With the rising influence of TikTok and AI-driven traffic, makeup is seeing larger pushes toward increasingly personalized recommendations and streamlined routines. Aided by GRWM content, try-ons and celebrity-inspired looks, discovery-driven shopping is leading consumers to make more informed decisions when it comes to their cosmetics.
Part of this shift includes the rising appetite for aspirational yet achievable looks that shoppers can easily replicate at home, without the need for technical skills or tools. Shoppers are also making more practical choices when it comes to what kind and how many products they buy, preferring to purchase products that do more for less, saving time and skipping steps in the process.
The demand is clear. Hybrid makeup that puts skin first is key, allowing users a clearer base to enhance their color cosmetics. Below are some of the brands and products that have embraced the hybrid trend, blending skin-forward ingredients with cosmetic staples like foundations, blushes, primers and more.
Prescription Acne Treatment Meets Primer
A recurring concern about makeup has always been its tendency to block and irritate skin, leading to increased breakouts and blackheads. While the term "non-comedogenic" has been in the cosmetic sphere for a while, consumers are challenging brands and developers to think beyond "prevention" and focus on helping their skin instead.
Here's the challenge: historically, the majority of prescription acne/rosacea formulas on the market have been single-purpose, providing medical treatment without cosmetic benefits. Medical-grade acne treatments are notoriously difficult to incorporate into modern beauty routines. When layered with makeup, pilling and flaking may occur, along with dry patches that can make imperfections more noticeable.
Rising to the challenge is Curology's DayPrimeRx, a dual prescription acne treatment and blurring primer designed for daytime use. The prescription primer combines clinical efficacy with beauty benefits, infused with proven acne-fighting ingredients in a personalized formula.
The hybrid formula is developed with two key components in mind: personalization and primer. Its prescription treatment blends three active ingredients to target an individual's unique skin goals, such as acne, dark spots, rosacea and more. The primer base is said to visibly blur imperfections, minimize the look of pores, even out skin texture and hold makeup in place for up to 12 hours.
Whitney Tolpinrud, M.D., FAAD, board-certified dermatologist and medical director at Curology, said, "DayPrimeRx solves one of the most vexing challenges in beauty and skin care—the fact that acne treatments don't often layer well under makeup, forcing people to choose between coverage and treatment. DayPrimeRx eliminates that choice."Curology
Personalized Formulas Meet Acne-Fighting Ingredients
To capitalize on the personalized makeup movement, Curology has developed a personalized treatment plan, providing dermatologist-recommended formulas based on the consumer's skin history. The primer includes a blend of any three of these acne-fighting actives:
- Azelaic acid: Gently exfoliates to help unclog pores, smooth texture and brighten skin
- Clindamycin phosphate: Fights acne-contributing bacteria and soothes inflammation
- Niacinamide: Soothes inflammation, helps visibly fade dark spots and fights free radicals
- Zinc pyrithione: Soothes inflammation and acts against both bacteria and fungi that contribute to acne
- Salicylic acid: Goes deep into pores to clear away dead skin cells and excess oil
- Dexpanthenol: Attracts and holds moisture for softer, smoother skin
Under Cover Color Correction
The brand Bubble offers another correcting cosmetic option for clearer, cleaner skin. The brand offers a color correcting dark spot fix and a correcting balm that offers equal parts color and care.
Under Cover is a clinically formulated correcting balm said to camouflage the look of hyperpigmentation and dark spots with soothing and brightening ingredients that help fade dark spots over time. It features the following ingredients:
- Allantoin: Helps to soothe skin
- Alpha arbutin: Works to visibly reduce the appearance of spots and uneven skin tone
- Niacinamide: Helps hydrate skin, calm irritation and support the skin barrier function
Secret Agent was formulated to reduce the look of redness, containing soothing, brightening and clarifying ingredients that help fade redness and blemish marks over time. Its ingredients include:
- Oat extract and allantoin: Helps to soothe skin
- Alpha arbutin: Works to visibly reduce the appearance of spots and uneven skin tone
- Niacinamide: A do-it-all super ingredient that hydrates skin, calms irritation and improves the function of skin barrier
Skin Care Formula Meets Foundation
Perhaps the most common hybrid form on the market is a foundation with skin-boosting ingredients. Easy to formulate and pair with various levels of coverage, consumers expect these skin-boosted foundations as a baseline in their skin care-makeup routines.
