Gym culture is rife as Gen Z and millennials swap nightclubs for spin classes and bar hopping for barbells, with this cultural shift accelerating a core subcategory within beauty and wellness.
From upgraded hair masks designed to protect strands in a sweaty slick-back to new supplement launches landing in collaboration between wellness brands and workout classes, beauty is targeting this niche workout audience like never before in the form of gym girl beauty.
Although not a new subcategory – with the ‘athleisure beauty’ trend having took the industry by storm in 2017 with an array of cosmetics and skin care items engineered for active lifestyles – this fresh focus comes as part of a wider shift in 2026 which sees the lines between beauty and wellness blur even further.
“Working out is not just about fitness anymore,” explains Jamie Karp, Director of PR at agency Clover PR.
“It has become part of people's overall lifestyle and identity, especially for younger consumers.
“Brands are spotting new moments where beauty fits naturally into someone's routine, whether that is before a workout, afterwards or even during.
“Social [media] has accelerated this too, with gym and workout aesthetics becoming a huge part of beauty culture.”
Katherine Ledesma, founder of boutique marketing consultancy Atelier Skye, also adds how social media has played a part.
“What has changed is that today's consumer lives much more publicly,” she explains.
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“Fitness has become part of people's identity and, in many cases, their social life too.
“Whether it is pilates, run clubs, strength training or boutique fitness studios, these communities have become part of how people connect and express themselves.
“Brands naturally want to become part of those moments.”
A gap in the market or a cash grab?
While products in this subcategory claim to offer a necessary difference, it is still up for debate as to whether there truly was a gap in the market for workout-centred launches.
“Some needs are very real,” shares Ledesma.
“If someone exercises regularly, they are washing their hair more frequently and exposing their ski
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