Body Care Beyond Basic Moisturizing: What Beauty Buyers Should Stock Next
Created on Today
Body care is no longer the quiet corner of the skincare aisle. In 2026 shoppers are bringing facial skincare habits to the body, asking for serums, actives and concern-specific formulas, and brands are responding with a wave of launches.
Key takeaways
Demand is rising fast at the premium end. Circana reports US prestige body care sales up 16% in the first half of 2026, and European prestige body care up 11% in the year to September 2026.
Serums and firming products lead the new demand. Body serums grew 16% in Europe and 27% in the UK, and US searches for “body firming cream” rose 45%.
Brands with skincare credibility are winning. Beiersdorf’s Derma business (Eucerin and Aquaphor) grew 10.6% in Q3, helped by Aquaphor’s expansion into body care.
Launches are surging, so range discipline matters. Circana counts 62% more body care launches than last year.
The Numbers At A Glance
Source | What it reports | Period |
Circana, US prestige | Body care sales +16%, led by body cleansers, body lotions and deodorants; sun care +19% | H1 2026 |
Circana, Europe prestige | Body care +11% in value to €523 million, units +8% | Year to Sept 2026 |
Circana, Europe | Body serums +16% in Europe, +27% in the UK; body care launches +62% | 2026 |
Spate, US searches | “Body firming cream” +45%, “firming body lotion” +31% | Year to Aug 2026 |
Beiersdorf | Derma (Eucerin, Aquaphor) +10.6% organic; Aquaphor body care launch “strong start” in North America | Q3 2026 |
Unilever | Dove and Vaseline, both body care brands, grew double digits, led by volume | Q3 2026 |
The periods and regions differ, so we read these as signals and not as one data set.
Why Body Care Is Changing
Via @Cosmetics Business
Shoppers who have learned the language of facial skincare now expect the same from body products. Boots' international retail partnerships lead says the interest in ingredients such as acids, peptides and barrier-supporting actives is extending beyond the face, and Circana's European beauty director says body care has become an extension of beauty and wellness routines, combining efficacy, sensory pleasure and self-care. In the past, shoppers kept their premium spending for facial care and fragrance, and body care was a functional purchase.
Makeup & Fragrance Brands Expand Into Body Care
Brands have noticed. New entrants in 2026 include Kayali, which built on its scent-layering approach, NYX Professional Makeup, which entered body care for the first time with its Fat Oil Body Collection, and e.l.f. Cosmetics, which launched e.l.f. POP. Dewsy, a new US brand, was founded on the idea that facial skincare had advanced while the body had been left behind, and sells face-grade actives at accessible prices.
Five Trends Buyers Should Know
2026 BAZAAR BEAUTY ICON
Trend | Evidence | Means For the Shelf |
Body serums & treatment formats | Body serums +16% in Europe, +27% in the UK; Vaseline's Gluta Hya Smoothing Serum Burst Lotion performed strongly for Unilever | Add a serum or serum-style lotion as a step above basic lotion |
Firming & contouring | Spate: "body firming cream" +45%, "firming body lotion" +31% (US); interest linked partly to concern about skin quality during rapid weight loss | Stock firming creams and oils from brands with a credible ingredient story |
Body glow | Glow has moved below the chin; the focus is hydrated, healthy-looking skin and not shimmer | Hydrating oils and milks with a visible finish |
Body milks | Lightweight, fluid formats positioned as a daily indulgence | A light-texture option for warm markets and layering |
Vitamin C & brightening | Brightening is a growing treatment benefit in body care | One brightening line alongside hydration |
The trend sources are Circana, Spate and Cosmetics Business's 2026 body care trend report.
What Ulta's Body Care Edits Show
Ulta Beauty Body Care Guides
The breadth of Ulta Beauty's body care edits offers a useful window into how the category is evolving at retail.
- Skincare-grade actives in the body aisle.
Its body wash edit includes washes with salicylic, mandelic and glycolic acids and vitamin C, with Naturium prominent in these groups.
- Brands named across the edits.
They include Naturium, Saltair, iota (including a body serum), Sol de Janeiro, FENTY SKIN body, First Aid Beauty, Peach & Lily, Clinique and The Ordinary, as well as Bath & Body Works for scent-led products.
- Perfumed body care has its own group.
Ulta separates long-lasting scented body washes, including Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Play, from skin-health washes.
A third-party roundup of Ulta best-sellers by Rank & Style names Sol de Janeiro’s Brazilian Bum Bum firming body cream, method body wash and MAËLYS’s Get-Dreamy Overnight Toning Body Whip.
Who Is Winning, By Business Model
Company | Body Care Signal |
Beiersdorf | Derma +10.6% in Q3 with Aquaphor’s expansion into body care; NIVEA fell 4.9% as trade destocking and tensions weighed, although its sell-out kept growing globally |
Unilever | Dove and Vaseline both grew double digits in Q3; Dove’s Body + Mind Serum Body Wash made £2 million in UK sales after launch and ranks among the top ten health and beauty launches of the year, per Worldpanel by Numerator |
Coty | Growth in mass body care partly offset declines elsewhere in Consumer Beauty in its fiscal first quarter |
The lesson for a buyer is that skincare-led body care, from brands already trusted on the face, is moving faster than generic moisturisers. NIVEA's decline had trade causes as well as consumer ones, so it is not a clean read on demand.
How To Build The Assortment
The framework below is our reading of the data, not a finding from the sources.
Tier | Role | What To Look For |
Core hydration & barrier | Traffic and repeat purchase | Ceramide, shea and hyaluronic lotions and washes from trusted names, for example Eucerin, Aquaphor, Dove, Vaseline, Clinique Moisture Surge Body or The Ordinary’s body lotion |
Treatment | Higher price and loyalty | Concern-led products: KP, body acne, texture, firming, and actives such as retinol, glycolic and salicylic acids |
Sensorial & glow | Discovery and gifting | Body milks, glow oils, serum washes and fragrance-led lines such as Sol de Janeiro or Kayali |
Adjacent | Basket building | Sun care, which Circana says grew 19% in US prestige in the first half |
A few rules we would apply:
- Start from brands your customers already trust on the face.
Aquaphor’s body care launch and Eucerin’s growth point the same way.
- Add one treatment product per concern, not five.
Launches are up 62%, so the risk is clutter.
- Test serum and firming formats in small quantities first.
Search growth is not sales, and firming interest is partly tied to a trend that may change.
- Check claims and labels for your market.
Products with actives such as retinol or acids are regulated differently across countries, so confirm requirements before you list them.
- Plan seasonally.
Richer treatment products and gifting sets suit the colder months, and lighter milks and sun care suit the warm ones.
How To Read These Numbers
Circana figures cover US prestige retail for the first half of 2026 and European prestige retail for the year to September 2026, and the definitions of body care may differ between regions. Spate figures measure search interest, not sales. Ulta's pages are editorial picks and not sales rankings. Beiersdorf did not give a figure for Aquaphor body care. Statements from Dewsy and other brands are company claims. Nothing here is financial or regulatory advice, and figures may be restated after publication.
Build your body care range with SuperNova
Looking to add or refresh a body care range? Contact SuperNova to discuss availability, minimum order quantities and shipping to your market.
Website: http://www.supernovaasia.com
Email: info@supernovaasia.com
Copyright © 2025, SuperNova Trading Limited. All Rights Reserved.
CONTACT
info@supernovaasia.com
+852 67452978
Room P, 4/F, Lladro Centre, 72 Hoi Yuen Road Kwun Tong Kowloon
SUBSCRIBE TO NEWSLETTER
ABOUT SUPERNOVA
CONTACT US
WhatsApp