A great example of a foundation hybrid includes Wonderskin's serum foundation. The dual serum-foundation is said to deliver performance wear with powerful skin care ingredients, including niacinamide, copper tripeptides and carnosine. The formula blurs imperfections, including discoloration, blemishes and fine lines and adapts to natural skin movement throughout the day.
Powered by skin-loving ingredients, the trio is said to help improve the look of discoloration, scarring and uneven texture while renewing and firming skin elasticity through intense, all-day hydration.
Marina Kalenchyts, co-founder of Wonderskin, said, "Two years ago, I challenged our in-house chemists to develop the ultimate foundation that delivered long-lasting natural coverage, skin-benefit ingredients and weightless wear. I didn't want to choose between comfort and performance anymore."J Maas and Peopleimages.com at Adobe Stock
More Makeup Means More For Skin
Skin-loving makeup includes more than just foundation. Brands like Makeup by Mario also feature a wide range of cosmetic products with added skin benefits. The list includes items ranging from lipsticks to blush to setting powders:
- Soft Pop Plumping Blush Veil: A cream blush balm formulated with active levels of hyaluronic acid
- Soft Pop Blush Stick: A creamy blush stick enriched with emollient ingredients, designed to hydrate as it adds color
- SuperShine Lip Gloss: A high-shine gloss infused with nourishing ingredients that visibly smooth and hydrate
- Ultra Suede Sculpting Lip Pencil: A matte, full-coverage formula infused with emollients for comfortable wear
- SurrealSkin Soft Blur Setting Powder: A micro-fine setting powder with skin-loving ingredients like squalane
Refy's Chrome Collection includes a Cream Shimmer and Chrome Lip Gloss, offering buildable iridescence for lips and cheeks.Refy
Refy is another brand combining cosmetics with skin benefits. Its Chrome Collection includes a Cream Shimmer and Chrome Lip Gloss, offering buildable iridescence for lips and cheeks, all with added skin-boosting ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and peptides.
- Chrome Shimmer: A multipurpose cream formula designed to layer over blush, highlight high points and add glow to lids and brows
- Chrome Lip Gloss: A glossy, light-reflective finish for added shine and dimension
The Ultimate Cross: Hybrid Makeup with Added SPF Protection
Versed is another brand crossing categories. A dedicated skin care and makeup brand, Versed offers makeup with skin care-first formulas and SPF benefits that allow customers to have the best of all categories.
Its recent expansion into Target, along with its rate of repeat purchases, highlights the growing need for makeup hybrids on the market.
Andy Chiu, CEO of Versed, said, “Since we introduced makeup, it’s been resonating with both new and existing customers; 34% of consumers who purchased makeup made a repeat purchase, and 61% of makeup units sold are to new customers.”
Leading the charge was the brand's award-winning Skin Solution Multi-Serum Skin Tint with SPF 40, which sold out three times and rebounded with triple-digit growth each time it was restocked. Some of the brand's products are featured below, along with their key ingredients.
- Skin Solution Multi-Serum Skin Tint with SPF 40: Buildable skin tint with nourishing serum and mineral SPF 40 combined with hyaluronic acid and kakadu plum extract
- Skin Solution Serum Concealer: Concealer with hydrating serum infused with caffeine and kojic acid
- Soft Gloss Tinted Lip Serum: Hydrating lip tint with moisturizing ingredients like shea butter and vitamin E
Ciele, a dedicated skin care-makeup brand, is also making waves with its all-hybrid products. Much like Versed, the brand is dedicated to producing high-quality color cosmetics with maximum skin and sun benefits. Some of the brand's most noticeable hybrids are listed below, all formulated to protect against UVA, UVB, blue lights and infrared rays.
