Young consumers are driving the popularity of a new wave of beauty products focused on rest, repair and routine, with sleep-first skincare leading this trend.
Gen Z consumers are looking for skincare that includes sleep-enhancing ingredients. Coined ‘sleepmaxing’ on TikTok and Instagram, this trend reveals younger consumers are investing more in overnight beauty routines designed to optimise both appearance and rest.
According to the latest Consumer Horizon Report by Vypr, 29% of 18–34-year-olds are using overnight masks and sleep-specific beauty treatments. This is 1.5 times the national average and 3.2 times more likely than over-55s.
59% of consumers of all ages associate beauty with sleep, and 10% are actively seeking beauty and wellness products to improve sleep quality. This overlap between wellness and skincare is fast becoming a high-growth category. Aromatherapy and guided relaxation elements appeal to 47% of consumers overall, and to more than half (53%) of Gen Z.
Ben Davies, founder of Vypr, said: “Younger demographics are heavily influenced by social media rituals, but this trend is more than that as our report shows that they’re also looking for real functionality from beauty products with calming ingredients, sleep-enhancing benefits and multi-tasking products.”
According to the research report, the most popular sleep and beauty crossover products are pillow sprays and sleep mists, used or recognised by 34% of consumers. These are followed by supplements to aid sleep, including collagen, melatonin and magnesium (23%). Overnight treatments and masks are sought out by almost one in five consumers (19%), and night creams with calming botanicals such as chamomile and lavender are used by 17% of respondents.
Davies added: “This is a great opportunity for retailers and brands. Packaging up products as beauty sleep kits and evening skincare ‘rituals’ would drive incremental sales and product trials across ranges – especially if they are shared on social media with sleepmaxing trend hashtags.
“We predict that this trend will gain further momentum, particularly if older consumers become less hesitant. While 61% of over-55s say they don’t use any beauty products for sleep, over half (51%) of UK consumers are open to trying sleep-enhancing beauty products, with nearly one in five (18%) ‘very likely’ to do so.”
NAM Implications:
- Packaging up products as beauty sleep kits and evening skincare ‘rituals’…
- …produces a set purchase of associated products.
- If this innovation achieves significant traction…
- …it could represent as fundamental a change as the introduction of category management.
- Along with a search for other logical groupings around new concepts…
- Food for thought?
