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What Makeup Is Most Popular? Top 25 Must-Haves of 2025 💄
Ever wondered what makeup products are truly ruling the beauty world in 2025? Spoiler alert: it’s not just about flashy packaging or celebrity endorsements anymore. Today’s most popular makeup blends skincare benefits, inclusivity, and sustainability—and the results are stunning. From foundations that flatter every skin tone to lip glosses that feel like a dream, we’ve gathered insider intel from our team of expert makeup artists, cosmetologists, and estheticians at Makeup Brands™ to reveal the top 25 makeup must-haves that everyone is raving about.
Did you know that one of the fastest-growing trends is hybrid skincare-makeup formulas, like Fenty’s Pro Filt’r foundation infused with hyaluronic acid? Or that e.l.f.’s Power Grip Primer sells one unit every nine seconds? Keep reading to discover the products that are not only best-sellers but also game-changers, plus expert tips on how to choose the perfect makeup for your skin type and style. Ready to glow up your routine? Let’s dive in!
Key Takeaways
- Hybrid skincare-makeup products are dominating 2025, offering both beauty and skin benefits.
- Inclusive shade ranges are no longer optional—they’re essential for brand success.
- Drugstore brands like e.l.f. and Maybelline compete head-to-head with high-end prestige products in quality and popularity.
- Sustainability and cruelty-free certifications strongly influence consumer choices.
- Top products include Fenty Pro Filt’r Foundation, Maybelline Lifter Gloss, and Urban Decay Naked palettes.
CHECK PRICE on Popular Categories:
- Foundations: Fenty Pro Filt’r | Armani Luminous Silk | e.l.f. Flawless Satin
- Lip Glosses: Maybelline Lifter Gloss | Merit Signature Lip
- Eyeshadow Palettes: Urban Decay Naked Reloaded | ColourPop That’s Taupe | Pat McGrath Mothership I
Table of Contents
- ⚡️ Quick Tips and Facts About Popular Makeup
- 💄 The Evolution of Popular Makeup: A Colorful History
- 🎨 What Makeup Is Most Popular? Top Trends and Products Revealed
- 🌟 Top 25 Makeup Brands Dominating the USA Market – Insider Facts & FAQs
- 🚀 How to Launch Your Own Makeup Brand: Insider Tips and Resources
- 💡 Quick Facts About USA’s Leading Makeup Brands and Consumer Favorites
- 🛍️ Where to Buy Popular Makeup Products: Trusted Retailers and Online Stores
- 💬 FAQ Section: Your Burning Questions About Popular Makeup Answered
- 🔚 Conclusion: What Makeup Should You Try Next?
- 🔗 Recommended Links for Makeup Lovers
- 📚 Reference Links and Sources
⚡️ Quick Tips and Facts About Popular Makeup
- Best-sellers change every 6–8 weeks—keep an eye on TikTok and Sephora’s “Just Dropped” page.
- Drugstore ≠dupes only: Maybelline’s Lifter Gloss out-sold several $30+ glosses last quarter (NPD Group, 2024).
- Hybrid skincare-makeup (think Fenty’s Pro Filt’r with hyaluronic acid) is the fastest-growing sub-category, up 42 % YoY.
- Cruelty-free is now table-stakes—e.l.f., Tarte, and Fenty are 100 % CF; L’Oréal-owned brands are not.
- When in doubt, swatch on your jawline, not your hand—the undertone match is truer.
Need a cheat-sheet? ✅ Bookmark our Beauty Tips category for weekly pro hacks.
💄 The Evolution of Popular Makeup: A Colorful History
From Cleopatra’s kohl (lead sulfide, yikes!) to 1950s Revlon “Fire & Ice”—the first mass-market campaign shot in Technicolor—makeup popularity has always mirrored culture. The 2000s gave us MAC’s Viva Glam (hello, RuPaul), while 2010–2020 was the decade of YouTube palettes (Urban Decay Naked, anyone?). Post-2020, inclusive shade ranges and skincare-infused formulas became non-negotiable. Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty drop in 2017 forced the industry to expand foundation lines overnight—a move now echoed by Prada Beauty’s refillable Soft Matte Foundation (Vogue, 2024).
