The holidays are a double-edged sword; a great season for boosting retail sales as clients struggle to keep their skin hydrated and glowy during these cold winter months, while also seeking out gifts for potentially hard-to-please loved ones.
Bath and body care can be a great remedy for both needs, meaning you have nothing to worry about, right?
Of course not. There's a whole world outside of your treatment rooms, and it's full of products dressed in chic packaging, using words like "natural" and "clean", as if they're passwords that open the wallets of the deciding and unaware consumer.
You can educate your clients during their treatments, showing them the products you recommend as a professional who has worked directly with their skin. You can champion their skin care and wellness journeys as best you can, and refer them to other trusted professionals for the pieces out of your scope, but that doesn't change the fact that these days, now more than ever, everyone's high-risk at getting some form of beauty and personal care products this season from the ever well-intentioned great aunt, or whomever. Anticipating what brands are buzzy right now can help you anticipate what your clients might be working with. More than that, though, these are the tea leaves, so you can get a glimpse at what consumer priorities and buying behaviors will look like for the next few months.
This is what your client may expect to find under their tree this year.
1. Science-backed skin care
Science-backed skin care uses formulations and ingredients that have their efficacy proven in scientific studies. Image by Tuan Nguyen / Adobe Stock.
Estheticians aren't the only skin professionals retailing products. As consumers look for signs they can trust in a new brand, a movement based on seeking out science-backed skin care blooms. Skin care developed by dermatologists, plastic surgeons, pharmacists and the like is growing in popularity, with some brands being sold exclusively at medical practices.
You can expect to see brands like Plantkos thrive: pharmacist-developed, clinically-validated, built for sensitive skin and tested on advanced 3D human skin models.
What this movement means for the larger industry going into 2026, is this though: "science-backed" as a term is nearing the same pitfall terms like "natural" and "clean" are, in that they allude to some vague sense of credibility or value-alignment to the consumer who wants reliable information with minimal labor, without necessarily specifying exactly what makes their claims true.
Clients will need tips and tricks for how to "verify" products if they choose to go out shopping in the wild world out there. It's important to educate clients on the different ways brands can be science-backed as well. What did the testing process look like? What research backs a brand's approach, and who conducted it? Having a robust network of various health professionals, especially if they sell medical-grade skin care, can be valuable in this type of client education.
2. Pain relief products
Athletes aren't the only ones who benefit from products that relieve muscle soreness: clients with bad posture, who do lots of lifting or even those who want products on hand for when they sleep funny are all contenders as well.Image by FornStudio / Adobe Stock.
Stocking stuffers are where travel sizes, lip care, eye care, sheet masks and other "accessory-adjacent" personal care products will be slipped in. As consumers prioritize total wellness overall, products like spray scents for "on-the-go" aromatherapy and roll-on pain management products are growing in popularity.
Don't be surprised if your more active clients come in raving about products like Biofreeze, a brand that specializes in soothing sore muscles, and that comes in a variety of different product types depending on the consumer's preference.
The convergence of beauty and wellness also means that you might consider diversifying your own retail offerings to include products and tools intended to relieve stress or pain, improve sleep health or just generally make your client's life easier when on the go. Don't be afraid to get creative and think outside of the box, so long as it feels true to your own business' identity and your approach to skin care and wellness. What can seem like an oddball addition just might be the novelty that establishes you as a community favorite, and may pave the way for new, enduring business partnerships.
3. Skin-winterization
Skin's extra thirsty in the winter, and with consumers knowing about the skin barrier now, they'll be eager to baby their barriers now.Image by Miha Creative / Adobe Stock.
The skin care that will be gifted will be well in-season, meaning the focus will be on hydrating to keep skin healthy and radiant. The good news is that, much of hydration-forward skin care is barrier-friendly.
Good Molecules' Holly Jolly Hydration kit is cute, budget-friendly and comes in a convenient serum-cream duo that anyone would be excited to unwrap.
