After years of “clean girl” minimalism, the industry is swinging into playful textures, edible scents, color-shifting magic, and packaging that doubles as jewelry. If it’s visually appealing, inviting in scent, or TikTok-ready, it’s bound to sell!
Here are the 10 biggest trends we spotted (with real photos from the fair) that every brand, buyer, and formulator should know for 2026.
1. Charms Are Officially Everywhere
Charms have officially graduated from “cute gimmick” to core packaging strategy. At Cosmoprof Hong Kong 2025, we noticed charms at almost every other booth – lip glosses and lip oils with dangling pearls, hand creams, foundation bottles and even hand-mist bottles with removable bag charms.
Why this is trending:
Gen Z and Gen Alpha love personalization and “dopamine decor”
K-beauty and J-beauty brands (Romand, Clio, Etude, 3CE) started it, but now western brands and retailers are jumping in; from Indie to Mass.
Charms turn a regular lip balm into an accessory consumers can show off on camera!
Key takeaway: Consumers are happily paying a noticeable premium for a lip oil or hand cream when it comes with a detachable charm they can clip on their phone, keys, or bag. Make the charm interchangeable for an instant add-on or gifting potential!
2. The Swirl Effect Took Over
Swirled lipsticks, blush‑highlighter duos, and swirled primers captured attention across the market. The cleaner and more precise the swirl, the stronger the reaction from buyers. Candy‑cane stripes proved especially popular. This aesthetic is playful, highly photogenic, and practically designed for social‑media sharing.
Why this is trending:
Consumers love products that look incredible in flat-lays and unboxing videos
Precise swirls feel luxurious and artistic while still being playful
The clean, symmetrical designs photograph beautifully
Key takeaway: A perfectly executed swirl instantly elevates perceived value and drives social-media shares – especially when paired with holiday or candy-themed collections.
3. Jelly Texture Obsession
Jelly everything: jelly blush, jelly highlighter sticks, jelly eyeshadow, jelly lip tints, and jelly masks. The bouncy, transparent, water-like texture was impossible to miss.
Why this is trending:
Gives the glassy “inner-glow” skin look that dominates Douyin and TikTok
Feels cooling and refreshing on the skin
Most formulas are lightweight and layer beautifully without pilling
Key takeaway: Jelly textures reflect a consumer‑driven demand for sensorial formulations, transforming everyday products into engaging experiences. They are particularly well‑suited for humid climates and help brands differentiate both on shelf and across digital platforms.
4. Gourmand Theme
The entire Gourmand category has shifted from simple vanilla-caramel bases into hyper-realistic, crave-inducing fruit, dessert, and coffee profiles that dominate both scent and packaging design.
We noticed clusters of cherries in ruby tubes, strawberries on balms, fizzy peach bottles, ice cream cone stacks, and mocha cream jars. Tropical fruits like guava and orange fizz paired with waffle‑cone motifs create a playful, crave‑worthy look that instantly draws consumer attention.
Why this is trending:
Consumers crave guilt-free indulgence through scent and visuals
Hyper-realistic fruit and dessert motifs create instant joy and nostalgia
Key takeaway: Products that smell and look edible spark strong impulse purchases and drive engagement — especially in lip, hand, and body categories.
5. Trio-Colour & Gradient Lip Glosses
The standout product of this trend was lip gloss – various booths showed single tubes containing three distinct colour layers stacked on top of each other: clear-to-pink-to-berry, peach-to-rose-to-plum, nude-to-coral-to-red, or even rainbow ombre effects. We also spotted several gradient liquid lip oils in tall, slim bottles where the colours slowly blend when shaken.
Why this is trending:
One tube gives three different looks (or a custom mix) without carrying multiple products
Perfect for “get ready with me” content
Looks premium and giftable on shelf
Key takeaway: A single tri-colour gloss delivers multiple shade options while simplifying ranging, reducing stock complexity, and driving higher perceived value.
6. Magnetic Pattern Technology
Strong magnets used during the pressing process created intricate raised patterns inside lipsticks, eyeshadow pans, and blush compacts. The result? Hypnotic sunbursts, flowers, and waves embedded directly into eyeshadows, highlighters, lipsticks and blushes.
Why this is trending:
Introduces a “surprise and delight” element for consumers
Patterns can re-form every time the lid is closed
Key takeaway: This simple magnetic-pressing technique dramatically increases perceived luxury and viral potential – an easy upgrade that instantly justifies higher pricing and drives faster sell-through across lipsticks, eyeshadows, and blush categories.
7. Mousse Textures
Ultra-light, almost weightless mousse blushes and foundations that blend to a skin-like finish.
Why this is trending:
Mousse aligns with 2025–2026's "skinimalism" and hybrid skincare-makeup shift, offering weightless, blurred finishes for humid/mature skins
Searches for "mousse blush" are up as consumers seek sensorial (soufflé-like) hydration without heaviness, per K-beauty influences.
Key takeaway: Mousse makeup products exemplify how innovation in feel and application can refresh consumer perception of everyday staples.
8. Embossed & 3D Patterns on Powders, Creams & Balms
We noticed pressed powders and cream compacts with elaborate embossed and molded designs: swirling marble waves, geometric zigzags, delicate floral reliefs, raised shell textures and tiger-stripe blushes. Some brands pushed into full 3D territory with deeply sculpted waves, petals, and quilted effects that rise dramatically above the surface. The detail disappears after a few uses, but the unboxing video lives forever!
Why this is trending:
Creates an immediate “wow” moment the second the compact is opened
Turns an everyday powder or balm into a collectible, luxury-feeling object
Tactile, intricate detailing stands out in photography and encourages close-up content on social media
Key takeaway: The modest additional tooling cost is recovered many times over through higher perceived value and stronger shelf impact. Perfect for core range upgrades, limited editions, and gifting collections!
9. PH-Reactive Colour-Changing Formulas
The mood-ring effect is back with dramatically stronger colour payoff. Clear balms that turn hot pink, peach or berry on contact, and blushes that intensify with body heat.
Why this is trending:
The “magic reveal” moment is highly shareable
Solves shade-matching across skin tones
Works brilliantly in testers and live demos
Key takeaway: pH technology delivers built-in inclusivity and viral marketing at almost no extra cost – an easy way to make any lip or cheek product stand out in a crowded market.
10. Multichrome Pigments
True multichromes displaying four to five distinct colour shifts under different lighting have replaced duochrome as the new premium effect in eyeshadows and highlighters.
Why this is trending:
One swipe delivers an expensive, editorial-level colour story that changes with movement and light – the ultimate “living filter” for reels and photos
Gives instant “pro artist” results
Key takeaway: Duochrome is now seen as entry-level. Launching with real 4–5 shift multichrome pigments instantly positions eyeshadows or highlighters in the prestige/viral tier, commands higher retail pricing, and attracts influencer and TikTok pickup.
2026 beauty is joyful, sensorial, and delightfully extra
Consumers want products that smell delicious, feel fun on the skin, shift colors in the light, and look incredible in photos before they’re even opened.
If you’re developing new lines right now, ask your factory about:
Interchangeable charm systems
Magnetic powder pressing
Jelly & mousse formulations
Multichrome pigments
Dessert-inspired fragrances
Or simply reach out to Concept4!
All trends in this report are in our active supplier network! We have samples in hand, confirmed factory partners, and production slots available for booking. Whether you’re launching a full collection or just one hero SKU, we’d love to help you bring these ideas to life – on time and at the right price.
Reach out to us at: info@concept.net