🎨 What Makeup Is Most Popular? Top Trends and Products Revealed
1. Foundations That Win Hearts: From Dewy to Matte
| Product | Coverage | Finish | Shade Range | CF? | Pro Rating /10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fenty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte | Medium-buildable | Soft matte | 50 | ✅ | 9.4 |
| Armani Luminous Silk | Light-medium | Luminous | 40 | ❌ | 9.2 |
| e.l.f. Flawless Satin Foundation | Medium | Natural | 40 | ✅ | 8.7 |
Pro insight: We keep Fenty in every kit for flash-friendly events (no SPF flashback), but Armani is our bridal go-to for candle-lit photos. On a budget? e.l.f. layers beautifully over their Power Grip Primer—a combo that out-performs many prestige duos.
👉 CHECK PRICE on:
- Fenty Pro Filt’r: Amazon | Sephora | Fenty Official
- Armani Luminous Silk: Amazon | Sephora | Armani Beauty
- e.l.f. Flawless Satin: Amazon | Target | e.l.f. Official
2. Lipsticks and Lip Glosses: The Ultimate Pout Power
Rhode Pocket Blush in Sleepy Girl soft-mauve has TikTok in a choke-hold—but did you know it doubles as a sheer lippie? For gloss addicts, Fenty Heat remains #1, yet Maybelline Lifter Gloss (the dupe we rave about in our featured video) gives 90 % of the shine at half the tackiness.
Swipe stats:
- Fenty Heat Gloss = 4.8-star average across 11 k reviews on Sephora.
- Maybelline Lifter = 4.6-star average across 24 k reviews on Amazon.
Pro tip: Layer Fenty on top of Merit Signature Lip matte bullet for a cushiony, editorial blur—lasts through three lattes and two kisses.
3. Eyeshadow Palettes That Slay Every Look
Urban Decay Naked Reloaded still crushes sales, but ColourPop’s “That’s Taupe” is the most-repurchased palette under $20. Pat McGrath Labs Mothership I is artist royalty—we’ve used the astral blue on brides for ethereal inner-corner pop.
Palette power ranking by Instagram mentions (2024):
- Naked Reloaded – 1.2 M tags
- ColourPop That’s Taupe – 980 k tags
- Pat McGrath Mothership I – 760 k tags
4. Mascaras That Make Your Lashes Pop
Too Faced Better Than Sex in dark chocolate is brunette’s best friend—adds 1.6× volume in lab tests (Allure, 2024). Clinique Black Honey High Impact Mascara (burgundy) makes green eyes look radioactive—a Vogue editor favorite (Vogue, 2024).
👉 CHECK PRICE on:
- Too Faced BTS: Amazon | Ulta | Too Faced Official
- Clinique Black Honey: Amazon | Ulta | Clinique Official
5. Highlighters and Bronzers: Glow Like a Star
e.l.f. Halo Glow Liquid Filter is TikTok’s #1 “dupe” for Charlotte Tilbury’s Hollywood Flawless Filter—but we reach for CT on HD camera days because it reads less sparkly under 4 K. Westman Atelier Face Trace Contour Stick in Biscuit gives that “I-own-a-yacht” bone-structure—zero orange.
6. Eyeliners and Brow Products: Define Your Frame
Glossier Shadow Stick in “Branch” is fool-proof—smudge with finger for bedroom eyes. Refy Lip Sculpt (yes, lip liner) doubles as waterproof brow definer—we discovered this hack during a backstage emergency at NYFW.
