The Tamesis
Retailer Space NK expects the makeup category to achieve strong double-digit growth in 2025. Products such as eyeliner will see triple-digit sales growth. Cosmetics are the retailer’s largest gift category during the holidays, with sales increasing by up to 80%, further demonstrating the demand for color cosmetics in the year ahead.
“What we’re seeing now is a real shift back to individuality and having fun with makeup again. People are more confident in experimenting, especially on social media, and having a unique edge really leads to breakthroughs,” said Space NK makeup manager Emily Montila. She named Refy and Victoria Beckham Beauty as top-performing cosmetics brands.
South Asian-inspired beauty brand Kulfi Beauty, which launched at Space NK last year, predicts that makeup sales will be even stronger this year. Priyanka Ganjoo, founder of the brand, said: “There are too many similarities in minimalist, clean, old-school aesthetics, and people are ready to break this shackles.”
big hair
Netflix stranger things It may be over, but its impact on hair trends continues. According to data from Spate, as of November 2025, searches for “80s hairstyles” and “curly hair” have increased by 14.9% and 39.4% respectively year-on-year.
Celebrity hairstylist Larry King, whose clients include Jared Leto and Sienna Miller, said he has seen the trend carried over to his salon and on the red carpet. “I think it’s because of social media and it’s coming from a lot of young people who are caught up in nostalgia – ’80s hair is driven by nostalgia,” King added.
He points to another growing trend in his salon: gray blending, a technique that uses fine highlights, lowlights and gloss to soften contrast and create a natural, three-dimensional effect based on a client’s natural hair color and desired tone.
At King’s salons, gray blends accounted for 80% of consultations between January and December 2025. Speight also said that since December 2024, searches for “grey mix” have increased 73% year-over-year.
“Grey blending has become a signature service in salons, reflecting a broader shift away from heavy, opaque colors toward more subtle, low-maintenance techniques,” King said. “People want their hair to reflect who they are now. Gray blending allows us to enhance natural pigment rather than eliminate it, which means fewer appointments, healthier hair and one that feels intentional rather than the result of correction.”
