What a year! We saw a lot of weird trends in 2025 — like the persistence of practically unusable micro bags and “salmon sperm” skincare — but some of the craziest were also some of the best (lookin’ at you, Labubu). There was a lot of nostalgia in 2025’s biggest shopping trends, and viral products often leaned toward comfort and simplicity, especially when it came to beauty, skincare and fashion. Perhaps it was a sign of the times, with many seeking affordable, practical purchases over the more spendy and trendy. But whatever the cause, we’ve rounded up a retail retrospective of some of the biggest trends we saw this year, from fashion to food to the stuff we bought just for fun.
Biggest Fashion Trends in 2025: Y2K is Still the Bomb Dot Com
Gen Z, in particular, was kicking it old school in 2025 with even more Y2K-inspired styles than in years past. The resurgence has been swift and far-reaching — some millennials might even say pervasive) — with accessories like anklets and slouchy tote bags returning to the mainstream. Playful polka dots were everywhere (even on nails, thanks to Sabrina Carpenter’s “Manchild” music video) and the bright-but-approachable butter yellow was the color of the year.
Y2K-era wide-leg pants remained en vogue in every color and fabric imaginable, while the inspired-yet-fresh barrel jeans made their divisive debut this year. On the flip side, easy-wearing sweat sets inspired by — but far more modern than — Y2K’s velour track suits got the stylish stamp of approval from everyone, especially elevated styles with tailored details.
The year also brought us many interesting combinations when it came to footwear, including the girly-yet-sporty ballerina sneakers and Mary Jane, well, everything. The latter is yet another Y2K-inspired style rearing its retro head in 2025, and you could argue the ballerina sneaker is just Mary Jane’s daintier cousin. The style could be found in combination with every other type of shoe, from metallic Mary Jane sneakers to Mary Jane Uggs.
Even wired earphones got a reboot! (I totally get it — you can bury me with mine because I’m never giving them up.) It’s part nostalgia and part practicality as they offer better quality and affordability. Plus, there’s no need for charging and they’re a lot harder to lose, especially during a sweaty run. Oh, and they can’t be tapped, as Kamala Harris famously pointed out this year.
Biggest Beauty Trends in 2025: Clean Girl Out, Low-Maintenance In
Coming on the heels of the fading “clean girl” aesthetic, 2025 saw the pendulum swing toward edgier looks and the “messy cool girl” aesthetic by the time summer rolled around. Ultimately, the collective settled somewhere in the middle: favoring easy-wear products that pull off the “realness” that the oddly overcomplicated Clean Girl was trying to achieve, while allowing for more personality, color and fun. Simple, low-maintenance beauty finds like lip stains and easy-blend blushes went viral, suggesting a desire for “set it and forget it” makeup routines that would look fresh and put-together all day long.
Blush trends ranged from watercolor- to Marie Antoinette-inspired, with the latter basically being a bolder version of the former. Both styles prioritized well-blended, rosy cheeks to mimic a more natural, flirty flush with products like Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Liquid Blush and Victoria Beckham’s Color Wash Liquid Blush helping to achieve the looks. And whether it was a subtle liner under lip balm or a bold lip that didn’t need to be reapplied all day, Sacheu’s Peel Off Lip Liner STAY-N was a big hit, as was Huda Beauty’s Lip Contour Lip Stain.
While there were lots of variations in the results, easy-wear products were the through line that made individuality in beauty both uncomplicated and accessible in 2025.
Biggest Skincare Trends in 2025: Simple Routines Reign Supreme
The Clean Girl may be on her way out, but she did teach us one lasting lesson: a proper skincare routine is essential for everyone. And just like the year’s beauty trends, simplicity and ease were the focus in 2025.
Skincare connoisseurs were inspired to put some odd yet seemingly effective substances on their faces this year, like snail mucin and salmon sperm. (Yup, the key ingredient in the buzzy K-beauty medicube PDRN Pink Peptide Serum is purified DNA extracted from salmon sperm!) But the biggest, most approachable skincare trends split the difference between simple ingredients and high-tech at-home innovations — and we expect these to jump from trend to perpetual staple going forward.
LED face masks, like the Shark CryoGlow LED Face Mask, caused a lot of buzz this year, offering infrared light therapy for anti-aging and blemish repair (plus some under-eye cooling which sounds pretty heavenly). The futuristic-looking device brings luxe, medspa-inspired skincare to the comfort of your own home — as long as you have a few hundred extra dollars lying around.
If you don’t have that to spend, however, there was a lot of simple, effective and budget-friendly skincare to add to your routine this year, too. Hyaluronic, glycolic, salicylic, mandelic — so many skincare acids have had their moment in the spotlight over the years, but 2025 was azelaic acid’s time to shine. It’s great for treating mild acne, rosacea, clogged pores, inflammation and dark spots. Plus, it’s gentle for all skin types and easily layerable with your other skincare. The Ordinary’s 10% Azelaic Acid is a budget-friendly place to start, while Paula’s Choice BOOST 10% Azelaic Acid Booster Cream is a viral favorite — especially if you’re more acne-prone, thanks to added salicylic acid.
Biggest Food Trends in 2025: The Nutrition Power Couple
The year began with the “protein-ification” of all types of food as everyone sought to add more of the essential macronutrient to their diets. Going way beyond shakes and bars, there was protein popcorn (care of Khloé Kardashian), protein cereals, fruity protein drinks and much more coming down the pipeline. Starbucks has even added protein lattes and cold foam drinks to its menu.
But as experts warned that fiber is actually a more important nutrient to boost for optimal gut health, the trend spun towards “fibermaxxing” instead. The rise in prebiotic fiber-packed drinks like Olipop and Poppi inspired “big soda” to add the nutrient to their products as well. Coca-Cola launched Simply Pop this year and Pepsi is slowly rolling out their own Prebiotic Cola after acquiring Poppi this past spring.
As the revolving fads take things to the “maxx,” it seems we’re slowly settling towards a more moderate approach. As a result, protein and fiber have become the year’s biggest power couple, and it looks like their relationship will hold strong for many years to come as the food space evolves.
Biggest Home Trends in 2025: Cozy, Comforting and Colorful
Moving away from sterile white and gray palettes, 2025 saw people embracing cozy, lived-in spaces. Decor trends like color drenching (one paint color for walls, ceiling and trim) and curved, organic shapes for sofas and tables had a big moment, as did biophilic design which incorporates plants and natural materials. But the strongest decor influence has been the embrace of “intentional clutter” — a reined-in variation of the maximalism trend of the past few years.
The goal is a cozy home aesthetic that feels warm and inviting, primarily by surrounding yourself with decor and other things that make you happy — not necessarily what’s popular. For many in the Gen Z and millennial age groups, this manifested in collecting things to display, like Labubu and Jellycat, and spending more time at home with cozy hobbies like watercolor painting, cozy gaming and fiber arts like crochet and embroidery. The result is an interior decor trend that’s less about the space itself and more about who lives in the space and how they live in the space. It’s entirely unique for everyone, favoring bookshelves drenched in personal nostalgia rather than mass-marketed table decor that holds little to no meaning.
Are some of the purchases still a little “trendy” and influenced by content creators? Sure. But ultimately, people are choosing items that allow their spaces to tell a story, rather than allowing trends to create the story of their life for them.
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