Moisturizers are having a moment.
According to NIQ, the category has grown 8.5 percent in year-over-year sales, and brands are innovating in the space accordingly.
Some, like ZitSticka and Mara, are entering the category for the first time, while others like Peter Thomas Roth — best known for its lifting and firming creams — are doubling down.
“[Moisturizer] is our leading category and time and time again, we’ve proven to have great success and market share in that category. Peptide Skinjection was building on the phenomenal innovation we’ve seen with new and current peptides that are more effective,” said Sarah McNamara, executive vice president and general manager of Peter Thomas Roth.
Brands like Kiehl’s and Hero Cosmetics are bringing stick-format products into the conversation for increased convenience, with industry sources projecting Kiehl’s’ Ultra Facial Barrier Balm could do $2 million to $3 million during its first year on the market.
For Hero, the launch is the first of two balms it is rolling out during the first quarter, and marks the brand’s efforts to grow past “being just a patch brand; we want to continue to grow our brand so everyone understands we have different pillars for different parts of your skin care routine,” said founder Ju Rhyu.
ZitSticka, meanwhile, is ushering in its new Barrier Boost franchise with a slugging balm, formulated as a lighter alternative to Vaseline or Aquaphor. “If you have super acneic skin, putting something sticky on your face can be a scary leap — we knew that even if our ingredients were non-comedogenic, the product feel and the rate that it absorbs into the skin were important,” said head of brand marketing, Sarah Mountcastle Mitchell.
Mara, which celebrates its sixth anniversary on the market next month, took the moment to deliver on a longtime consumer demand. “Face cream has been a top request from our community since we first launched,” said founder Allison McNamara. “It’s important to offer hydrators in different formats; for [the cream] I wanted something that would be super rich and had a performative, dewy finish.”
Though McNamara did not specify first-year sales expectations for the launch, industry sources think the launch could do up to $2 million in sales during its first year.
Hero Cosmetics Glow Balm
$19.99 at herocosmetics.com; Feb. 3 at ultabeauty.com.
True to the brand’s form, this non-comedogenic balm was formulated with acne-prone skin in mind and features linoleic acid, ceramides and vitamin C.
ZitSticka Slugging Balm
$20 at zitsticka.com.
ZitSticka’s first hydrating product capitalizes on the #Slugging trend, which counts 1.4 billion views on TikTok. The balm, which features anti-inflammatory desert date seed oil and hyaluronic acid, went through 12 iterations to achieve a light high-absorbing formula that is compatible with sensitive and acne-prone skin.
Mara SeaDream Firming Algae Créme Moisturizer
$64 at sephora.com, themarabeauty.com
Face oil darling Mara is foraying into moisturizer with the launch of SeaDream, which taps mineral-rich sea moss in addition to bioactive plant peptides, vegan stem cells, and the brand’s signature brightening algae.
Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Barrier Balm
$31 at sephora.com, ultabeauty.com, nordstrom.com, bloomingdales.com, kiehls.com.
Squalane and the brand’s signature water-retaining glacial glycoproteins give Kiehl’s’ latest its ultra-hydrating powers. “We thought, ‘how do we touch up the [skin] barrier during the day?’ No one wants to dip their fingers in a jar and apply product to their face,” said Dr. Nancy Ilaya, Kiehl’s scientific director, of the product’s stick format.
Peter Thomas Roth Peptide Skinjection Moisture Infusion Cream
$55 at Sephora and peterthomasroth.com.
Peter Thomas Roth’s leading category has a new hero: 21 peptides and neuropeptides, ranging from 10 percent Argirelox to 2 percent Matrixyl Morphomics, power Peptide Skinjection.
Matter of Fact Maximalist Age-Defying Moisturizer
$72 at Sephora and matteroffact.com.
Matter of Fact founder Paul Baek combined peptides with four different molecular weights of hyaluronic acid for a rich moisturizer easy on dry skin and hard on skin concerns, including skin texture, firmness, dark spots and wrinkles.
The Inkey List Bio-Active Ceramide Repairing and Plumping Moisturizer
$19.99 at Sephora.
In a bid for the anti-aging-obsessed Millennial and Gen Z, The Inkey List’s newest launch decreased fine lines and wrinkles four times in a 12-week clinical study.
Source: WWD