- Prime & Protect SPF 30+: A mineral SPF 30+ primer with vitamin E and green tea leaf oil that provides antioxidant protection to combat environmental stressors while keeping skin nourished
- Tint & Protect SPF 50+: A tinted serum that doubles as a pollutant-fighting daily skin protector with mineral SPF 50+. Contains skin-centric ingredients like allantoin, bisabolol and niacinamide
- Conceal & Protect SPF 50+: SPF 50+ spot concealer to combat sunspots and discoloration with tranexamic acid
- Blush & Protect SPF 50+: A hydrating liquid blush with SPF 50+, allantoin and bisabolol
- Bronze & Protect SPF 50+: A mineral SPF 50+ bronzing drop concentrate that can be mixed into skin care or foundation, enhanced with allantoin, bisabolol and niacinamide
- Flush & Protect SPF 45+: A talc-free hybrid SPF 45+ powder blush engineered with skin-first Korean technology
- Filter & Protect SPF 30+: A loose finishing powder that provides mineral-based SPF 30+ protection and includes vitamin E, niacinamide and Physalis angulata extract
Skin-Loving Ingredients for Lip Hybrids
Tilt Beauty offers two options for performance lip cosmetics infused with nourishing skin care ingredients.Tilt Beauty
Beyond foundations, blushes and bronzers, lipsticks, liners, balms and lip treatments are offering users skin-level ingredients alongside color and finishes.
Tilt Beauty is one of those brands, offering two options for performance lip cosmetics infused with nourishing skin care ingredients.
- Easy Way Effortless Lip Liner: Lip liner for precise definition, enhanced volume and extended wear. Formulated with ceramide NP, hyaluronic acid, glycerin and vitamin E
- Grip Stick Lip Treatment: A moisture-rich balm in sheer colors that soothes dry lips with colloidal oatmeal, ceramides, hyaluronic acid, shea butter and vitamin E
Revlon also launched a similar lip hybrid at Ulta, debuting its Super Lustrous Ultra Lipstick that offers high-impact color with a blend of skin-caring ingredients. The ingredient blend features a polymer and squalane system, as well as cold-pressed murumuru butter to improve the skin barrier and condition lips over time. The formula also includes orchid extract for a luxurious, comfortable feel.
Kaitlin Rinehart, vice president of merchandising for Ulta Beauty, said "This launch exemplifies Revlon's continued commitment to creating high-performance, skin-caring color that empowers beauty lovers to look and feel their best, at an accessible price point."Revlon
Nail Polish Gets a Skin-Upgrade
The face isn't the only product getting an upgrade. Nails are following suit, exploring creative ways to introduce skin-grade and skin-loving ingredients for even the smallest of cuticles, restoring skin from top to tip.
Additions aren't the only way nail companies are upgrading skin though. With crackdowns and regulations for common nail ingredients on the rise, more nail products are removing what some brands deem unnecessary or harmful actives from their formulations to keep nails healthy and clean.
21-Free Nail Formula Powered by Skin Care
Habit Cosmetics has created skin care-powered formulas for nail and makeup products, blending clean innovation with high-impact color.
Habit Cosmetics notes that the future of cosmetics lies in formulas that honor and nourish the skin. Cosmetics powered by skin care ingredients shouldn't be a novelty—but the new standard, and one that puts health and wellbeing at the center of beauty.Habit Cosmetics
The brand's 21-free nail formula does just that, excluding 21 different materials it calls toxins and controversial ingredients—including toluene, formaldehyde and phthalates. Instead, each polish is infused with plant-derived actives like hibiscus, pomegranate and samphire to support stronger, healthier nails. Its formula is also powered by ingredients like peptides, hyaluronic acid, sea buckthorn and moringa oil. Below is an ingredient breakdown of the nail products the brand offers:
- Comeback Queen Gel Rehab: Powered by a triple AHA complex, pro-vitamin B5 and hexanal, clinically proven to revive and strengthen nails in just one week
- Quick Fix Melt-In Strengthener: Packed with biotin, marine silicium and PHAs to rebuild keratin and improve the nail base
- Cutie Dew Cuticle Serum: a fast-absorbing nourishing oil with rosehip, sweet almond and camellia oils, plus vitamin E and F to hydrate, soften and restore cuticles and nails
TPO-Free Formulations
Founder and creative director of Townhouse, Juanita Huber-Millet shared, “Innovation should feel responsible. By removing TPO from our formulation, we wanted to set a new benchmark—one that prioritizes both performance and peace of mind. You shouldn’t have to compromise to achieve a flawless finish."Townhouse
Townhouse’s Flawless Polish collection features a TPO-free formulation that is 21-free. According to Townhouse, the range also features a strengthening, flexible base coat designed to reinforce the natural nail, helping to prevent breakage and promote healthy growth over time.