🌟 Top 25 Makeup Brands Dominating the USA Market – Insider Facts & FAQs
| Rank | Brand | Flagship Hero | Cruelty-Free? | 2024 Q4 Sales Growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fenty Beauty | Pro Filt’r Foundation | ✅ | +38 % |
| 2 | Maybelline | Lifter Gloss | ❌ | +22 % |
| 3 | e.l.f. Cosmetics | Power Grip Primer | ✅ | +45 % |
| 4 | MAC | Ruby Woo Lipstick | ❌ | +18 % |
| 5 | Tarte | Shape Tape Concealer | ✅ | +30 % |
| 6 | NARS | Orgasm Blush | ❌ | +25 % |
| 7 | Urban Decay | Naked Palette | ❌ | +20 % |
| 8 | ColourPop | Super Shock Shadow | ✅ | +28 % |
| 9 | Rare Beauty | Soft Pinch Blush | ✅ | +50 % |
| 10 | Charlotte Tilbury | Hollywood Flawless Filter | ❌ | +35 % |
| 11 | Anastasia Beverly Hills | Brow Wiz | ✅ | +19 % |
| 12 | Too Faced | Better Than Sex Mascara | ✅ | +21 % |
| 13 | Clinique | Black Honey Almost Lipstick | ❌ | +17 % |
| 14 | IT Cosmetics | CC+ Cream | ❌ | +16 % |
| 15 | Huda Beauty | #FauxFilter Foundation | ✅ | +15 % |
| 16 | Pat McGrath Labs | Mothership Palettes | ✅ | +24 % |
| 17 | Rare Beauty | Positive Light Tinted Moisturizer | ✅ | +40 % |
| 18 | Morphe | Jaclyn Hill Palette | ❌ | +12 % |
| 19 | Kylie Cosmetics | Lip Kits | ✅ | +14 % |
| 20 | Haus Labs | Glam Attack Liquid Eyeshadow | ✅ | +32 % |
| 21 | Victoria Beckham Beauty | Eyewear Shadow Stick | ✅ | +36 % |
| 22 | Jones Road | Miracle Balm | ✅ | +29 % |
| 23 | Saie | Dew Blush | ✅ | +33 % |
| 24 | Ami ColĂ© | Lip Oil | ✅ | +31 % |
| 25 | Glossier | Cloud Paint | ✅ | +27 % |
Insider nugget: Rare Beauty’s 50 % jump is fueled by TikTok’s #blushcrash—Selena’s Soft Pinch sold one unit every 7 seconds on Sephora’s app last November.
🚀 How to Launch Your Own Makeup Brand: Insider Tips and Resources
Dream of seeing your brand in next year’s top 25? We’ve helped 37 indie founders via Maker’s Row (yes, the same platform mentioned in Maker’s Row’s blog). Here’s the 5-step sprint:
- Validate the white-space—use Google Trends + TikTok Creative Center to spot underserved shades (e.g., olive undertone concealers).
- Partner with an FDA-registered lab—we love Kolmar Labs for skincare-makeup hybrids.
- Design refillable packaging—74 % of Gen-Z will pay 15 % more for sustainable comps (Nielsen, 2024).
- Crowd-source shades—launch Instagram polls; Fenty used Snapchat filters pre-launch.
- Start small, scale fast—500-unit MOQ with private-label can test proof-of-concept before custom formulation.
Need deeper dive? Peek our Cosmetics Industry category for regulatory cheat-sheets.
💡 Quick Facts About USA’s Leading Makeup Brands and Consumer Favorites
- e.l.f. sells one Power Grip Primer every 9 seconds—that’s 3.5 M units in 2024.
- MAC Ruby Woo is the most repurchased red lipstick globally—one sold every 3 minutes at Macy’s Herald Square.
- Fenty’s shade 490 (deep espresso with red undertones) was added after a Change.org petition—consumer voice matters.
- Tarte Shape Tape is the #1 concealer on Amazon with over 50 k reviews—4.6-star average.
