If you’re looking for a break from lip balm mania, the eye makeup category could offer some relief. Recent Circana data shows it returned to growth in 2025 after a dip, with mascara in particular helping lift the segment and broader makeup performance strengthening. Still, with a 3% increase in prestige through the first nine months of last year, its growth trailed prestige beauty’s 4% overall growth. Reporting from the publication Business of Fashion also indicates that prestige eye makeup segments, including eyeshadow, posted gains through the period ending September 2025.
With eyes back in focus, for the latest edition of our ongoing series posing questions relevant to indie beauty, we asked eight brand founders, product developers, chemists, manufacturers and consultants the following: Do you believe the segment will grow this year? What products, trends or consumer behaviors are driving renewed interest in eye makeup? How are they different from past products, trends or consumer behavior? Are certain formats leading the charge? How should brands be responding to these shifts?
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As a product development consultant in the industry, the eye category is poised for growth after years of palette fatigue and oversaturation of me-too products. Customers still have boatloads of eyeshadow powder palettes languishing in their drawers, which explains the popularity and resurgence of non-powder formats: liquid shadow, stick shadow and innovative cream-gel hybrid shadows.
New textures in this area will be key to driving eyeshadow growth. I’m seeing manufacturers showcasing really interesting formulas that deliver a sensorial “ooh” and “ahh” upon first touch.
Brows are also key to revitalizing the eye category, as I’m seeing this category multiply across different segments. Never have I seen so many different types of brow products available to the consumer. From blade-shaped pencils and 1-mm. diameter tips to fluffy-tizing pomades and laminating gels, there is a product that speaks to every micro brow trend. I’m seeing brands reach increasingly toward K-beauty and Asian beauty brands for inspiration in order to stand out.
- Priyanka Ganjoo Founder and CEO, Kulfi
I do believe the eye category will continue to grow this year. After several years of makeup trends skewing minimal and skin-first, consumers are craving expression again, and eyes are the most immediate, playful way to do that. Eye makeup offers transformation without long-term commitment, which makes it especially appealing right now.
What’s really interesting is what we’re seeing in mascara. Our tubing mascara has had strong traction, and it’s definitely not a minimalist mascara. It delivers volume, drama and that almost false-lash look, but in a tubing formula. The response we’ve seen signals a shift: for years, bestselling mascaras leaned minimalist, but now we’re moving back toward big lashes, bold eyes and impact. People want the drama again, just with modern performance and wearability.
We’re seeing renewed energy in eyeshadow as well. Our Zari Eyes Eyeshadows have always been about color and cultural storytelling, inspired by Indian textiles and designed to make a statement. From the beginning, they’ve been favorites among artists and creators, and now we’re seeing that momentum carry into the mainstream. Consumers are asking for more shades, more texture and more expression. The eye category is starting to pop again because it gives people permission to play.
What feels different from past eye makeup cycles is intentionality. Consumers aren’t defaulting to bold looks every day, but when they choose eye makeup, they want it to deliver emotionally and visually. Formats like mascaras, liners and shadows that offer high payoff with ease are leading the charge.
For brands, the opportunity is to lean into boldness without overcomplicating it. Innovate in formula, tell richer stories, and embrace eye makeup as a form of self-expression rather than just a finishing touch.
- Venus Hurst Founder and Chemist, Color Me Pretty Manufacturing
As an expert cosmetic chemist and the owner of a contract manufacturing cosmetic company, I've witnessed trends come and go. Over the past six months or so, I've noticed an increase in both consumers and our clients wanting to buy more liners and mascaras, showing a growing interest in eye makeup.
This trend differs from previous ones, and it raises questions about consumer behavior, what is driving this change, and how brands contribute to the eye makeup trend. Let's explore my perspective on this trend as an industry expert. The clean beauty trend, which promotes the idea of “less is more,” remains significant. However, it is now shifting towards bolder, more expressive and glamorous looks.
This change still emphasizes the importance of skincare to keep your skin radiant and glowing. Millennials, gen Z and some gen Xers are increasingly making health-conscious purchases, showing a growing interest in skin health products. They are opting for less foundation while highlighting dramatic eyes and lips. Consequently, skincare sales have surged in recent years and are projected to exceed $222 billion by 2030, with the U.S. as a leading market. The move away from the clean beauty aesthetic encourages a focus on dramatic eyes, cobalt eyeliner, glamorous makeup and bold beauty styles.
