Beauty launches in the first half of 2026 weren't confined to a single category, and neither were the brands entering the market. As fragrance and skincare fueled the industry’s growth, with mass fragrance sales up 15% and prestige skincare sales up 9%, brands increasingly experimented with hybrid, multifunctional, and unexpected product formats. 

Brands also continued to move beyond their traditional categories, with Sol de Janeiro entering the men’s fragrance space, NYX and Amika expanding into bodycare, and e.l.f. Beauty making a move into haircare, among other news.

This year’s brand launches also reflected how the industry is continuing to blur lines. Longtime beauty executives have ventured out into new projects, influencers are building brands of their own, iconic lines have relaunched, and Gen Alpha–focused collections emerged.

Here are BeautyMatter’s editorial team’s picks for the best brand and product launches of H1 2026…

BRANDS