Chicago, USA — March 4th 2026 — Revieve, a leader in AI-powered beauty and wellness technology, today released the Beauty & Wellness Index 2025, a global analysis based on millions of AI-powered consumer interactions across skincare and makeup, spanning leading direct-to-consumer brands and multi-brand retailers worldwide.
The report confirms a decisive shift in beauty commerce: guided diagnostics are no longer a feature — they are the foundation of how beauty is discovered, evaluated, and purchased in 2025. Drawing on real behavioural data from selfie-based diagnostics, virtual try-on, and guided recommendation journeys, the Index benchmarks how personalisation, engagement depth, and intent qualification are reshaping performance across the beauty funnel.
“What we’re seeing in the data is a fundamental change in how consumers expect to engage with beauty,” said Sampo Parkkinen, CEO of Revieve.
“In 2025, discovery starts with understanding — not browsing. Guided diagnostics have become the entry point to relevance, trust, and ultimately conversion.”
Guided Diagnostics Now Define Beauty Discovery
The data shows that guided experiences — including selfie-based skin analysis, quizzes, and virtual try-on — have become the dominant starting point for beauty journeys. Consumers increasingly seek diagnostics that translate personal needs into meaningful product recommendations, rather than navigating product catalogs alone.
- 60–75% of consumers now begin their beauty journey through a guided experience rather than category browsing
- Guided flows deliver 2–3× higher completion rates than non-guided paths
- Sessions with diagnostics show 40–80% longer engagement time, particularly in skincare
Across skincare and makeup, guided journeys consistently outperform non-guided flows, delivering higher completion rates, stronger purchase intent, and better-qualified traffic.
Consumer Profile: Skin Intelligence Takes Center Stage
Beauty engagement remains predominantly female (70%), with strongest participation among users aged 18–34, though meaningful engagement spans all adult age groups.
Top skin concerns remain consistent across brands and retailers:
- Visible pores
- Dull or tired-looking skin
- Acne and blemishes
- Redness and sensitivity
- Dark circles and early ageing
More than 65% of users present with three or more concurrent concerns, reinforcing the shift toward routine-based guidance over single hero-product shopping. Notably, nearly one in four users still does not know their skin type, positioning diagnostics as a critical education layer.
“This level of uncertainty around basic skin knowledge highlights why diagnostics matter,” said Irina Mazur, Chief Commercial and Marketing Officer at Revieve.
“They don’t just drive performance, they empower consumers with confidence and clarity.”
Skincare Performance: Brands and Retailers Win Differently
In skincare, brands and retailers both benefit from guided diagnostics — but in different ways:
- Brands achieve higher conversion efficiency through focused concern paths and faster product selection
- Retailers drive deeper exploration, with stronger routine and bundle adoption
“This divergence is critical for beauty leaders to understand,” said Mazur. “Conversion rate alone no longer tells the full story. Engagement quality and intent signalling are now just as important.”
Makeup in 2025: Try, Compare, Then Commit
Makeup discovery in 2025 is driven by exploration and experimentation, with over 80% of guided journeys beginning with photo-based virtual try-on. Products that are tried on are 2× more likely to be added to cart, and virtual try-on increases evaluation time by 40%, reinforcing confidence rather than rushing conversion.
Consumers test an average of 5–7 shades or looks per session, with top-performing lip and complexion products accounting for 60% of all try-on activity, highlighting the importance of a focused core assortment.
Across beauty and wellness, guided diagnostics, mobile-first experiences, concern-led personalisation, and routine-based journeys have emerged as the strongest drivers of both engagement and performance. Brands are winning by optimising their most relevant products and shortening decision cycles, while retailers succeed by enabling exploration, promoting routines and bundles, and delaying hard conversion until consumer intent is clearly established.
Bonus Insight: Holiday Season Performance 2025
The 2025 holiday season demonstrated that guided diagnostics have become peak-season infrastructure, not just conversion tools. Selfie-based diagnostic interactions increased by 9% year over year, while completion rates remained stable at 74% despite significant traffic surges. Shoppers engaging with guided experiences converted at 1.6–1.9× higher rates and generated higher average order value. During the most competitive retail moments, diagnostics helped brands protect premium positioning and enabled retailers to structure browsing-heavy demand at scale.
What’s Next: Monthly Beauty & Wellness Index in 2026
Building on the annual Index, Revieve will release a monthly Beauty & Wellness Index throughout 2026, providing ongoing visibility into evolving consumer behaviour, performance benchmarks, and emerging trends.
In 2025, beauty conversion is no longer linear. Guided journeys now deliver the strongest performance across the entire funnel — with brands winning on efficiency, retailers winning on exploration, and both succeeding when diagnostics lead the journey. Guided experiences are no longer a differentiator; they are the foundation of modern beauty commerce.
