The most innovative companies in beauty for 2026

As technology accelerates so many aspects of life, consumers are expecting the same from their beauty products. Speed, ease, and efficacy are paramount in their minds.

IlluminateAI perfected skin-tone matching through the simple use of a phone camera. Sephora, meanwhile, refused to let external social media platforms influence what its consumers discovered, leaning instead into its internal ecosystem and an in-app storefront where homegrown beauty tastemakers create their own mini-shops to delight and inspire—and seriously move product.

P2 Science invented a natural polymer that keeps perfumes smelling exactly as their scent designers intended, for longer, increasing their value. Hair-strengthening wunderkind K18 engineered a lab-created molecule that activates through contact with heat, protecting the cortex, where permanent damage takes place.

When the European Union banned a key ingredient in gel manicures, Dazzle Dry pivoted to quick-drying, salon-quality nail polishes that last for weeks and require no professional equipment (like UV lights), so you can create the nails of your dreams at home for a few bucks. Tilt Beauty designed products for differently abled consumers, making it easy for anyone to open a tube of lipstick.

Yet value—and a sense of greater meaning—still matters to beauty consumers. So does fun.

Take Rhode, the celebrity skincare brand founded by Hailey Bieber. With a clear focus on clean products (and cheeky, sensual marketing), the company quickly grew into a juggernaut that E.l.f. Beauty acquired for $1 billion. Flamingo Estate sources all of its skincare ingredients from sustainable farms that both keeps these family businesses going concerns while delivering consumers the purest of potent products.

Cult makeup brand Merit merged fashion and beauty, while Hourglass tapped into a bygone era of IRL shopping to create a retro experience in conjunction with Barneys New York (RIP!), complete with vintage designs and quirky collabs. —Additional reporting by Yasmin Gagne

1. Rhode

For expanding the glazed-donut aesthetic into a lustrous $1 billion business

In a crowded celebrity beauty landscape, Rhode stood out in 2025 by answering a different, almost antediluvian call. While peers built brands around empowerment or self-acceptance, Hailey Bieber’s skincare line leaned into something more primal: beauty as allure. That clarity of intent paired with sharp product design and unapologetic marketing paid off.

Launched in 2022 with just three skincare essentials, Rhode quickly became synonymous with the “glazed donut” skin trend that Bieber had popularized and named—that is, skin that’s ultra-hydrated, glistening, and unmistakably healthy. Clean, low-fragrance, vegan formulas made the products usable for sensitive skin, but it was the promise of visible luminosity that hooked consumers. From viral lip balms (that could be embedded in proprietary phone cases) to a creamy butter that enhanced the skin barrier, Rhode expanded carefully, then confidently. New launches in 2025, such as the peptide lip tint in Lemontini and a dewy glazing mist, pushed the brand’s playful sensuality further.

Meanwhile, cheeky, suggestive campaigns cut through the glossy pink girlishness that has defined the space for years. The one for Rhode’s glazing mist featured a male actor—Babygirl star Harris Dickinson—not as the user of the product but as the male gaze personified. Rhode doubled its consumer base in 2025, hit $212 million in net sales, sold more than 112,000 units on TikTok Shop, and expanded into seven new markets.

All of this momentum prompted E.l.f. Beauty to acquire the brand in July 2025 for $1 billion, with Bieber remaining on as chief creative officer and head of innovation. When Rhode launched at Sephora last fall, it sold three products per second, marking Sephora North America’s biggest brand debut ever, with $10 million in opening-weekend sales. Bieber is one of the rare celebrities who turned a glow-up into a billion-dollar exit.

Read more about Rhode, No. 35 on Fast Company’s list of the World’s 50 Most Innovative Companies of 2026.

2. P2 Science

For creating a petrochemical alternative that makes scents last longer

Why do great fragrances fade fast, or change their scent as the day wears on? P2 Science is solving that problem with Citropol F, a next-generation fragrance enhancer that helps perfumes last longer while staying true to their original notes. The liquid polymer works by lowering the vapor pressure of fragrance molecules, which means they evaporate more slowly. The result is a longer-lasting, more consistent fragrance on the skin.

But that’s not all that makes Citropol F innovative. The Connecticut-based scientists at P2 have derived the polymer from 100% natural, inherently biodegradable, upcycled terpenes—basically a by-product of the paper industry. By using a patented process, P2 Science manufactures Citropol F with terpenes sourced from sustainably managed U.S. forests, thus reducing environmental impact while strengthening supply chain resilience. And as the company grows, it plans to replicate this local sourcing and manufacturing model globally.

Citropol F is now used in haircare, skincare, deodorants, and fine fragrance, including products in Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez’s fragrance portfolio. In 2025 alone, more than 50 new consumer products that incorporated Citropol F launched worldwide, and average order sizes have tripled year over year. As a result, Citropol F sales jumped 250% from 2024 to 2025.

