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The biggest beauty trends of 2025 are already emerging inside spas and salons, and with the help of diversified revenue streams and intuitive appointment booking experiences. With the rise of trends like cat eye nails and individualised skincare, businesses are rapidly adopting new strategies and tactics to entice clients.
To identify the top beauty industry trends guiding these professionals’ next moves, we partnered with Bredin to survey 2,000 beauty leaders and 4,000 customers across the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. We discovered that beauty customers have a complex set of needs when it comes to how they want to interact with the beauty businesses they frequent.
Whether you run a cosmetics brand, sell skincare products and services, or run a hair salon franchise, this list of the top trends in the UK beauty industry will help give your business a leg up in 2025 and beyond. For a deeper dive into these trends, download the full 2025 Square Future of Beauty report.
Beauty leaders are embracing the upsell – and clients are buying in
This year, UK beauty leaders are getting creative about growing their businesses. Beyond simply raising the prices of treatments, they told us they’re planning to introduce diverse revenue streams, such as adding new products or services (40%), introducing loyalty or rewards programmes (38%) and offering virtual consultations or services (35%).
Eighty-five percent of beauty leaders agree that expanding their offerings is critical to long-term growth. Consumers are already open to this idea: nearly half of respondents told us that they purchase products or adopt practices their beauty specialist recommends, with shampoos and cleansers being the most popular. This shows that there’s an opportunity to build on the trusted relationship between stylist and client.
When you diversify your revenue streams not only do you boost your sales, but you can identify your core customers who are keen to make regular purchases or try out new services. If you nurture these relationships, these customers will reliably fill up your appointment slots and can become ambassadors for your brand.
Memberships and subscriptions could grow your revenue and customer base
If you’re not ready to expand your offerings, have you considered introducing a membership or subscription service? It’s a tried-and-tested way of generating incremental revenue: 82% of beauty leaders told us that memberships and subscriptions provided a positive return on investment (ROI) for their business.
Savvy salon owners are also using this as a way to improve cash flow. One-third of respondents said they’ve offered memberships or clubs that give discounts for paying for services or product deliveries in advance. And there’s an audience willing to pay for the privilege: 21% of consumers are interested in paying for memberships or clubs, as well as for online tutorials (18%) and in-person classes (18%).
Investing in a subscription or membership programme can reap dual rewards. Firstly, your best customers will pay upfront for services, and secondly, you have the opportunity to offer them exclusive upsells throughout the year. If you create a compelling offer, it should be a no-brainer for your regulars to sign up.
Beauty businesses can grow with technology – if it’s based on clients’ needs
The beauty leaders we spoke to are experimenting with technology and finding different applications across their businesses. The most common uses are within marketing: 43% are using automation to help with email marketing and generate social media posts. Technology is also boosting operations, with 42% of businesses using AI to analyse reports and 39% using it to automate staff scheduling.
Consumers told us there are four technologies they appreciate when visiting a salon or spa: mobile apps (64%), automated appointment reminders (61%), automated payments (60%) and automated appointment scheduling (53%). However, consumers’ comfort with technology does vary by age. We found that Gen Z and millennials are far more likely to engage with these technologies than Gen X and boomers.
Before you dive into a new piece of software, make sure you understand your customer profile and their preferences when it comes to technology. When you’re ready to invest, look for an integrated system that manages multiple parts of your business, from marketing and loyalty to appointment scheduling and payments.
Technology is changing the way the beauty industry upskills its employees
The best salons and spas are always up to date with the latest styles and trends, and that doesn’t happen by accident. Beauty leaders recognise that their employees have continuing education needs, and the majority (88%) of businesses we spoke to see staff training as key to their success.
The good news is that there are now a variety of ways to upskill your staff – and it doesn’t need to be as time-consuming as it once was. We asked beauty leaders which activities they considered to be most important for professional development and the results were revealing. Two of the top three training methods take place online: social media tutorials received the highest vote at 47% (along with mentor relationships) and 44% voted for online forums.
That said, there’s still a concern among salon and spa owners about investing in training when the industry has a traditionally high churn rate. You can’t control the future but you can build a strong in-house team today by embracing advanced learning and empowering your staff to shine.
Social media is still vital in the beauty industry, but don’t overlook the impact of email
When your business is all about creating stunning looks, it makes sense to showcase them on social media. So it’s no surprise that 87% percent of beauty leaders consider social media marketing important. And they understand that platforms like TikTok and Instagram can do more than just drive sales: they’re places to establish and maintain a connection with customers. Eighty-six percent of beauty leaders are posting how-to-videos and online tutorials, providing valuable educational content to build trust with their customer base and position themselves as industry leaders.
However, it’s important that spa and salon owners don’t pour all their efforts into social media at the expense of other marketing channels. Consumers told us they still want to receive one-to-one messages from brands, with email topping the list. Sixty-three percent told us they prefer this communication channel, compared to just 23% and 19% for Facebook and Instagram, respectively.
For smaller beauty businesses in particular, email marketing represents an accessible revenue opportunity. The right software can do a lot of the work for you, with ready-made templates and time-saving automations. So whether it’s appointment confirmations or upsell offers, a tool like Square Marketing can help you create the beautiful, on-brand emails that your customers want to receive.
The beauty industry is seeing a shift when it comes to payments
Beauty leaders are embracing newer payment methods, as part of their quest to create a seamless experience for both client and stylist. This year, mobile wallets have caught up with cash, with 89% of respondents considering both payment methods convenient. What’s more, 80% told us that buy now, pay later (BNPL) is a convenient option. For spas and salons looking to attract a younger clientele, offering BNPL opens the door to new customers who want to spread the cost.
For most consumers, traditional tills remain the default option. However, consumers are becoming more comfortable with newer payment methods, such as in-app pay, which 56% find convenient. It’s becoming increasingly necessary to offer a range of payment options so that each client can choose their preferred method. If not, they may not be back: 60% of consumers said they’re unlikely to return to a salon or spa that doesn’t offer a convenient payment method.
Offering multiple payment methods doesn’t mean having to manage multiple systems. Square has integrated tools that enable beauty businesses to accept payments, make bookings, manage staff and more all from one place. This means business owners can get time back in their days to focus more on helping their clients feel their best.
Loyalty programmes are key business drivers, and beauty leaders are investing in them
Loyalty programmes are a perfect fit for the beauty industry, with clients keen to find a stylist they trust and who they can return to again and again. The beauty leaders we spoke to have spotted the potential, and nearly four in five have a loyalty or rewards programme in place. And they’re seeing results: loyalty programmes are delivering increased spend (89%), repeat visits (87%) and positive ROI (87%).
There’s a lot for consumers to love about loyalty programmes. They told us that they most value exclusive discounts (83%), earning rewards (82%) and personalisation (67%). The fact that consumers value personalisation is a great opportunity for beauty businesses to deepen their client relationships. The majority (73%) of consumers also told us that they felt either positive or neutral about businesses using their data to customise their services. This means you can feel confident about creating targeted offers based on customers’ behaviours.
If you don’t yet have a loyalty programme, think of it as an extension of what you’re already doing: offering a personalised service and creating a connection with your clients. The right software will allow you to tailor your customer experience further, and reward your clients in ways they’ll appreciate. Square Loyalty can connect with third-party apps like Acuity Scheduling, making it especially convenient for customers to book in a variety of ways and still maintain their reward status.
Want more insights on how beauty leaders are innovating in 2025? Get a deeper look into these popular trends in our 2025 edition of the Future of Beauty report.
