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Value Beauty Is Winning the Holidays
Bath & Body Works is hiring 30,000 seasonal workers to push value beauty as other signals confirm value beauty is stealing share from prestige this holiday season. For investors, the trade is with value retailers, not luxury giants.
By Peter Christensen
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Bath & Body Works is going on a shopping spree, or rather, a hiring spree. The value beauty giant plans to hire more than 30,000 seasonal workers across stores and distribution centers this holiday. That is a big bet on consumer appetite for affordable indulgence, which is its core business. The numbers back it up.
According to Circana, U.S. mass beauty sales rose 4% in the first half of 2025 to $34.6 billion, with mass fragrance jumping 17%. On the other side of beauty sales, Prestige sales grew only 2% to $16 billion. The “lipstick effect” seen in downturns is alive and well, with lipstick sales up 21% over 2024. Prestige may rule the runway, but when the economy is shaky, value beauty is ringing the registers. Lipstick is a small product, but it sends a big signal: people still crave beauty, just at a discount.
The Value Beauty Impact
Value is the default
Only 14% of U.S. beauty buyers believe higher prices mean better quality. That is a marketing nightmare for high-end brands. “Elevated value” products are winning shelf space and wallet share. Masstige, beauty products with a prestige feel at mass prices, led skincare with double-digit gains. At the same time, luxury skincare dollars fell 1%. The shift is not subtle. Consumers are voting with their wallets.
Holiday demand is building under pressure
Consumer confidence has slipped to 97.4. Shoppers are cautious, but they are not pulling back entirely. They are trading down. A candle at Bath & Body Works feels like a splurge, but it costs $16, not $160. That matters when households are stretched.
Luxury is uneven
Luxury is not dead, but the growth is lumpy. Estée Lauder guided fiscal 2025 sales down 8–9%. L’Oréal grew 3% on a like-for-like basis. LVMH perfumes and cosmetics were flat. The message from retail buyers is consistent: holiday demand will lean toward value.
Your Value Retail Finance Play
Bath & Body Works is hiring 30,000 seasonal workers, signaling consumer appetite for affordable indulgence. Mass and masstige beauty are stealing holiday share from prestige, as lipstick and fragrance sales surge. For investors, balanced retailers and accessible brands are the winning trade this season. Click below to learn about each of our winning picks.
Bottom Line
The lipstick effect and Bath & Body Works’ hiring spree confirm holiday demand is tilting toward value beauty. Masstige and balanced retailers are best positioned, making diversified retail ETFs the cleaner way to play this seasonal shift while avoiding single-name volatility.
This website shares our opinions and commentary on markets, commodities, and other assets. We may receive financial compensation to include certain featured companies/services/etc. in this website. Such financial compensation may impact the placement, but it does not impact on our critical analysis. The opinions, analysis, and commentary contained in the website are not financial advice. Market data mentioned here may be delayed and is not real-time. Investments involve risk including the risk of loss of some, or all, of your investment, and may not be suitable for all readers. While we make a good faith effort to provide you with unbiased professional opinions, please don’t make investment decisions based solely on this content — always do your own research or talk to a qualified advisor before making any investment decisions. We’re not responsible for any actions you take based on what you read here.
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