales rose by 7%.
Matt Maxwell, Health and Beauty Business Unit Director at Kantar, says, “It’s a flip in performance. Last year, premium skin care did very well, and mass was behind the market.”
“It’s a trend we’re seeing across the beauty industry, with 1.2 million more UK shoppers buying skin care products than last year.”
Nick Vaus, co-founder and Managing Partner of Free The Birds, says, “One of the most important things that has happened in the past year is that prestige beauty has levelled off. This is very much a reflection of the larger economic and cultural climate.”
“The difference between luxury and value skin care has grown, and ‘accessible luxury’ is no longer relevant.
“Consumers are switching to value-driven brands that work well at lower prices, or they are buying luxury items, but only when brands can clearly explain why the premium.”
Maxwell says that mass brands like Nivea, Garnier, and Simple have been doing very well in the UK over the past year. This is because their formulas are based on science and make hero ingredients like peptides, ceramides, and vitamin C much easier for consumers to find. They also cost more than regular mass skin care.
Derma and K-beauty brands are also still growing quickly, with growth rates in the double digits, which is much higher than the average for the category.
There are a lot of mid- and mass-price brands that use high-performance ingredients and cutting-edge technologies, so prestige brands need to do more to stand out.
Vaus says that to stand out, high-end brands need to go beyond having the same ingredients and instead focus on depth rather than sameness.
Telling stories about craft, innovation, and formulation skills becomes very important. “Prestige brands need to make a ‘moment’ in the lives of their customers.”
Nick Vaus, co-founder and Managing Partner of Free The Birds, says that prestige brands need to go beyond having the same ingredients and focus on depth instead of sameness.
This is where technologies that focus on finding the cellular causes of ageing in order to extend the health span of skin cells come in. For example, L’Oréal’s Wheel of Longevity for Beauty uses its own Longevity AI Cloud to analyse over 260 skin longevity biomarkers. This has led to the creation of new products like Lancôme’s Absolue Longevity Soft Cream.
Vaus says, “Prestige has a chance to regain authority through trust and credibility,” whether that is through scientific validation, partnerships with dermatologists, or proven long-term results.
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Trend 1: Spicules
Exosomes and PDRN (polydeoxyribonucleotide) are two new ingredients that have become popular in beauty products over the past year. But in 2026, a new ingredient will be available.
that looks like it will take the beauty world by storm: spicules.
As usual, Korea is in the lead, with a lot of beauty products coming out of the country that contain this ingredient, which comes from marine sponges.
People are talking about them more and more on social media, where they are often called “microneedling in a bottle” and “liquid microneedling” because they work like microneedling.
This article will look into whether spicules are about to become popular.
Trend 2: Skin care that follows a set of rules
There is a huge rise in demand for cosmetic plastic surgery and treatments. This opens up new options for skin care before and after the procedure.
Aesthetic medicine in 2026 is all about treatments that work with the skin’s own repair systems to make it healthier and more functional. This is in addition to popular surgical options like the deep plane facelift and a rise in demand for blepharoplasties. There is also a trend toward more natural results and regenerative treatments.
There are now a lot of new products on the market that are meant to go along with either aesthetic plastic surgery or “tweakments.” This trend looks at what boxes these products should tick and where the untapped opportunities are in this growing category.
Trend 3: Beta-glucan
Along with the general trend toward skin care that focuses on long-lasting effects, people are also putting barrier-supporting and moisturising products at the top of their lists.
Beta-glucan is a natural polysaccharide that is found in many types of fungi, bacteria, and algae. In the medical world, it is known for helping the heart and boosting the immune system.
Researchers say that this new ingredient has a lot of potential for use in skin care, such as reducing inflammation, repairing barriers, moisturising, and protecting against UV damage.
And since searches for the ingredient have gone up by 51% in the past year [source: Glimpse], beta-glucan is becoming the barrier repair hero of 2026.
Trend 4: Heroes with optimised ingredients
Beauty lovers love trying new ingredients, especially when it comes to skin care.
There are a lot of exciting actives for people to try, from ectoin to exosomes.
But in the world of skin care science, the trends that shape development aren’t always based on what’s new.
This article talks about how and why the big five hero ingredients—retinol, peptides, vitamin C, ceramides, and niacinamide—are being improved for the newest products.
Trend 5: Skin care based on medicine
For a long time, skin care brands have looked to medical science for new ideas.
Augustinus Bader, which started as a way to heal wounds, and 111 Skin, which is based on healing after surgery, are two examples of a medical-to-skin translation.
But this is going to the next level in 2026. Medical and surgical technology is inspiring brands like Mantle and Kyomi Skin to make skin care products that are better than ever. These products range from heart transplants to brain tumour treatments.
