The Next Chapter of Makeup

The clean girl aesthetic had a good run. Minimal makeup, neutral tones, and polished simplicity dominated beauty culture for years, and for a while, it worked. It felt calming, controlled, and aspirational in a moment when people were craving order.

But that moment seems to be passing.

A recent article from Cosmetics Business points to a noticeable shift heading into 2026: interest in the clean girl aesthetic is declining, while colorful, expressive makeup is gaining momentum again. Engagement peaked in 2023 and has since tapered, alongside stagnation in broader clean beauty search and in social growth.

Culturally, this checks out.

There’s a growing appetite for individuality and play, and beauty has always been a space where those shifts first show up. Colour, texture, and visible makeup feel less like rebellion and more like permission, permission to move away from restraint, perfection, and sameness.

It’s hard not to think back to the 2016 King Kylie era, when makeup was unapologetic and expressive. Makeup was meant to be clearly seen.

As I write this, I’m excited, not because I’m personally abandoning the clean look, but because I love seeing beauty become playful again. Day to day, I’m still very much a clean girl. Simple, minimal, easy. If I have a major event, I’ll lean into something more elevated, but for everyday life, less still works for me.

That said, I enjoy seeing more bold, expressive makeup on others. It feels less about following a formula and more about personal choice and creativity.

As we head further into 2026, I’m excited to see how this shift shows up in trends, in campaigns, and in how people choose to express themselves again through makeup.

How do you feel about this shift?!

- Dania Khalife