The Global Beauty Edit: Finding Category Growth Beyond The Mirror

Beauty and Wellness: Unlocking a 64% Bigger Opportunity

The definition of beauty is rapidly evolving. Today’s consumers are looking beyond the mirror and into their everyday lives, weaving beauty into wellness, self-care, and daily rituals. From supplements and sleep aids to sexual wellness and oral care, beauty is no longer just about how consumers look – it’s about how they feel, behave, and live.

New insights from NIQ reveal that by expanding into wellness and ritual categories, the beauty industry’s total value opportunity becomes 64% larger. For global manufacturers and retailers, this signals an urgent need to rethink category boundaries and unlock white space in adjacent sectors.

Global Drivers Reshaping Beauty and Wellness

Three global forces are accelerating this shift:

• Digital access and influence: With 69% of the global population now owning a smartphone, consumers are bombarded with wellness advice, product recommendations, and social trends — from TikTok’s “clean girl” aesthetic to influencer-driven supplement sales.
• Longevity and aging well: Global life expectancy reached 73 years in 2024, with 57% of consumers saying aging well is more important than it was five years ago.
• Demand for transparency: 62% of consumers don’t trust health claims made by food companies, while 45% want clearer, more transparent packaging. This signals an opportunity for beauty brands to differentiate through credibility and education.

Beauty Consumers Are Expanding Their Rituals 

Wellness has become an essential part of beauty. Consumers increasingly prioritise sleep (63%), mental health, and nutrition alongside traditional beauty routines. Categories once considered peripheral are now at the centre of beauty’s transformation:

Feminine and sexual wellness: Once taboo, these categories are now positioned as self-care essentials, with brands like Rael, Playground, and Smile Makers normalising conversations around intimacy and wellbeing.

Supplements and ingestibles: 44% of global consumers plan to take more vitamins in the next 12 months. Brands like Swisse, Lemme, and San Benedetto are merging beauty nutrition with lifestyle appeal.

Sleep and beauty: Estée Lauder’s appointment of sleep scientist Dr. Matthew Walker as Global Sleep Science Advisor reflects rising demand for sleep-focused beauty rituals.

Oral beauty: From Moon to Vussen, oral care is being premiumised with skincare-inspired design and influencer collaborations, turning hygiene into a beauty-driven experience.

Regional Perspectives on Beauty and Wellness 

While wellness is a global force, its expression varies:

• APAC: Blends tech-driven K- and J-beauty with traditional practices like Ayurveda and Chinese medicine.
• Europe: Favors holistic wellness, from supplements to spa traditions like thermal baths.
• LATAM: Hair removal and fitness culture dominate, with rapid growth in laser treatments (Brazil projected CAGR ~23%).
• Middle East & Africa: Religious values and traditional remedies shape wellness adoption, with governments investing in preventive health.

For manufacturers and retailers, cultural sensitivity and affordability are key to unlocking new markets.

What Beauty Manufacturers and Retailers Should Do Next

To capture the expanded beauty + wellness opportunity, global players must:

1. Innovate beyond categories: Explore supplements, smart devices, and hybrid rituals that merge wellness with beauty aesthetics.
2. Democratise access: Offer formats and price points that make wellness attainable across socioeconomic groups.
3. Stretch with credibility: Brand extensions outperform new launches by +23% in year-one sales, but only when supported by transparency and strong claims.
4. Localise with cultural insight: Adapt strategies to regional norms around beauty, health, and intimacy.

The Future of Beauty and Wellness

Beauty is no longer just skin deep. It is a lifestyle pursuit, rooted in self-care, emotional wellbeing, and holistic vitality. For global manufacturers and retailers, this is not simply a trend  it is a strategic imperative.

The brands that succeed will be those that elevate functional routines into sensorial rituals, bridging beauty and wellness to meet consumers where they live, feel, and aspire.