Personalized pH Perfector
One last nail product shines light on a new trend. According to the nail polish brand Orly, there’s a growing interest in customizable beauty amongst Gen Z and older age groups, and color-adaptive products are on the rise. Reported by Orly, pH-reactive beauty, beauty that changes based on the user’s unique pH level, grew by 26.6% year-over-year across platformsa. TikTok is fueling this virality with 30,800 average weekly views, up 43.5% from last yeara. The momentum points toward the bigger trend happening across color and functional care hybrids, one that offers personalized, one-of-a-kind products with maximum benefits.
Orly Beauty’s pH Perfector offers a formula tailored to customers' specific nail chemistry. Available in 01 warm and 02 cool blush tones, the color intensity transforms upon application. Just like a fingerprint, no two shades will be alike.
The smart tint formula is fortified with vitamins and nail-loving ingredients that enhance natural tone while strengthening, hydrating and correcting discoloration.
Ingredients include:
- Vitamins C & E: Provide antioxidants for healthy, glowing nails
- Mastic gum oil: Strengthen nails for long-term resilience
- pH-reactive dye: Transforms nails to personalized color
- Silica-enhanced texture: Allows for smooth application
Quality Over Quantity: Makeup and Skin Care Unite
Consumers don't want to choose between their skin and their makeup, and brands are making it easier than ever to make that choice. With high-quality skin care ingredients in blendable, buildable pigments that make skin glow inside and out, hybrid makeup values quality over quantity. As consumers pare down their skin care routines, looking for more achievable and affordable options to look their best, brands should be looking towards crafting makeup that covers less and cares more.
What's On the Outside? Packaging and Design Inspo
For cosmetics, packaging is being driven by an increased desire for portability, ergonomics and inclusivity—all housed in eye-catching designs.
Innovations in formats, like the pillow tottle and cushion compact, signal a growing need for on-the-go packaging. Other trends include a push towards recyclability and refillable chambers for longer product lifespans. Meanwhile, a mass-market push towards inclusive design is taking place as prestige crafts more detailed artisan forms meant to reinforce heritage and play with nostalgia.
For brands looking to stand out in the packaging market, take a look at these recent innovations in design and packaging storytelling to see how the world of packaging is improving performance and precision on all fronts.
Pillow Tottles for Strong Performance, and the Rise of Cushion Compacts
HCP Packaging, a design, development and manufacturer of primary packaging containers for color cosmetics, skin care, fragrance and more, has created two innovations in packaging: a pillow tottle and a cushion compact.
Meet the Pillow Tottle: Soft Form, Strong Performance
The squeezable body has a precision nozzle to ensure mess-free, controlled dispensing.HCP
Beauty routines are changing. Packaging should too.
The 50 ml Pillow Tottle is HCP’s latest innovation in stock packaging, uniting ergonomic design with effective functionality. For both color and skin care categories, this soft-format pack offers an alternative to glass bottles for foundation and a user-friendly solution for portable, on-the-go usage.
The squeezable body has a precision nozzle to ensure mess-free, controlled dispensing, while its optional multi-layer construction boosts barrier protection and shade opacity.
The bottle offers:
- Layered protection: Up to five material layers for barrier-sensitive formulas and improved visual opacity
- Ergonomic design: Soft square shape fits naturally in the palm for compact, sensorial and made to move usage
- Branding potential: Flat-profile face maximizes space for impactful decoration and strong shelf presence
Complexion Refined: The Rise of Cushions
Once a K-beauty icon, the cushion compact is now a global format. HCP
Once a K-beauty icon, the cushion compact is now a global format shaping how consumers achieve on-trend looks. The data breakdown from HCP Packaging is documented belowb:
- Cushions are the fastest-growing base makeup sub-category (CAGR 9%)
- Glass-skin and glow looks are driving compact adoption in Western markets
- Convenience and portability make cushions a go-to for SPF, primer and touch-ups
- Social platforms like TikTok have sparked a 64% surge in consumer interest for cushion format
With beauty routines shifting toward portable, effortless touch-ups, cushions are becoming a must-have across categories.
