Beauty
Indie beauty brands reached $40 billion in annual sales — growing four times faster than the conglomerates that spent decades building the distribution and scale advantages they were supposed to need. Key Insights * Indie beauty brands reached $40 billion in annual sales, growing 22.3% year-over-year vs. conglomerates at ~6% (NIQ,
Pet
The global pet supplement market is growing at nearly three times the pace of the broader pet industry — but the reasons are more complicated than consumer consciousness alone. Key insights * The global pet dietary supplements market is projected to grow from $4.76 billion in 2025 to $7.31 billion
Culture
Japan's record 42.7 million foreign visitors in 2025 and the viral TikTok backlash against its curated "perfect" aesthetic arrived the same year — because they came from the same source. Key insights * Japan welcomed 42.7 million foreign visitors in 2025 — an all-time record, up 15.
Beauty
The ingredient that defined gym culture for thirty years is moving into beauty formulas, brain-health blends, and women's daily wellness routines — driven by new research on cognitive function, muscle preservation, and cellular health. Key insights * Creatine is following collagen's commercial playbook — moving from an ingredient confined
Business
By late March 2026, every Shopify merchant will be discoverable inside ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Perplexity, and other major AI platforms by default. That's a significant distribution gain — and a shift in who controls the pre-purchase conversation. Key insights * AI-driven traffic to Shopify stores has increased 7x since January