In an era defined by economic uncertainty and social challenges, beauty consumers are increasingly seeking escape, nostalgia, and playful self-expression. One trend has emerged at the forefront: the "magical girl" aesthetic—drawing inspiration from anime heroines such as Sailor Moon with hyper-feminine, whimsical styles. With its emphasis on dreamy colors, embellishment and kawaii trinket packaging, magical girl beauty transforms everyday beauty products into moments of playful fantasy."I think consumers today yearn for fiction and fantasy. We're being bombarded on all sides: we're experiencing a huge mental health crisis, women, queer, and trans people are losing their rights across the country, and to top it all off, every single brand is trying to sell us things by pretending to be our friends," explains Mi-Anne Chan, founder of the platform mixed feelings who led the magical girl trend, and Head of Video at Teen Vogue, Them, and Glamour. "I think consumers just want an outlet to just play; to get to imagine yourself as an alter ego for a little while."This hunger for fantasy finds perfect expression in the magical girl aesthetic, which stems from Japanese shōjo culture—a media genre for young women emphasizing romanticism and dreamy aesthetics—and thrives on glitter, ethereal hues, and fanciful packaging. We're seeing it manifest in the beauty industry through the return of blinding pastel-toned highlighters, including launches like the NYX Buttermelt Highlighter, alongside the resurgence of glitter hair sprays and hair tinsel inspired by the Oscar-winning movie Anora.