Makeup Launches, Viral Products and Colour Trends — 2026-09-10
Fall 2026 beauty trends are shifting toward "Simple+" aesthetics with a focus on "tired girl" eyes and deep berry lips, as retailers like Sephora and Ulta finalize their autumn strategies. Major retail shifts include Target launching a new specialty beauty concept to replace its Ulta partnership, while Olive Young continues to dominate Korean market rankings with its September sales event. <!-- /headline -->
Makeup Launches, Viral Products and Colour Trends — 2026-09-10
Fall 2026 beauty trends are shifting toward "Simple+" aesthetics with a focus on "tired girl" eyes and deep berry lips, as retailers like Sephora and Ulta finalize their autumn strategies. Major retail shifts include Target launching a new specialty beauty concept to replace its Ulta partnership, while Olive Young continues to dominate Korean market rankings with its September sales event.
<!-- /headline -->Sora's New Look: Fall 2026 Trends & Retail Shakeups
<!-- /headline -->Top developments
"Tired Girl" Eyes and Moody Lips Define Autumn 2026
Celebrity makeup artists and editors are converging on a specific aesthetic for the coming season: "tired girl" eyes paired with limited mascara use and deep berry lip tints. This "Simple+" theme emphasizes natural skin and sculptural lash shapes over heavy coverage, marking a departure from previous maximalist trends.
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Target Launches Specialty Beauty Concept as Ulta Partnership Ends
In a significant retail move, Target is expanding its beauty business with a new specialty-style concept featuring 90 brands, dedicated beauty advisers, and over 1,600 products. This launch coincides with the conclusion of Target’s partnership with Ulta Beauty, signaling a shift toward independent, high-touch in-store beauty experiences.
Sephora Enters TikTok Shop; Olive Young Joins Sephora
The landscape of beauty retail is consolidating through digital partnerships. Sephora has entered TikTok Shop months after Ulta did the same, while Korean retailer Olive Young has expanded its presence by entering Sephora’s marketplace. These moves highlight the increasing importance of social commerce and cross-border retail integration for color cosmetics brands.
Ulta’s "21 Days of Beauty" Sale Drives September Traffic
Ulta’s annual "21 Days of Beauty" sale (running Aug. 28–Sept. 17) is currently offering 50% off top brands including IT Cosmetics, Nioxin, MAC, and Amika. The event is a critical driver for fall product discovery and sell-through, with media outlets highlighting daily deals on award-winning products.
Local view
Japan: LIPS Highlights Neo-Texture Lips Japanese beauty platform LIPS released its monthly trend awards for September 2026, identifying "neo-textures" and "mute colors" in lip products as the key drivers for the autumn season. The report notes that lip products are currently the most active category in Japanese rankings.
Korea: Olive Young Tops Brand Reputation Index According to the Korea Corporate Reputation Research Institute, Olive Young maintained its position as the #1 brand in the cosmetics specialty store sector for September 2026, followed by Missha and Innisfree. The institute’s big data analysis reflects strong consumer engagement during the recent "Olive Young Sale."
Context & numbers
- Market Growth: Circana data indicates that blush and bronzer segments posted solid gains in both dollars and units in Q1 2026, with Europe seeing an 11% growth in blush and 23% in bronzers.
- Mass Market Sales: US mass market color cosmetics sales reached $14.7 billion, showing a slow 1.9% increase year-over-year.
- Prestige vs. Mass: In terms of unit sales, prestige beauty grew by 3%, while mass market saw a 2% uptick, indicating resilience across price points heading into the holiday season.
On the radar
- Charlotte Tilbury Mystery Box: Charlotte Tilbury is teasing a new "Mystery Box" featuring iconic beauty secrets and a sneak peek of new products, generating significant consumer interest ahead of its full reveal.
- Fenty Beauty New Arrivals: Fenty Beauty continues to roll out new arrivals, focusing on virtual try-on services and foundation shade matching to enhance online conversion rates.
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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