Beauty has got a brand-new fruit trend obsession this year and it is one that wasn’t on anyone’s 2025 bingo card – the humble banana.
The yellow fruit has been at the heart of a wave of cosmetic and fragrance launches this year, with luxury and niche players from Prada Beauty to L’Oréal-backed Borntostandout putting bananas boldly front and centre in terms of both scent and aesthetic.
Glossier has even just teased a new item in this remit, stating in a caption on Instagram that it is “ripening in the G lab” under a picture of a tapped down banana with the brand’s logo.
Global searches for ‘banana perfume’ have also soared 37% in the past month, according to data from Google Trends, but why are bananas ripe for the picking (pardon the pun) now?
Especially given the fact that the fruit has been a mainstay in cosmetic offerings for years, from The Body Shop’s cult classic Banana Truly Nourishing Shampoo to Ole Henriksen’s best-selling Banana Bright + Instant Glow Moisturizer.
The answer is a re-thinking and elevation of use, alongside social media trends, which have reimagined bananas as something much more modern and exciting.
For luxury brands, this is less about bananas as a fruit, and more about bananas as a code for emotional sensoriality, softness
“Last year, we predicted that mouth-watering tropical fruits, especially bananas, would start exciting in fragrance and this has been confirmed by a spate of intriguing new launches,” says Lisa Payne, Head of Beauty at analyst Stylus.
“Outside of fragrance, we see banana yellow and its flavour popping up in colour cosmetics, hair care and skin care, too.
“While banana’s aesthetics and flavour codes scream summer, the uptake of the ingredient across beauty aligns with a wider trend we are watching whereby fruits, pastries and other foodie delights are being used in beauty marketing to better communicate sensorial textures, colours and flavours.”
Bananas rise to the top also comes as a palette cleanser to the more ‘fresh and clean’ food-led aesthetics of late, offering a trend that is more creamy and gourmand.
“‘Strawberry girl’ and ‘cherry beauty’ are both feminine aesthetics driven by a specific look,” explains Julia Challes, founder and Director of The Magic Formula, a consulting business that specialises in branding, innovation and new product development.
“Strawberry is all about that ‘clean’, summery, fresh-faced vibe; while cherry is more sultry and glam, with glossy reds and a slightly retro feel.
“In contrast, the banana trend is more unisex.
“It is less cute [and] more
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