HCP Packaging offers mini formats for blush or concealer, slim profiles for dewy, glow-boosting finishes and deep engines for foundation, CC and SPF. Its compacts offer the following:
- Sealed for integrity: Airtight structure ensures formula protection and smooth, hygienic delivery
- Adaptable look: Mini, slim or deep engines to suit glow, coverage or hybrid skin care-makeup
- Brand creative potential: Wide decorative options and seasonal edits to amplify brand identity
- Customization: Pair engine with bespoke fashion parts, engineered in-house for flawless fit
- Bold expressions: From sleek and minimal to bold and playful, cushions adapt to every brand's vision
Multi-Tasking Stick for Lips, Cheeks and Blush
Capardoni has developed a lightweight, compact and monomaterial 5 gram stick made entirely of PP.Capardoni
Suitable for many formulas, its minimal design and functional structure make it a versatile solution for beauty brands looking for a fully recyclable monomaterial pack. Usage ranges from skin care to makeup, with potential formats spanning lip balms, lip care, scrubs, masks and blushes.
Ergonomic Design For Everyone
Tilt Beauty has partnered with Element Group USA to develop an innovative air-tight and refillable lip liner that merges ergonomic design, refillability and clean formulation in one product. Designed for people with disabilities in mind, Tilt Beauty is making makeup application accessible through thoughtful and sleek packaging.
“It was a completely new approach that challenged the status quo of beauty pencils,” said Ulrich Lerissel, CEO of Element Group USA. “From package engineering to our Korean lab partnering with Tilt’s product developers on the formula execution, this project demonstrates what’s possible when design, science and sustainability come together.”Tilt Beauty
The design of its lip pencil was made possible through Element Group USA's design and technical expertise in engineering and formulation. Element Group USA also engineered the brand’s debut products—including its refillable lip balms and mascara.
The pencil’s ergonomic shape, designed for a more controlled grip, needed to accommodate airtight sealing while allowing for an easy refill mechanism. The finished product is said to deliver a smooth-glide, no-tug precision application with creamy, lasting color and a velvety finish.
Steve Levine, Tilt Beauty’s COO, said, “Ease of use remains our first priority, alongside clean formulations and refillable packages for our customers and for the planet. There’s no compromise to be made between design, formula and sustainability—all three must work together.”
By combining ergonomic innovation, clean formulation and refillability, the Tilt lip liner reflects a growing shift in the beauty industry toward performance-driven sustainability. 
The cushy case is coated in a proprietary recyclable material that is soft to the touch and offers a magnetic cap for more friendly functionality. Tilt
The brand also developed new packaging for its Hydrating Lip Treatment with Grip Stick, an ergonomic, refillable case for easy, full-control application. The cushy case is coated in a proprietary recyclable material that is soft to the touch and offers a magnetic cap for more friendly functionality.
Performance Packaging for Precision
Refy's Lip Stick pairs a soft flocked tip with a stainless steel cooling rollerball, combining comfort and control for a sensory, high-performance application.
More than precise application, Refy's new product merges quality design and ergonomics with aesthetic appeal and sensory experiences. Refy
The rollerball dispenses pigment while cooling and smoothing lips, stimulating circulation for a naturally plumped, fresh look. Users can twist the stick to control how much product is released and use the tip to outline and clean up edges for a flawless finish.
More than precise application, Refy's new product merges quality design and ergonomics with aesthetic appeal and sensory experiences. Packaging that enhances the application process through innovative texture and design will find itself a favorite among beauty enthusiasts.
Artisan Design Speaks to Tradition and Nostalgia
Some designs are forever. Playing on decades of tradition and nostalgia for the artisans of the past, Lancôme celebrates its 90 years with a new collection designed by Italian design house Pininfarina.
Lancôme "Les Exceptionnels" is a limited-edition collection that pays homage to heritage and celebrates elevated artistry and design. Absolu Rouge Lipstick is included in the brand's artisan lineup.
Lancôme celebrates its 90 years with a new collection designed by Italian design house Pininfarina.Lancome
The lipstick is adorned with Versailles 23.5 karat gold. The design is hand-crafted in an elegant sculptural shape and textured with sleek lines, with the iconic Lancôme rose agora pattern set at the top of the case. A tactile click of the ceramic rose agora push button opens the case, while the lipstick bullet within is etched with the rose agora pattern, celebrating 90 years of Lancôme’s exploration of the rose.
FOOTNOTES
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