The Charmification of Beauty

Trends Agency

Writer Name: Mallory Huron

Writer Title: Director of Beauty + Wellness

Writer Company: Future Snoops

Article:

A charming trend is taking over beauty, turning on-the-go products into stand-out, display-worthy beauty accessories with a toylike feel. The “keychain beauty” trend has fully taken over, as consumers’ bags become a jangling menagerie of trendy, mini-sized beauty products.

Need for On-the-Go Touch Ups

At its heart, this trend is being driven by a consumer need to access beauty products in an easy, mess-free way for daily touch ups. Consumers are on the move more than ever before, not only cycling through daily routines that include work, socializing, errands, and health/fitness activities, but also in terms of international travel and the digital nomad community. Simply put, consumers are short on time, and are looking for products that are no farther than the tip of their fingers at the top of a bag handle. This trend is doubly appealing for products with a necessity for frequent reapplication, like sunscreen and lip color cosmetics. To answer this need, numerous brands have entered into this space, like Benefit, Bubble, Kaja, SimiHaze, Fenty, and more, creating an abundance of choice for consumers to carry their preferred minis with them wherever they go, all within colorful, branded packaging.

Conversation-Starting Packaging

In addition to the practical value of keychain beauty, the social caché of these products (many of which are limited-edition) creates a collectible buzz and conversation-starting interest that is driving further expansion within this trend. The flashier the packaging or more exclusive the brand, the more consumer interest it generates: think of the Rhode Lemontini Belly Chain, La Bouche Rouje’s ingenious phone case with a built-in lipstick holder, or Aora Makeup’s sun-shaped Solecito Carrier Charm for their Solid Lip Serum. Haircare brand Odele also tapped into this through their collaboration with NYC bead maven Susan Alexandra, resulting in a quirky and cute beaded case for Odele’s travel-sized dry shampoo, perfectly blending fun and functionality.

Extension of the Toyification Movement

Ultimately, this is also an extension of the toyification movement, as consumers look for opportunities for creative expression and joyful creativity within their beauty routines. Personalized charms and keychains are a simple, fun way to showcase one’s personality, as well as to engage with a sense of youthful, tactile play. Hourglass Beauty exemplified this trend beautifully with the Charms edition of their Ambient Lighting Edit Palette: the brand held a Selfridges-exclusive pop up where shoppers could customize their palette with personalized charms of their choice for bespoke dazzle.

Future Snoops is a futures agency that helps creators chart a path beyond trend foresight to thriving business. With deep intelligence across fashion, beauty, home and consumer-facing industries, our platform connects expert insight and proprietary AI tools—uncovering possibilities, understanding why they matter, and turning inspiration into impact. Need a sharper strategic edge? FS Advisory partners build custom strategies around brands’ unique ambitions.