Mini beauty products are currently all the rage. On TikTok, videos showcasing collections of travel-sized perfumes, lipsticks, foundations, and serums from popular brands have amassed hundreds of thousands of likes. US retailer Target reports that sales of travel sizes have increased by more than double in the past three years, and it now stocks over 300 minis as more well-known brands start to offer smaller versions.
Yarden Horwitz, co-founder of trend analysis platform Spate, believes that the cost-of-living crisis is undoubtedly a contributing factor to the increased demand for beauty minis. "Mini sizes are often considered to be more cost-effective, enabling consumers to sample high-end products without the need to make a full-size purchase," she says.
According to experts, a specific consumer demographic leading this trend is Gen Alpha. Sarah Lee, co-founder of Glow Recipe, observes, "We've observed increased interest among younger consumers in purchasing miniature products."
Horwitz emphasizes that the shift is clearly influenced by the Gen Alpha aesthetic, highlighting the allure of "cute" products that drive their popularity on social media. Miniature items, like the frequently out-of-stock Rare Beauty blush, are even becoming sought-after collectibles.
She also points out that the trend towards mini products has been steadily increasing. "Although TikTok has magnified this trend," she explains, "we initially observed its rise through search data."
For a large number of brands, minis are emerging as a crucial approach for stimulating exploration in a highly saturated beauty industry.
Tatcha introduced a smaller version of its cleanser due to its original size being inconvenient for travel. Additionally, the brand began offering mini sets, following in the footsteps of Glow Recipe and Saie, allowing customers to sample before purchasing full-sized products. Caine explains, "Mini products provide a cost-effective way to explore various options before committing to larger purchases, enabling customers to find what suits them best."
Maddie Malone, a beauty and personal care analyst at Mintel, notes that trends like scent layering are adding complexity to how people use fragrances and scented personal care products. Much like the popularity of mini beauty products, the trend of perfume layering has its roots in TikTok and appeals to younger consumers. This trend provides a personalized and unique fragrance experience that can't be matched by a single, large bottle.
If customers continue to buy miniatures, the issue of packaging waste grows larger and becomes harder to resolve. Claudia Gwinnutt, commercial brand advisor and founder of Circla, a company that offers reusable mini beauty products, explains, "Miniature beauty products, like most beauty items, are typically packaged for single use, which exacerbates the problem, regardless of their size or material."
Certain retailers and brands are taking steps to tackle the packaging issue in the beauty industry. Boots has introduced the Recycle at Boots program, encouraging customers to recycle empty products in-store in exchange for Boots Advantage Card points. Similarly, Space NK has implemented a comparable initiative.
Product placement and marketing must be carefully planned to avoid undermining the sales of refillable or more easily recyclable full-sized products while also preventing the promotion of excessive consumption of miniatures as collectible items.