The most innovative companies in beauty for 2026

FastCompany: As technology accelerates so many aspects of life, consumers are expecting the same from their beauty products. Speed, ease, and efficacy are paramount in their minds. IlluminateAI perfected skin-tone matching through the simple use of a phone camera. Sephora , meanwhile, refused to let external social media platforms influence what its consumers discovered, leaning instead into its internal ecosystem and an in-app storefront where homegrown beauty tastemakers create their own mini-shops to delight and inspire—and seriously move product.

P2 Science invented a natural polymer that keeps perfumes smelling exactly as their scent designers intended, for longer, increasing their value. Hair-strengthening wunderkind K18 engineered a lab-created molecule that activates through contact with heat, protecting the cortex, where permanent damage takes place. When the European Union banned a key ingredient in gel manicures, Dazzle Dry pivoted to quick-drying, salon-quality nail polishes that last for weeks and require no professional equipment (like UV lights), so you can create the nails of your dreams at home for a few bucks.

Tilt Beauty designed products for differently abled consumers, making it easy for anyone to open a tube of lipstick. Yet value—and a sense of greater meaning—still matters to beauty consumers. So does fun. Take Rhode , the celebrity skincare brand founded by Hailey Bieber. With a clear focus on clean products (and cheeky, sensual marketing ), the company quickly grew into a juggernaut that E.l.f. Beauty acquired for $1 billion. Flamingo Estate sources all of its skincare ingredients from sustainable farms that both keeps these family businesses going concerns while delivering consumers the purest of potent products.

Cult makeup brand Merit merged fashion and beauty, while Hourglass tapped into a bygone era of IRL shopping to create a retro experience in conjunction with Barneys New York (RIP!), complete with vintage designs and quirky collabs. —Additional reporting by Yasmin Gagne 1. Rhode For expanding the glazed-donut aesthetic into a lustrous $1 billion business In a crowded celebrity beauty landscape, Rhode stood out in 2025 by answering a different, almost antediluvian call. While peers built brands around empowerment or self-acceptance, Hailey Bieber’s skincare line leaned into something more primal: beauty as allure.

That clarity of intent paired with sharp product design and unapologetic marketing paid off. Launched in 2022 with just three skincare essentials, Rhode quickly became synonymous with the “glazed donut” skin trend that Bieber had popularized and named—that is, skin that’s ultra-hydrated, glistening, and unmistakably healthy. Clean, low-fragrance, vegan formulas made the products usable for sensitive skin, but it was the promise of visible luminosity that hooked consumers. From viral lip balms (that could be embedded in proprietary phone cases) to a creamy butter that enhanced the skin barrier, Rhode expanded carefully, then confidently.

New launches in 2025, such as the peptide lip tint in Lemontini and a dewy glazing mist, pushed the brand’s playful sensuality further. Meanwhile, cheeky, suggestive campaigns cut through the glossy pink girlishness that has defined the space for years. The one for Rhode’s glazing mist featured a male actor— Babygirl star Harris Dickinson—not as the user of the product but as the male gaze personified. Rhode doubled its consumer base in 2025, hit $212 million in net sales, sold more than 112,000 units on TikTok Shop, and expanded into seven new markets. All of this momentum prompted E.l.f.

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The article discusses significant trends and innovative strategies in the beauty industry that are likely to influence brand strategies, making it impactful and relevant, though some concepts may not be entirely new.