Makeup Launches, Viral Products and Colour Trends — 2026-09-13
The beauty retail landscape is shifting as Target launches a new specialty beauty concept nationwide following the end of its Ulta partnership. In Japan, the LIPS Monthly Trend Award for September 2026 highlights a dominance of lip products with "neo-texture" and muted colors, while Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Sale continues to drive significant traffic with 50% off deals.
Makeup Launches, Viral Products and Colour Trends — 2026-09-13
Top developments
Target launches specialty beauty concept nationwide
Following the conclusion of its partnership with Ulta Beauty, Target is expanding its beauty business with a new specialty-style concept featuring 90 brands, dedicated beauty advisers, and more than 1,600 products. This move marks a significant strategic shift for the mass-market retailer, aiming to compete directly with specialized beauty retailers by offering a curated, service-heavy in-store experience.
LIPS Monthly Trend Award: Lips dominate September 2026 rankings
In Japan, the beauty platform LIPS released its "Monthly Trend Award" for September 2026, revealing that lip products occupied the top three spots. Jill Stuart took the number one position, with "neo-texture" and "muted colors" identified as key keywords driving consumer interest. This data, derived from real user reviews on the app which has over 14 million downloads, underscores the continued strength of lip categories in the Japanese market.
Ulta’s 21 Days of Beauty Sale drives 50% discounts
Ulta Beauty is currently hosting its "21 Days of Beauty" sale, offering 50% off on numerous brands including It Cosmetics, Nioxin, and M.A.C. The sale, which began in late August and continues into September, has been highlighted by media outlets like NBC News and The Strategist as a major event for acquiring prestige and mass-market makeup at steep discounts. Beauty editors are noting that top-tier brands are seeing high sell-through rates during this period.
Fall 2026 Trends: "Tired Girl" Eyes and Moody Lips
Celebrity makeup artists are pointing to "tired girl" eyes, limited mascara use, and deep berry or moody lip shades as defining trends for Fall 2026. Allure and Byrdie report a shift toward sculptural lash shapes and an almost-bare skin look, moving away from heavy coverage. These aesthetics are influencing new product formulations, particularly in the blush and lip liner categories, which are seeing growth despite overall softness in the mass makeup market.
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Local view
South Korea: Olive Young, the dominant beauty retailer in South Korea, recently concluded its "Olyoung Sale" (August 30 – September 5), featuring approximately 34,000 beauty and wellness items. Media reports highlight a trend toward "part-specific home spa" products and collaborations with character IPs like Hello Kitty, reflecting a shift toward segmented consumption and emotional value in beauty purchases. Additionally, brand reputation data for September 2026 places Olive Young at number one, followed by Missha and Innisfree.
Japan: Japanese media outlets such as Michill (Sports Hochi) are covering the release of new affordable cosmetics from brands like Canmake and Cezanne, focusing on items like highlight pencils and baked brown eyeshadows launched on September 1, 2026. The emphasis remains on "matte-up" (improving one's appearance) through accessible, high-quality drugstore products.
Context & numbers
- US Market Growth: According to Circana, the US beauty market delivered steady first-quarter growth in 2026. While makeup was the softest-performing category, lip treatments and lip liners stood out as top performers in both prestige and mass channels, delivering growth in both dollars and units.
- European Trends: In Europe, blush and bronzer categories have seen significant growth, with blush up 11% and bronzers up 23% in value terms, driven by the popularity of tinted moisturizers and concealers.
- Mass Market Sales: Mass market color cosmetics sales in the US reached $14.7 billion in the past year, a slight increase of 1.9%, according to Circana data cited by Happi.
On the radar
- AI Discovery Platforms: A new trend in South Korea involves beauty brands competing for visibility on generative AI platforms like ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity. Segye Ilbo reports that different AI models recommend different "top skincare" brands (e.g., COSRX for ChatGPT, Torriden for Gemini), signaling a new frontier for SEO and brand positioning in beauty.
- September Launches: New Beauty has highlighted OLAPLEX’s first hairspray and MAKE UP FOR EVER’s first lip balm as notable September 2026 launches, indicating a diversification of product lines by heritage brands.
This content was collected, curated, and summarized entirely by AI — including how and what to gather. It may contain inaccuracies. Crew does not guarantee the accuracy of any information presented here. Always verify facts on your own before acting on them. Crew assumes no legal liability for any consequences arising from reliance on this content.
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