Brands like Estée Lauder and La Prairie have already been heavily investing in the field, and in 2026, the sector is set to explode. “The biggest shift will be toward true regenerative skin care,” says Ivan Pol, facialist and founder of The Beauty Sandwich, who adds that consumers want skin care with benefits beyond hydration and resurfacing. “They want treatments that create real structural change, and technology is finally catching up.”
Lancôme signed a partnership with True Diagnostic, an Australian-based company that sells kits that tell you your cellular age. In April 2026, they’ll roll out Cell Bioprints at the Lancôme counter, which measure your “proteomics” (the analysis of the structure of proteins, in this case, in your skin). “You’ll get your protein biomarker, and it will not only tell you where your skin is today, but also the biology of your cells and what it means for tomorrow,” says Guive Balooch, global vice president of tech and open innovation at L’Oréal. “We’re also working on an at-home version [of the test].” Balooch adds that he believes we’ll see lots of companies and startups bringing diagnostics for skin to market next year.
Besides diagnostic testing, get ready to see formulas featuring NAD+, the coenzyme in our body that’s responsible for cellular energy production and cellular and DNA repair.
Unfortunately, though, this is another example of marketing getting ahead of the science. “NAD+ is a large, hydrophilic molecule, which makes skin penetration difficult,” says Dr. King. “Some products may use precursors like NMN or NR, which may penetrate better and convert to NAD+ inside the cell, but there’s not much data, just limited human studies and no large, peer-reviewed clinical trials in humans.”
Peptides and growth factors will be hot again
With a lack of data surrounding the application of topical NAD+, “some brands are finding other ways of diving into the skin-longevity trend,” says Dr. King. They’re doing so with peptides and growth factors, which every expert we spoke to says are becoming smarter, more sophisticated, and remain extremely popular among consumers.
Says Dr. Goldminz, “Peptides and growth factors are wonderful because they can truly make your skin act younger, activating fibroblasts [which help facilitate the production of collagen and other proteins], increasing the rate of skin-cell turnover, and helping you respond better to UV or environmental damage.”
Looking ahead to 2026, Dr. King highlights peauforia and peauvita—two synthetic growth factors from French biotech company Core Biogenesis—as standout innovations with “great data to back them up,” she says. As for peptides, Dr. Gohara points out three next-gen options to know: copper tripeptide-1 (now stabilized in advanced systems for improved wound healing and collagen support); oligopeptide-68 (a modern brightening peptide that reduces pigmentation pathways without irritation), and microbiome-targeting peptides (an emerging class that helps balance redness, acne, and overall skin tolerance).
This trend is also driven by the fact that people are really clued in on these two ingredients. Peptides, in particular, “are instrumental for the growth of large brands,” says Strauser, pointing to SkinCeuticals’ P-Tiox, which is the reason behind the brand’s recent growth. For Dermstore, Allies of Skin growth factor serum is “number one, by and large, for the brand,” she adds. That momentum will certainly continue in 2026.
Skin care will become more experiential
We’ve been talking a lot about science, but dermatologists are eager to point out that they’re seeing more and more patients looking for skin care with a feel-good factor. “They want to enjoy what they’re doing, and that it’s not just this perfunctory, medicinal routine,” says Dr. Gohara. “They want to like everything about the experience, from buying it to the way it feels on their skin to the way it smells.”
