In the early ’80s, the beauty corner doubled as a dessert menu. Bath & Body Works churned out frosting-inspired mists, Lancôme’s Marshmallow Juicy Tube Lip Gloss found its way into handbags for teens and adults alike, and Jessica Simpson launched an entire line of edible body products that promised to taste as good as they smelled (I can personally attest that they don’t).
Although the self-care routines of this era were loaded with sugar, the diet fads of the time were decidedly sugar-free. Pro-anorexia forums flourished on LiveJournal, ads for training programs and weight loss pills dominated television, and tabloids treated celebrity weight speculation like breaking news.
Twenty years later, we have somehow found ourselves back in a strikingly similar cultural moment. After a brief moment in the 2010s when the body positivity movement offered a glimmer of hope that beauty standards were finally expanding, the cultural celebration of thinness is back with a vengeance. This resurgence began as a whisper with the rise of GLP-1 weight loss drugs like Ozempic and Wigovy, then rose to a scream, rekindling the ultra-skinny ideal in a way not seen since the early ’20s. Hashtags like #Y2KSkinny and #2000sSkinny were climbing TikTok’s algorithm before the app started blocking searches for #SkinnyTok because it glorifies disordered eating habits (if you will) ask an expertdoes not help suppress content that glorifies weight loss or poor eating habits).
All the while, I can’t help but notice that the beauty is once again going all out for dessert. Comforting scents like vanilla, caramel, and tonka bean are back in full swing, just as food culture is once again gaining influence, a phenomenon I like to call “rewards for beauty.”
Rise of “Treat Beauty”
Food-scented beauty products have always existed, but they didn’t always occupy so much cultural and commercial real estate. Throughout much of the 2010s, fragrance trends became more polarized fascinating than edible: Spicy florals, musk, amber, and earthy notes dominated perfume launches, with sweetness often playing a supporting role rather than the main event. Vanilla and other gourmet notes never really wavered, but in 2025 they decisively moved to center stage.
Dessert-themed fragrance launches are currently up 24% year over year. According to Mintel. This time, gourmet notes like pistachio, milk and honey have made their way from the perfume aisle to body care, candles and even makeup. “This trend is now impacting almost every price point, from personal fragrances to candles that evoke favorite foods and the memories associated with them,” he says. Linda G. LevyChairman of the Fragrance Foundation.
For example: In the second half of 2025 alone, Lord Beauty celebrated Hailey Bieber’s birthday with: Limited lip tint Its aroma and taste are like tiramisu, vanilla soft serve, and crème brûlée (this is in addition to the numerous other glazed donut-themed products she sells). Bath & Body Works Milk Bar Collaboration We’ve turned the bakery’s best-selling sweets into soaps and lotions. Partnership with Beekman 1802 hershey’s and Libby’s The promised ‘Foodified’ skincare, inspired by chocolate bars and pumpkin pie.
Ask any nutritionist and they’ll tell you that the juxtaposition of all these little treat-themed products with our resurgent diet culture is jarring, but not coincidental. Jim Laval Co-Director of the Geriatric Medicine Fellowship American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. “Traditional food culture emphasized restraint and guilt. Now we’re entering an era of ‘controlled indulgence’ where the message is, ‘You deserve a treat, just not one that will affect your waistline,'” he says. “Beauty brands are masterfully capitalizing on that psychology, offering zero-calorie luxury through serums, masks and candles.”
Source: Allure – www.allure.com
