NielsenIQ Reveals 2026 Beauty Industry Trends

NielsenIQ presented a global beauty trend briefing to CEW UK in late 2025, outlining five shifts shaping 2026 including constrained consumers, multifunctional products, digital commerce growth, generative AI discovery, and K-Beauty expansion. Key data: only 17% can spend freely, online beauty grew 9% in the UK versus 4% offline, and 49% receive recommendations from generative AI. The findings imply brands must prove efficacy and master AI discoverability.