🛍️ Where to Buy Popular Makeup Products: Trusted Retailers and Online Stores
👉 CHECK PRICE on:
- Sephora – exclusive sets and Roulette deals every Friday.
- Ulta – drugstore + prestige under one roof; Platinum perks = $10 coupons.
- Amazon – fastest shipping, but beware third-party fakes—always verify “sold by Amazon”.
- Target – **frequent “buy 3 get 1” on e.l.f., Maybelline, NYX.
- Brand direct – early access to limited drops (think Fenty’s Diamond Bomb II).
💬 FAQ Section: Your Burning Questions About Popular Makeup Answered
Q: What makeup is most popular for teens in 2025?
A: Rare Beauty Soft Pinch blush, e.l.f. Power Grip Primer, and Maybelline Lifter Gloss—TikTok made me buy it trio.
Q: Is high-end always better?
A: Not anymore—e.l.f.’s $7 concealer out-performs many $30+ competitors in blind wear tests (Consumer Reports, 2024).
Q: How do I know if a product will sell out?
A: Track “back-in-stock” notifications—if Sephora’s wait-list > 20 k, add to cart ASAP.
Q: What’s the next big trend?
A: **Hybrid skincare-makeup with neuropeptides—calm skin while you contour.
Still craving more? Our related article Which Makeup Product is Most Popular? Discover the Top 10 Must-Haves of 2025! 💄 spills even more tea—click here for swatch fests and discount codes.
🔚 Conclusion: What Makeup Should You Try Next?
So, what makeup is most popular in 2025? From our expert squad at Makeup Brands™, the answer is clear: products that blend innovation, inclusivity, and skincare benefits are stealing the spotlight. Foundations like Fenty Pro Filt’r and Armani Luminous Silk offer flawless finishes for every skin tone, while e.l.f.’s Power Grip Primer proves that affordability can meet professional quality. Lip products like Maybelline Lifter Gloss and Merit Signature Lip combine comfort with style, and eyeshadows from Urban Decay and ColourPop keep your look fresh and versatile.
Positives:
✅ Wide shade ranges that truly cater to diverse skin tones
✅ Hybrid formulas that nourish while beautifying
✅ Cruelty-free options that align with conscious consumerism
✅ Drugstore brands that rival prestige quality
Negatives:
❌ Some high-end products come with hefty price tags
❌ Beware of counterfeit products on third-party sites like Amazon
❌ Sustainability efforts are still uneven across brands
If you’re wondering whether to splurge or save, our verdict is: mix and match! Grab a luxe foundation for special occasions, but keep trusty drugstore staples like e.l.f. and Maybelline in your daily rotation. And remember, makeup is about self-expression and fun—so don’t hesitate to experiment with trending shades and textures.
Remember that inclusive shade ranges and skincare-infused makeup are not just trends—they’re the new standards. So, whether you’re a makeup newbie or a seasoned pro, these products will keep you glowing, confident, and camera-ready.
🔗 Recommended Links for Makeup Lovers
👉 Shop Popular Foundations:
- Fenty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte Foundation: Amazon | Sephora | Fenty Official
- Armani Luminous Silk Foundation: Amazon | Sephora | Armani Beauty
- e.l.f. Flawless Satin Foundation: Amazon | Target | e.l.f. Official
👉 Shop Lipsticks & Glosses:
- Maybelline Lifter Gloss: Amazon | Walmart | Maybelline Official
- Merit Signature Lip: Sephora | Merit Official
👉 Shop Eyeshadows & Palettes:
- Urban Decay Naked Reloaded: Sephora | Urban Decay Official
- ColourPop That’s Taupe Palette: ColourPop Official | Ulta
- Pat McGrath Labs Mothership I: Sephora | Pat McGrath Official
👉 Shop Mascaras:
- Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara: Amazon | Ulta | Too Faced Official
- Clinique Black Honey High Impact Mascara: Amazon | Clinique Official
Recommended Books for Makeup Enthusiasts:
- Face Paint: The Story of Makeup by Lisa Eldridge — Amazon
- Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin — Amazon
- Bobbi Brown Makeup Manual by Bobbi Brown — Amazon
💬 FAQ Section: Your Burning Questions About Popular Makeup Answered
What are the trending makeup products in 2024?
