As we head into 2026, a host of challenges — from tariffs and AI to digital marketing and staffing — are keeping executives up at night. Today, we speak with CEW President Elana Drell Szyfer in her first interview since stepping into the role on what lies ahead for the beauty industry.
As we head into 2026, a host of challenges — from tariffs and AI to digital marketing and staffing — are keeping executives up at night. Today, we speak with CEW President Elana Drell Szyfer in her first interview since stepping into the role on what lies ahead for the beauty industry.
From mass brands answering their most persistent DMs to indies reengineering every-day rituals, this month’s launches reflect a consumer demand for smarter, more sensorial, more “why didn’t this exist already?” innovation. Holiday shoppers can choose from body care that borrows from skin care, makeup that nods to wellness, and tech that aims to become the industry’s next power player. Together, these debuts offer a sharp snapshot of what will shape the beauty market in 2026.
Prestige fragrance will remain the dominant force in the overall fragrance category, but the double-digit growth in mass retail sales signals that mass scents will play a more significant role throughout the remainder of the holiday season.
Trade down or trade out of beauty? Not this holiday season, according to Black Friday and Cyber Monday results and store visits.
This month’s launches bring a strong sensorial current, as brands double down on fragrance, texture, and clinically-driven formulas ahead of gifting season. Think limited editions and strategic extensions designed to leverage Q4 momentum. From designer candles and dermatologist-led treatments to viral color debuts, the month showcases beauty’s push to blend indulgence with measurable performance. Across lifestyle, wellness and cosmetics, brands are blending narrative and high-touch formulas to introduce a slate of launches that resonate during the season’s most competitive sales weeks.
This year’s benefit program honors two outstanding women in media.
Consumers are still treating themselves to beauty despite economic concerns. Mass and prestige channels posted solid dollar and unit gains, led by fragrance, which was up 17% in mass and 6% in prestige.
In a world where beauty and personal care sales hit an estimated $600 billion in 2024, the next big story isn’t unfolding in Paris or Seoul — it’s emerging from the sands and skylines of the Middle East and Africa.
The program, which is “so much more than an awards ceremony,” said CEW President Carlotta Jacobson, is beauty’s most important recognition of product innovation–as the awards are selected by industry professionals.
Under Melis del Rey’s leadership, Amazon’s U.S. beauty and health business is advancing a new era of personalized, purposeful shopping experiences designed to help consumers achieve their personal goals.
Five years after launching KKT Labs from her Orlando home, biochemist Krupa Koestline is expanding into a 16,000-square-foot facility. With a model that lets brands own their formulas, she’s redefining how the beauty industry approaches clean, science-driven product development.
The hard-won ability to bend, absorb tension, and still find form in a new context is essential for women in a world in flux.
