According to the market research firm, prestige beauty sales reached USD 17.1 billion during the first six months of 2026, up 7% year on year, while mass-market beauty sales rose at the same rate to USD 39.2 billion. Unit demand remained positive across both channels, despite a consumer environment marked by greater selectivity.

“Beauty continues to benefit from consumers’ willingness to shop across price tiers, selectively investing in products that deliver the strongest emotional and functional value,” said Larissa Jensen, Global Beauty Industry Advisor at Circana. “Fragrance remains a key avenue for affordable luxury and self-expression, while skincare is benefiting from consumers’ growing focus on whole body wellness, preventative treatments, and daily rituals.”

Fragrance stays on top

Fragrance remained one of the strongest-performing categories, although its growth dynamics differed significantly between prestige and mass retail.

In prestige beauty, fragrance sales increased 6%, primarily reflecting premiumization. Average prices rose 5%, while unit sales remained broadly flat. Consumers continued to trade up to higher-concentration formats, with eau de parfum and perfume recording double-digit growth.

Luxury fragrance was another bright spot, with both sales and unit volumes increasing, driven primarily by women’s fragrances. The figures underline the category’s continued ability to capture a growing share of consumers’ discretionary spending, even in a more selective purchasing environment.

The mass market delivered an even stronger performance. Fragrance sales jumped 15% in value, with units up 7%, making it the fastest-growing beauty category in mass retail. Unlike prestige, growth was driven by a combination of higher demand and price increases, demonstrating the category’s appeal across consumer segments and price points.

Skincare gains from prevention

Skincare was the fastest-growing category in prestige beauty, with sales up 9% and units increasing at a double-digit rate.

Growth was broad-based, with body care and sun care particularly dynamic. Prestige body care sales rose 16%, supported by strong performances from body cleansers, body lotions and deodorants. Sun care was even stronger, increasing 19%, as consumers continued to prioritize prevention and skin health.

At the same time, core facial skincare routines remained healthy. Face creams, facial cleansers and eye treatments all recorded solid growth, pointing to continued consumer investment in daily maintenance and treatment regimens.

The trend extended into mass retail, where skincare outperformed the overall beauty market. All major segments — from facial skincare to hand and body lotions and sunscreen — recorded both dollar and unit growth.

Makeup sees slower growth

Makeup delivered a more measured performance in the first half of the year. Prestige makeup sales increased 3%, despite a slight decline in unit demand.

Face makeup was the strongest area, with bronzers and blushes posting double-digit growth. Lip liner remained the fastest-growing makeup segment in prestige beauty, reflecting the continued influence of trend-driven products.

Mass-market makeup sales increased 5%, although unit volumes declined. Growth was concentrated in products that are also performing strongly in prestige, notably lip liners, blushes, bronzers and makeup combination products.

According to Circana, these figures highlight consumers’ continued interest in affordable experimentation and category innovation.

Prestige haircare shifts toward treatment and scalp health

Haircare was another strong performer in prestige beauty, with sales increasing 11% and units up 8%.

The category’s growth was led by treatment products, particularly hair serums, whose sales rose by almost 60%. Hair masks, oils and leave-in treatments also recorded healthy gains, alongside scalp-focused products.

The figures point to a continued shift from basic cleansing and conditioning toward more specialized routines focused on hair health, repair and prevention.

Mass-market haircare was more subdued. Sales increased 7%, while unit volumes declined, reflecting greater consumer sensitivity to value. Shampoo and conditioner combination packs nevertheless performed particularly well, posting double-digit growth in both sales and units.

Growth centers on clear benefits

Circana’s first-half figures suggest that the resilience of the US beauty market is not simply a result of consumers spending more across the board. Instead, growth is increasingly concentrated in categories and products perceived to deliver a clear emotional, functional or experiential benefit.

Looking ahead, Circana expects the evolution of shopping behavior to remain a key factor shaping the industry. E-commerce and social platforms are playing an increasingly important role in product discovery and purchase, making the connection between inspiration and transaction ever more critical.

“As e-commerce and social platforms play a larger role in discovery and purchase, brands that create seamless paths from inspiration to transaction will be best positioned to capture future growth,” Jensen said.