3. K18

For defending hair from heat, from the cortex out

K18 built its reputation by fixing hair damage at the molecular level. Now it’s taking on heat. The biotech-powered haircare brand, launched in 2020 and acquired in 2024 by Unilever, recently introduced HeatBounce, a weightless heat protectant that signals its biggest innovation since the cult-favorite Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask, launched in 2020. This time, the breakthrough isn’t a peptide. It’s a brand-new lab-created molecule.

At the heart of HeatBounce is patented technology it calls ResiliCore, inspired by proteins found in nature that can bend without breaking under extreme conditions. Unlike traditional heat protectants that coat the surface, ResiliCore is engineered to penetrate the hair cortex, the location where heat damage actually occurs. In clinical testing, HeatBounce protected hair from temperatures up to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and reduced breakage by 85% during blow-drying.
The formula transforms from a lightweight cream into a fine mist, delivering conditioning without weight and defense not just against heat but also mechanical stress and UV damage that can lead to color fade and dryness. It’s designed to be applied to damp or dry hair before any hot tool usage, making it an easy addition to everyday routines.

HeatBounce launched globally in August 2025, with 1,800 users on its waitlist. After shipping 620,000 units in 2025, it has already risen to the top spot for leave-in conditioners at Sephora in the U.S., U.K., and EU

4. Sephora

For giving influencers a shoppable storefront

For Sephora, 2025 wasn’t about launching another product—it was about reshaping how beauty is discovered, trusted, and bought. With the debut of My Sephora Storefront, the retailer introduced a creator-powered affiliate platform fully integrated into Sephora.com and the Sephora app that allows influencers to build shoppable digital storefronts without ever sending consumers to another site. Built with creator-commerce partner Motom, the platform marks a major evolution in Sephora’s U.S. social and creator strategy. To date, there are more than 2,000 active storefronts on the platform.

My Sephora Storefront lets creators “build” customizable storefronts that offer access to Sephora’s full assortment of product plus its Beauty Insider loyalty program and the company’s performance analytics. For consumers—especially younger shoppers in search of trusted recommendations—these storefronts deliver a seamless path from inspo to checkout.

The launch expands on Sephora’s broader creator infrastructure, like the Sephora Squad, which was launched in 2019 and now includes more than 250 creators, with over 15,000 applications submitted in the last year alone. Complementing that is the Sephora Derm Board, promoting board-certified dermatologists who give unbiased skincare guidance, as well as the Artist List, a network of celebrity and influencer hair and makeup artists who are featured across educational and behind-the-scenes social content, campaigns, and events.

Rather than relying on a single influencer model, Sephora has built a layered creator ecosystem that addresses the gaps in how consumers discover products.

5. Tilt Beauty

For creating ergonomic packaging to make beauty products more accessible

Tilt Beauty is changing what beauty feels like by embedding accessibility into every aspect of its products. Founded in February 2025 by Aerin Glazer, who lives with juvenile psoriatic arthritis, which can cause joint inflammation and autoimmune disease, Tilt tackles real barriers: makeup that’s hard to open, grip, or apply. In its first year, Tilt launched four patented, ergonomic, refillable makeup products that earned the Arthritis Foundation Ease of Use certification, a designation previously reserved for everyday tools like pens and pill bottles and medical devices.
For Glazer, every detail matters—from grippy components to Braille labeling for blind and low-vision users to easy-to-pull tabs for one-handed unboxing. She’s dedicated to making Tilt truly accessible for all. Formulas are vegan, cruelty-free, and recognized for sensitive skin by the National Psoriasis Foundation, expanding beauty options for people often overlooked by the industry.
Tilt’s innovations have earned design accolades and honors from inclusivity advocates. The year-old brand sells around 2,000 units of its Lashscape Lengthening Lifting Mascara monthly and has inked a deal to distribute its products at New York’s Happier Grocer in 2026. Tilt is proving that accessibility isn’t just ethical, it’s a competitive advantage.

6. Dazzle Dry

For giving customers a nontoxic alternative to gel manicures

In September 2025, the European Union banned trimethylbenzoyl diphenylphosphine oxide, a key ingredient in gel manicures. Dazzle Dry’s four-step nail polish system, which gives customers a long-lasting nontoxic alternative to gel manicures and requires no UV light, all of a sudden became dramatically more in demand. The company, which sells at-home treatments as well as polishes for salons and spas, quickly seized the moment, marketing itself to businesses and consumers via social media in Europe with its nontoxic bona fides. In its social media campaigns, Dazzle Dry emphasized its affordability, quick drying time, and clean credentials. It also released trend-forward collections, such as its jelly lacquer line, in record time. The company’s TikTok-affiliate programming alone helped drive a 30% increase in sales in a three-month span in the second half of the year, and overall, its efforts led to unprecedented growth for the 17-year-old company. Its in-salon and at-home presence grew by 91% in the past year alone. Dazzle Dry completes nail routines fast. It responds to market forces just as quickly.

