Skincare and fragrance are outgrowing makeup this year
Circana's numbers for the first nine months of 2026 show US beauty still growing. Prestige beauty sales hit $25.5 billion, up 5%, and mass beauty reached $57.4 billion, up 7%. Prestige skincare rose 7% to $7.4 billion, with the number of units sold up by double digits, and mass fragrance sales jumped 15%. Makeup grew the slowest, with prestige makeup up 3% to $8.1 billion and mass makeup up a little over 4%. Circana expects holiday shoppers to mix small treats with hunting for value.
Why it matters
It backs up what you're probably seeing in your feed: more money going to skincare and scent than to makeup. Expect brands to push those categories hardest in holiday deals.
The story so far
Circana reports US beauty sales through September, with skincare and fragrance growing faster than makeup.