Curtain fringe is a wispy, face-framing haircut that many women apparently opted for—or at least searched for online—in 2023. With over four billion views on TikTok and more than 14 million Google searches, this cut was searched for and referenced globally as a hairstyle that flatters most face shapes and can work on different hair textures.

Glass skin is a skincare routine involving double cleansing, layering toner essences, hydrating serums and using gel-like creams best suited to your skin type to achieve the appearance of dewy skin—which is as translucent as clear glass. Thanks to the huge popularity of K-beauty, glass skin has been continuing to trend on social media in the past few years—and this year was no different. 2023 saw more than three billion engagement for this term on TikTok and almost 900,000 posts on Instagram, making it the third biggest beauty trend this year.

Microneedling is a cosmetic procedure that is said to improve the texture and firmness of the skin, and it’s best performed by professionals and after consideration and consultation—as all procedures, big or small, should be. It entails pricking the skin with tiny sterilised needles to stimulate skin’s own natural healing process, and with almost two billion views on TikTok, it’s sparked plenty of interest this year thanks to its minimally invasive yet effective results. 

Chrome nails were another nail art trend that blew up online this year with one and a half billion views on TikTok and almost two and a half million shares on Instagram. Silver, gold or colours galore, most chrome nail art took inspiration from futuristic patterns, abstract shapes and combined them with hyper-feminine elements such as hearts, bows and pearls.

Following the highly-anticipated release and successful reception of the Barbie movie in July this year, Barbie-inspired make-up became all the rage on social media. Over one billion online engagements saw a myriad of Barbie looks created by influencers and make-up artists, all inspired by Barbie actor Margot Robbie’s pink-tinted lips and cheeks, with a touch of sparkle around the eyes.

Totalling around one billion engagements, heatless waves is a haircare trend that seemed to have garnered wide appeal in 2023. Instead of spending time perfecting curls with heated tools, many online beauty influencers have been demonstrating how to wrap up hair using scarves, socks and specially padded tubes to get wavy locks without heat damage.

Since facial massage and gua sha tools have been popularised in the beauty community, the discussion around lymphatic drainage and its benefits to the body and face have lit up. With just over one billion engagements, more people are interested in learning how the lymphatic system connects throughout the body and how it affects not only beauty but also overall health.

Ceramides, a waxy lipid that helps protect the skin barrier, is a skincare ingredient that has been popularised by Korean beauty brands and is said to be an important ingredient in products that form a part of the aforementioned glass skin routine. With almost 700 million engagements, this is a popularly searched for ingredient as it’s believed to be efficacious in helping the skin retain moisture.

In contrast to beauty routines that focus on skin clarity, the faux freckle make-up trend highlights and celebrates freckles, moles and beauty spots. With 600 million engagements, there’s been a huge interest in faux freckle-specific products and in ways to create this look using eyeshadow, eyeliner and even fake tanner, as well as discussions on best practices which include applying the product sparingly and using one’s fingers to smudge them a bit to make them appear natural.

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