There’s no denying that the beauty industry has gone from strength-to-strength in 2025 and has continued to grab headlines throughout the year – although not always for the right reasons.
Beauty brands have truly pushed the boundaries of both product innovation and marketing in 2025, with some executions dividing opinion online.
With some of the biggest controversial moves coming from the likes of Kim Kardashian’s Skims, L’Oréal’s make-up brand Urban Decay and e.l.f. Cosmetics, it is no wonder that ‘rage bait’ was named Oxford University Press’ 2025 word of the year.
Meanwhile, 2025 also saw questions emerge concerning the safety of some beauty products, particularly SPFs in Australia, which failed to live up to their product claims.
Cosmetics Business rounds up the biggest beauty industry debates, controversies, scandals and recalls of 2025.
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