The Beauty Industry’s New Obsession? Why Food-Inspired Products Are Taking Over

AND HOW SMART BRANDS ARE CASHING IN

Hey there Beauty Insider,

You didn’t hear it from me, but... beauty is getting hungrier.

From pistachio perfumes to glosses that look like honey drizzling off a spoon, food isn’t just a reference in beauty - it’s taking over.

Food trends are influencing everything from product textures to packaging, fragrance, ingredient storytelling, and brand positioning.

But here’s the real shift: Food is no longer just an ingredient trend. It’s now a core pillar of how beauty is marketed and experienced.

The smartest brands are already capitalising on this - but the real winners are the ones who understand exactly how to turn this into long-term consumer desire.

📌 Inside this post, we’ll break down:
✔ The key drivers fuelling food-beauty crossovers (and why they aren’t going anywhere).
✔ Which brands are leading this shift (and how they’re doing it).
✔ How you can apply these insights—including swipeable copywriting formulas to elevate beauty messaging today.

Let’s get into it.

The Food x Beauty Crossover - What’s Driving It?

💡 Food and beauty have always had crossover moments, but in 2025, this isn’t just a fleeting trend - it’s a fundamental industry shift.

Here’s why:

1️⃣ Sensory Marketing & Emotional Connection

We don’t just buy beauty for results, we buy it for how it makes us feel.

✔ Food triggers deep emotional connections: whether it’s nostalgia (vanilla, honey, warm cinnamon) or indulgence (buttery textures, whipped creams, glazed finishes).
✔ Gourmand fragrances are now shifting toward sophisticated ‘wearable’ scents: moving away from overly sweet vanilla toward almond, chai, and pistachio notes.
✔ Skincare & body care are tapping into cravings: whipped textures, creamy balms, and serum-like jellies designed to feel as indulgent as food itself.

📌 Example: Sol de Janeiro’s body creams have created a fragrance-first body care category, with scents that mimic salted caramel, vanilla, and toasted macadamia.

2️⃣ The TikTok Effect: How Food Became a Beauty Aesthetic

Social media isn’t just pushing food-inspired beauty, it’s shaping what we find desirable.

✔ #DupeCulture is training us to shop by ‘flavour.’ Latte makeup, honey lips, and buttered croissant nails aren’t just trends, they’re aesthetics we now crave.
✔ Luxury is shifting from being purely about price to being about an ‘edible aesthetic’ that feels aspirational.
✔ TikTok has driven demand for nostalgic scents & flavour, from Birthday Cake Gloss to Marshmallow Highlighters.

📌 Example: The pistachio perfume explosion started from a TikTok aesthetic trend, but luxury brands like Kayali and DS&Durga quickly capitalised on it.

3️⃣ The Wellness & Functional Food Influence

✔ Adaptogenic beauty is mirroring the rise of functional food and beverages.
✔ Probiotic skincare borrows from fermented food culture (kombucha, kimchi, kefir).
✔ Superfood-infused color cosmetics are mirroring wellness-led eating trends.

📌 Example: Glow Recipe’s “Watermelon Glow” collection isn’t just about watermelon extract, it taps into the fun, hydrating, refreshing experience of eating watermelon in summer.

How Beauty Brands Are Capitalising on Food Trends

1️⃣ Packaging That Feels Like a Treat

✔ Beauty brands are borrowing from food branding: from glossy lip oil bottles that mimic honey jars to whipped body butters in soft-serve tubs.
✔ Rhode Skin’s lip treatments feel like nostalgic soft-serve packaging, tapping into our subconscious craving for something delicious and indulgent.

2️⃣ Multi-Sensory Formulas & Textures

✔ Brands are using whipped, buttery, jelly-like, and syrupy textures to heighten sensorial appeal.
✔ Drunk Elephant’s ‘smoothie’ skincare trend was a viral success because it tapped into the DIY food-beauty crossover.
✔ Juicy lip oils are overtaking traditional lipsticks because they offer a sensory payoff similar to glossy syrups and jellies.

3️⃣ Ingredient-Led Storytelling

✔ It’s not just about putting food in beauty, it’s about telling the right story.
✔ Milk-based beauty (MAC, Fenty, Kylie) is about comfort and hydration.
✔ Fermented skincare borrows from kombucha and kimchi culture, aligning with wellness and gut health trends.

Actionable Strategies for Beauty Brands

🚀 1️⃣ Sensory Marketing Techniques