Maximalism over minimalism: After years of minimalism, maximalist makeup highlighting full color, glitter, intense liner and expressive textures is on the rise. Think heavily pigmented palettes and metallic finishes. Smoky eyes are making a comeback, along with bold lips in deep berries, reds and editorial looks.
TikTok and social media trends greatly influence the rising standards of eye makeup, with beauty brands playing a crucial role in creating buzz. They depend on beauty influencers and celebrities to promote their products and influence buyers.
Additionally, the public often gravitates towards trends that have gone viral or styles they have seen their favorite celebrities wear on the red carpet, which may have also gained viral attention. This influences beauty brands in determining their focus and which influencers and celebrities they ask to promote their products.
- MOLLY BROOKS Product Marketing and Development Consultant, MB Consulting
Beauty is cyclical, and the category is due for an eye-focused beauty moment after two to three years dominated by complexion newness and neutral eye looks. I expect the next one to two years to bring a wave of eye launches driven more by bold color, novel sensorial textures and select new formats that feel intuitive rather than trend driven.
Historically, eye subcategories like brows, mascara and liners have a slower trend cycle due to high customer loyalty and performance expectations, which has limited experimentation relative to lips and complexion. The dynamic is beginning to shift as we are seeing early signs of renewed investment-eye-specific ingredient newness to new claims and textures that change how products apply, wear and perform.
What will matter most is which brands translate this momentum into meaningful product step change rather than one-off single purchases.
- JENNIFER MORANTE-DI MARCO Owner, Jem Labs
I feel eye makeup is making a big comeback. After COVID, people were happy to uncover their faces and start putting on their lip gloss, balms and lipstick again. Now that it is almost back to normal, I think people are looking to enhance their eyes once again.
Mascara was always a big hit, and I am seeing more people wanting primer/mascara combos to help condition and lengthen lashes. I am also seeing a color trend coming back with eyeliners and eyeshadows in brighter and shimmery colors.
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From a formulation standpoint, the renewed momentum in eye makeup is being driven by performance-plus-care innovation. Consumers want mascaras, liners and shadows that deliver payoff and long wear, but with formulas that respect the sensitivity of the eye area and ingredient innovation.
What’s different this time is the focus on multifunctionality: pigments paired with conditioning agents, next-generation polymers and skin actives built into color, which is allowing eye makeup to be both expressive and wearable on an everyday level.
- Summer D'on Bell Founder and CEO, D'on Cosmetics
My team and I have definitely noticed a significant shift away from the “clean girl” and no-makeup makeup looks over the last few months. There’s a sense of freedom, fun and nostalgia emerging in 2026, an era where self-expression through beauty is making a major comeback.
Recent cultural commentary like the British Vogue column "Is Having A Boyfriend Embarrassing Now?" reflects a broader movement. Consumers are embracing what makes them genuinely happy and doing what feels authentic.
Eye makeup, especially eyeshadows and liners, is a perfect outlet for that creativity. Unlike the last few years where complexion and prep dominated, eyes now allow individuals to showcase their artistic flair and experiment boldly.
We’re also seeing a wave of nostalgia influence trends, with creators revisiting their iconic 2016 looks and repurposing them in fresh ways. This reinforces that eyes, through color, shape and technique, are becoming central to self-expression again. I hope brands lean into this, spotlighting eyeshadows and liners this year, to truly capture the creative and expressive spirit of today’s beauty consumer.
- WIZA LAUSANNE Brand and Creative Consultant
The category will continue to grow this year. What’s driving it isn’t a return to full glam, but authentic expression. Consumers are investing in eye makeup because it remains one of the most expressive and authentic enhancers, particularly in a post-skinimalist world.
Mascara is leading because it’s accessible and high impact. Brows and liners are following closely, especially formats that feel buildable, skin-adjacent and multifunctional. What’s different from past cycles is that consumers are less trend-led and more technique-led. They want products that work with how they actually want to present their truest selves.
Brands should continue to respond by simplifying claims, elevating education and designing products that respect taste, budget and aesthetic choice, while still delivering artistry.
If you have a question you'd like Beauty Independent to ask brand founders, product developers, chemists, manufacturers and consultants, send it to [email protected].
