Things are looking good, literally and figuratively, for the beauty category this holiday season. Beauty has been a bright spot throughout 2025 and continues to shine as the end of the year approaches.

Circana’s research affirms that all prestige beauty categories experienced upticks on the pivotal Black Friday occasion, and ongoing growth is expected through the fourth quarter. Some segments are performing especially well, as consumers pick up items for gift-giving and for themselves, whether for self-care during this often-stressful time of year or to shimmer at holiday celebrations.

Festive fragrances

This is a wonderful time of the year for fragrance makers, as 25% of prestige fragrance sales occur in December. Circana’s data shows that this year, consumers are gravitating to strong fragrance concentrations like Eau de Parfums and parfums, and many are interested in fragrance ancillaries such as body sprays, body lotions, and shower gels.

Bundles of joy

Gift sets traditionally do well during the holiday shopping season, and these items are currently performing well across all beauty categories, per Circana’s insights. 

Prestige beauty minis are another hot segment within beauty. Some minis are bundled in gift sets and others are merchandised in larger retail displays of smaller-sized offerings.

Best face forward

Thanks in part to social media trends, makeup lip liners are having a moment. As consumers buy for themselves and others, they are also buying skincare products to look and feel their best. Skincare devices, such as red-light therapy LED facial devices, are a standout in 2025. For the total head and shoulders look, hair treatments are helping lift overall sales, Circana finds.

Learn more about other holiday trends as this year wraps up!