7. Hourglass

For drawing on the past to celebrate the company’s future

From September 5 to October 11, 2024, cosmetics company Hourglass brought legendary fashion emporium Barneys back to life on Prince Street in New York’s SoHo neighborhood to celebrate the brand’s 20th anniversary. To re-create the spirit of Barneys—the first retailer to carry Hourglass at launch—the brand collaborated with longtime Barneys partners including former creative director Simon Doonan and former fashion director Julie Gilhart. Together, they curated a selection of more than 50 designers and brands that revived the festive retail atmosphere loved by so many, blending nostalgia with new energy.

Displays recalled the department store’s idiosyncratic sensibility and slogan, “Taste, Luxury, Humor.” A giant poodle sculpture was created out of Hourglass products and packaging, and one of the dressing rooms was disguised as a port-a-potty that included whimsical visual, sound, and lighting effects. The pop-up featured other designers that, like Hourglass, also got their start at the ersatz retailer, as well as those that might be sold in the Barneys of today, from Altuzarra and Proenza Schouler to Thom Browne.

Hourglass created a limited-edition collection for the event, including an Ambient Lighting Palette and the Unlocked Lipstick Duo, with custom packaging and wrapping designed by Na Kim, the illustrator of the original Barneys collectible book. The Barneys initiative sold out in one week, with 50,000 buyers added to a waitlist. It also added to the 50% growth in overall sales Hourglass recorded in 2024, along with a 63% hike in new customer acquisition and a 42% growth in Instagram followers.

8. Flamingo Estate

For creating a skincare line from regenerative-farm-sourced ingredients

Flamingo Estate makes products with ingredients sourced directly from regenerative farms to ensure that workers are compensated fairly and ingredients can be traced transparently. The company has recently expanded into skincare with the launch of its Manuka Honey Rich Cream, made with ingredients sourced from Uruguay, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, and Australia. When choosing the suppliers it works with, Flamingo Estate takes into account farming practices including cover cropping and crop rotation, compost and biochar to improve soil health, and farming practices that protect microbial life and critical pollinators.

The company, which also makes soaps, candles, and pantry items from food-grade ingredients, also became a 360-degree lifestyle brand via a partnership with hotel chain J. W. Marriott that began in May 2024. The expansion line includes a specially created herb-infused honey, a custom scent for hotel common areas, and a curated playlist. As a result of its partnerships and product launches, the company surpassed $30 million in revenue in 2025 and is forecast to reach $50 million in 2026.

9. IlluminateAI

For providing in-store consumers with a high-tech shade-matching system

IlluminateAI enables AI to see the physical world accurately. It uses a breakthrough software approach to scan images in order to accurately measure a consumer’s skin tone, undertone, and skin condition (like acne), all through a regular phone camera, for the first time. While other companies offer shade matching—such as Sephora, with its Color iQ—IlluminateAI is the first to provide accurate data from a smartphone, based on highly trained AI algorithms.

In 2025, the company’s ultraprecise technology gained traction when E.l.f. Beauty used it to help customers find the right makeup shade when shopping online. As a result, customers using the shade-matching tool to find the right shade of Skin Tint were three times more likely to make a purchase online. E.l.f. Beauty also added a QR code to the package that consumers can scan to find their correct shade while shopping in-store. In the first month following the launch of the product, downloads of the E.l.f app rose by more than 30%. IlluminateAI also works with brands like Clarins, which launched in-store across seven countries in February, to deliver the data that recommends the best shade selections for clients, resulting in a boost of users converting to buyers in prelaunch pilots.

Now, it seems, the luxury of personalization is accessible to everyone, everywhere. All you need is a smartphone.

10. Merit Beauty

For creating a two-way fashion and beauty collaboration

The independent cult brand Merit made an unusual move last summer for a beauty label not owned by a fashion brand: It partnered with a fashion designer. It wasn’t the company’s first such endeavor (Merit has created versions of its viral Signature Bags designed by Proenza Schouler and Tove), but this one, with acclaimed American brand Brandon Maxwell, was a double-sided collaboration—meaning, a limited-edition Lip Blush shade named “Maxwell” and a reimagined version of Merit’s collectible bag by the designer. The two-product partnership erased the barrier between fashion below the neck and above.

Maxwell began working with Merit for his runway shows back in 2023; both brands are built on thoughtfully edited, modern essentials. The designers’ mutual fandom resonated with consumers. More than 30,000 people joined the product waitlist in five days, Merit’s largest early audience of 2025. The beauty company sold through all 10,000 units of the Maxwell Lip Blush, with this product seeing a 30% higher conversion rate than its average for other SKUs. Thanks in part to a rare 50-50 sales split between DTC and Sephora, Merit hit $200 million in retail revenue sales in 2025. By bringing fashion-world credibility into everyday beauty, Merit showed how a tightly curated brand can punch far above its category.

Explore the full 2026 list of Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies, 720 honorees that are reshaping industries and culture. We’ve selected the companies making the biggest impact across 59 categories, including advertising, applied AI, biotech, retail, sustainability, and more.