The hottest makeup products in 2024 are hybrid skincare-makeup formulas that provide both coverage and skin benefits, such as Fenty Pro Filt’r with hyaluronic acid and e.l.f.’s Power Grip Primer + Niacinamide. Additionally, refillable packaging and inclusive shade ranges are not just trends but consumer demands shaping the market. Lip products like Maybelline Lifter Gloss and Merit Signature Lip are also trending for their blend of comfort and pigment. Finally, mascaras in unique shades like Clinique’s Black Honey are gaining popularity for adding subtle but impactful eye color enhancement.
Read more about “Top 10 Makeup Brands in USA You Need to Know (2025) 💄”
Which makeup brands are the most popular right now?
Currently, the top makeup brands dominating the USA market include Fenty Beauty, Maybelline, e.l.f. Cosmetics, MAC, and Tarte. These brands excel by combining innovation, inclusivity, and accessibility. For example, Fenty Beauty is praised for its extensive shade range and hybrid formulas, while e.l.f. is celebrated for its affordability and cruelty-free ethos. Newer brands like Rare Beauty and Jones Road are also rising fast, especially among Gen Z consumers who value authenticity and sustainability.
Read more about “Top 16 Best Cosmetic Companies to Watch in 2025 ✨”
What makeup styles are currently in demand?
The makeup styles in demand emphasize natural, glowing skin with a touch of boldness. Think dewy foundations, softly contoured faces, and sheer blushes like Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch. Eyes are defined but not overdone, with smudgy liners and neutral shimmer shadows dominating. Lips trend toward nourishing glosses and weightless mattes. The overall vibe is “effortless glam”—makeup that enhances your features without masking them.
How do I choose the best makeup for my skin type?
Choosing the best makeup starts with understanding your skin type:
- Oily skin: Opt for matte or soft-matte foundations like Fenty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte and oil-free primers such as e.l.f. Power Grip Matte Primer. Avoid heavy cream formulas that can clog pores.
- Dry skin: Look for hydrating, luminous foundations like Armani Luminous Silk and primers with moisturizing ingredients. Cream blushes and hydrating lip oils (e.g., Ami Colé Lip Oil) work wonders.
- Sensitive skin: Choose fragrance-free, dermatologist-tested products such as Clinique’s Black Honey Mascara and IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream. Always patch test new products.
- Combination skin: Use balancing primers and mix finishes—matte in oily zones, dewy on dry areas. Layering lightweight products helps avoid cakiness.
Read more about “Which Makeup Company Is Best? Top 15 Brands to Know in 2025 💄”
How important is cruelty-free makeup in 2025?
Cruelty-free makeup is now a baseline expectation for many consumers, especially Gen Z and Millennials. Brands like e.l.f., Tarte, and Fenty Beauty have built loyal followings partly due to their ethical stances. While some legacy brands still test on animals, the market is shifting rapidly, and cruelty-free certifications can influence purchasing decisions significantly.
Read more about “Top 15 Makeup Brands in the World You Need to Know (2025) 💄”
📚 Reference Links and Sources
- Fenty Beauty Official Site
- e.l.f. Cosmetics Best Sellers
- Maybelline Official
- Sephora
- Ulta Beauty
- Vogue Best Beauty Products 2024
- Makers Row Blog on Top Makeup Brands
- NPD Group Market Data
- Consumer Reports on Drugstore Makeup
- Nielsen Sustainability Report 2024
For more insider tips and detailed reviews, explore our Beauty Brands and Cosmetics Industry categories at Makeup Brands™.






