Clean girl beauty is out, the chaotic beauty trend is in

For the past few years, the beauty industry has been dominated by muted tones, minimalist packaging, and the barely-there, dewy glow of the "clean girl" aesthetic. Hello, Hailey Bieber.

But in 2025? That vibe is fading fast.

Enter: the chaotic beauty trend.

Louder, messier, more personal and expressive—the chaotic beauty trend is disrupting the beige uniformity of clean beauty with a wave of maximalist makeup (yes, Chappell Roan), unpredictable product pairings, and personality-first branding.

This isn’t about throwing away your skincare routine or abandoning hygiene (trust us, we’re not asking that of you). Instead, it’s about rejecting rigid beauty standards in favor of creativity, authenticity, and experimentation. It’s about having fun with your messy makeup. 

TL;DR: The clean girl is out, chaos is in

1. The chaotic beauty trend is replacing the clean girl aesthetic in 2025.
2. Consumers want personality, play, and products that feel less curated and, instead, more creative.
3. This shift affects skincare, fragrance, and makeup—and calls for a new wave of beauty brand strategy.
4. Brands embracing maximalist makeup, bold beauty, experimental routines, and vibrant branding will thrive.

What is the chaotic beauty trend?

This beauty brand trend isn’t about chaos for chaos’s sake. It’s about freedom.

It’s about tapping into color, texture, and attitude in a way that reflects individuality instead of conformity. Think: intentionally smudged eyeliner, glitter tears, layered lip glosses, bold scent layering, and skincare routines that blend low and high-end products.

We’re seeing the following social media trends:

• Unfiltered GRWMs where people mix skincare brands, tones, and textures in ways that feel human, not curated.
• Messy makeup looks that break rules with multiple mascaras, nontraditional lip colors, blush on the temples, and lipstick as eyeshadow.
• Fragrance layering content that encourages mixing "mismatched" notes into unique personal scents.

It’s the opposite of the TikTok-approved clean girl: no more slicked-back buns and monochrome. It’s glitter, clashing colors, and mismatched packaging.

Why clean beauty is fading

There will always be a place for simplicity, but the clean girl aesthetic has become, ironically, restrictive.

Its appeal was rooted in ease and elegance, but its rules (no bright colors, no clutter, no mess) have started to feel like yet another impossible standard.

Consumers, especially Gen Z, are rebelling against ideals that make beauty feel unattainable or inauthentic. They don’t just want to look good—they want to have fun. They want to show personality. They want their makeup bag to feel like an art kit.

And as more influencers pull back the curtain on their full routines (the cluttered vanities, the experimental layering, the mix of drugstore and prestige), the fantasy of "effortless" beauty is giving way to something more real and relatable.

Chaotic beauty across cosmetic categories

The chaotic beauty trend is shaking up every corner of the beauty industry—from makeup and skincare to fragrance—with bold, rule-breaking shifts.

Makeup: 

Maximalist makeup is leading the charge with this bold beauty makeup look. Bold blush, excessive shimmer, stacked lashes, and mixed-finish products are all trending. Brands like Half Magic and About-Face are capitalizing on this shift with pigment-forward palettes, holographic liners, and vivid lip shades designed for playful, messy makeup, not perfection.

Skincare: 

Skincare is embracing a more intuitive, mix-and-match vibe. TikTok beauty trends are encouraging users to layer serums based on mood, not regimen; blend brands, ignore clean girl aesthetic trends, and share unfiltered reviews. Products with bold, playful packaging (like Drunk Elephant or Bubble Skincare) are gaining traction because they look as fun as they feel.

Fragrance: 

Fragrance content is becoming chaotic in the best way. Layering is trending, but not in the traditional sense. Customers are mixing high-end perfumes with body sprays, oils with mists, spicy with sweet—all to create something that feels unique to them. Brands like D.S. & Durga and Snif are leading the charge on fragrance play. 

What this means for beauty brands in 2025

The chaotic beauty trend isn’t just a passing fad—it’s a pivot in consumer behavior. 

Beauty shoppers are craving:

• Individuality: Brands should lean into customization and personality-forward messaging. Think: products that support mixing and matching or have a range of shades.
• Freedom to experiment: Packaging and product lines that encourage trial and error will win. Duos, sample packs, and multi-use products (lipstick as blush, eyeshadow as highlight) cater to the creative chaos.
• Authenticity over polish: Real routines, user-generated content, and unfiltered campaigns build more trust than studio-perfect makeup looks.
• Bold branding: Forget beige. Color is back and a leading TikTok beauty trend. Packaging that pops on shelves and social media feeds is grabbing attention and signaling fun.

How to implement the chaotic beauty trend in your brand

You don’t have to overhaul your entire brand to tap into the chaotic beauty trend. Instead, take a few steps to lean into this beauty brand trend without losing yourself within it. 

Here’s how to start experimenting:

• Reimagine your product photography: Move away from minimalist flat lays and try bolder, more energetic visuals—think glitter spills, textured swatches, and colorful backdrops.
• Launch limited-edition or mix-and-match kits: Curate unexpected combinations or chaotic color pairings that let users play and personalize their makeup looks.
• Encourage user-generated content: Share messy vanities, GRWM bloopers, and experimental routines from your community to show how your products thrive in the wild.
• Don’t shy away from weird: Embrace offbeat shades, clashing designs, and quirky product names that lean into the fun, creative, human side of bold beauty.

Examples of beauty, skincare, and fragrance brands embracing the shift

Trixie Cosmetics is by drag icon Trixie Mattel, and leans into bright colors, retro packaging, and playful nostalgia. 

Freck Beauty combines natural-looking products with offbeat branding and self-expression.

Starface is iconic for their star-shaped pimple patches, turning acne care into a bold style choice. The brand champions fun, color, and skin positivity.

Boy Smells blends fragrance with personality and pushes beyond traditional gender lines. Their mission is to allow customers to “play with scent to express everything that is you.”

Move over clean girl aesthetic, the chaotic beauty trend is in

As we move into 2025, the rules of beauty are being rewritten—not by glossy campaigns, but by consumers themselves.

The chaotic beauty trend reflects a larger cultural moment: one that values honesty over polish, personality over perfection, and experimentation over ideals.

For beauty businesses, this is the time to get creative. Shake up your product lines. Rethink your branding. Embrace the glitter, the mess, the mismatch. Because in a world that’s tired of curated sameness, chaos might just be your biggest competitive edge.

Build your beauty brand for what’s next.