What's Going On With Makeup And Skincare And Could The Tides Be Turning?

Analyzing the current beauty landscape, and where it could be headed down the line.

Over the past couple of years, we’ve seen more and more luxury brands prioritize not just fashion, but also beauty. Like how Prada Beauty recently re-launched in partnership with L’Oréal in 2023 after a two-decade-long hiatus, or how Louis Vuitton released its first ever makeup line last summer in collaboration with Pat McGrath. And so on.

It’s not particularly groundbreaking to say that investing in beauty is a smart move for brands. The overall beauty industry is projected to grow by around 6% annually from 2024-2028, and could become a nearly $600 billion market by 2030.

And, for high-fashion and luxury brands specifically, beauty is a good way to expand into a more affordable product offering, and allow brands to reach even more consumers without sacrificing their luxury allure. Like how Louis Vuitton sold lipstick for $160 which, while certainly expensive for lipstick, is a far more accessible way for consumers to engage with the brand than a four-thousand-dollar leather handbag.

I wrote more about this Louis Vuitton lipstick, and what it could probably tell us about the luxury landscape, last September. You can read more below:

A $160 Lipstick And How Fashion Brands Are Probably Trying To Deal With The Great Luxury Slump

Despite any makeup craze, however, when I took a look at online posts and press published over the last six months mentioning makeup versus skincare, I found that the real consumer enthusiasm is actually within the latter. While makeup is still the primary conversation driver—there were over 200% more online articles and press referencing makeup—posts mentioning skincare included more positive language. Around 60% more positive language, on average, to be exact.

But, what does this makeup versus skincare data even mean? And what are we supposed to do with this information, anyway??

WHAT’S GOING ON BEHIND THE NUMBERS

As brands continue to prioritize building a presence in the beauty space, it’s good to know not just what beauty-related topics consumers are talking about, but also how they’re speaking about them. And, as the above data demonstrates, while skincare might not have as large of an audience as makeup, it certainly has a more enthusiastic one.

Naturally, then, skincare seems like a worthwhile investment in which to build consumer trust and excitement; that this is where you could generate more dedicated hype around a product.