Once upon a time wellness trends were faddy, fiction-based and not worth taking too seriously, only now things couldn’t be more different. The latest wellness trends are borne of medical innovation, technological advancements and robust science, hence why now, they’re worth our full attention. 

2025 beauty and wellness trends have a strong theme

There is one clear direction of movement for 2025 wellness trends; they no longer operate in broad brush strokes and the vagaries will no longer cut it. Health, beauty and wellness have all evolved to be personalized, measurable, and hyper specific. Words that might appear at odds with the traditional wellness persona but moving forward, wellness is precision, results-driven and fully backed by science. Here’s to a year of meticulous wellness ahead. 

• Reaching natural results with device-based treatments

The last decade has seen the cosmetic surgery market sliced into by non-invasive ‘tweakments’. Subtle esthetic enhancements made along the way, delivering preventive care rather than reactive care in the form of major surgery years later. But even within the newer tweakments arena, change is afoot.

Though injectables, muscle relaxants and fillers remain the most regular treatments undertaken, (predominantly because they all require circa six-monthly top-ups), there’s a surge of popularity in energy-based solutions such as laser therapy and device-based treatments we can administer ourselves. “There’s a huge appeal of advanced at-home devices that fit seamlessly into busy lives whilst offering discreet, natural outcomes,” explains Dr Graeme Glass, world leading plastic and craniofacial surgeon and somewhat tellingly, LYMA Aesthetic Director.

The LYMA Laser, a 500mW near infrared low-level laser that rivals professional clinic results, has revolutionized the at-home skin device in recent years. A zero damage cold laser that delivers powerful energy to reinvigorate cellular repair and trigger collagen regeneration throughout all layers of the skin. Doctors, dermatologists, Hollywood stars and a slew of high net worth individuals alike have been snapping up not one but two, to use in synchronization, powering up skin cells for smoothed, lifted, youthful skin.

“The majority of people now want to look good, not done. They want their appearance to match how they feel on the inside and achieve the perception of being on their A-game.”

• Choosing jawlines over fine lines

Esthetics aspirations will continue to evolve in 2025, seeing more emphasis on areas such as jawline definition and chin sculpting treatments. Already kick-started by the snatched jawline phenomenon, data findings from both surgical procedures and non-invasive cosmetics techniques indicate jawline and chin treatments are set to overtake the traditionally more popular choice of lip enhancement.

Crow’s feet and fine lines will also take a backseat as the lower face becomes the focus of the beauty ideal. Injectables, implants and liposuction are among the full menu of treatments for better lower facial angles to achieve the much-coveted ‘inverted pyramid of youth’ made popular by celebrity facialist Ivan Pol. Pol has also spoken out about his love for the LYMA Laser technology, “By gliding the Laser under the cheekbones, along the jaw and over the forehead, both instantaneously and over time we will see an impressive plumping action, sculpted bone structure and a sleeker more defined jawline.” 

• Exosomes are about to get even more air time

Name dropping exosomes started early 2024 but still being such an emerging field, cosmetic research teams are still figuring them out. Exosomes are balls of information within cells that act as "micro-messengers", sending information to other cells, instructing them on how to behave.

According to dermatologists, when this cell-to-cell communication is done right, exosomes can start a series of anti-aging processes to enhance skin texture and firmness while boosting brightness and reducing the appearance of large pores. Some skincare brands are already exploring exosomes in products but so far, the options are still pretty limited. The use of human-derived exosomes in products is illegal in many countries, so plant-derived and lab-synthesized versions are being played with thus far.

There’s also murmurings in the esthetics community that inadvertently obtaining bad exosomes, (ie. those spreading negative messaging) needs to be fully understood before formulating them into cosmetic injectables and consumer products. Either way, you’ll hear a lot more about exosomes becoming a major player in the future of skincare.

• Dosing up on good stress

If the widely disproved TikTok trend of ‘Cortisol Face’ passed you by, rest assured you missed out on exactly nothing. Though the protracted conversation around cortisol has been necessary and highly beneficial in educating us on the dangers of prolonged or chronically high cortisol levels to our long-term health, for now, our faces are quite safe.

Far more positive will be 2025’s health trend for generating good stress - the moderate, temporary kind that improves the body’s adaptive responses and bolsters whole-system resilience. This means more hot and cold exposure, (best refill that ice bath), back on the intermittent fasting, sign up to another course of HIIT workouts and reacquaint yourself with focused breathwork. 2025 is the year we learn to utilize stress as a helpful stimulant to improve long-term functionality rather than being a slave to it. 

• Dermatologists want us all to start skin streaming

Arguably more a beauty than wellness trend for 2025, skin streaming or skin minimalism is the predictable backlash against the 11 step Korean skincare regimen, then serum cocktailing, followed by skin flooding and slugging skincare trends we’ve seen come and thankfully go again.

Redressing the balance of our poor overstimulated and confused skin, skin streaming or skin minimalism puts simplification front and center. Praised by dermatologists who have likely grown tired of seeing skin suffering from ‘actives overload’, skin streaming requires taking your skincare routine to just a few high-performance products that address the issues skin is actually presenting with and thus, catering to your individual skin’s needs.

We’re talking 2, 3, or 4 products maximum. Great if you have sensitive or menopausal skin as you’re exposing your skin to less potential irritants. Mintel reports that consumers are “weary of complex, multi-step routines and the pressure to follow rigid guidelines,” meaning a clinically proven cream and serum followed with SPF is all your skin needs. It’s beauty’s take on slow fashion and really, it just makes sense.