Many are proclaiming 2026 the “year of analog,” and the beauty industry is not immune to this development. Its corresponding form is the beauty trinket. Beauty, by its very nature, is inherently physical. But TikTok virality and online algorithms have fundamentally impacted how it is consumed. Unless products are by invitation only, consumers are most likely discovering them online. But returning to the tactile, simple joys of a dangling lipstick keychain or flashy hand sanitizer case appears to be a small method of reclaiming agency.
In a recent New York Times article, Madison Malone Kircher wrote about our increasingly antagonistic relationships to our phones and the physical interventions that we use to block distracting apps and websites, like Brick, a plastic square that temporarily disables apps, helps to block access to apps temporarily, apps like screen time management app Opal, or lockable pouches in US schools to keep students device-free for the duration of their class session. Kircher notes a “cultural shift from being excited about cellphones and the constant hum of social media to feeling anxiety over that connectivity.”
A 2025 UK Digital Consumer Trends survey by Deloitte of 4,150 UK people aged 16 to 75 found that 50% have turned off all notifications for at least one app, and 18% have set screen time limits. Another GWI analysis for the Financial Times, based on data from 250,000 adults across 50+ countries, found that social media use declined by 10% between 2022 and 2024.
As Guardian US columnist Tayo Bero writes: “In a world where getting just about anything done means being sucked into a digital black hole of apps, sign-up forms, harrowing social media feeds and carnivorous advertisers, it’s no surprise that we keep reaching back for the comfort of the physical: Polaroids, vinyl records, real birthday cards. It all helps us slow down and appreciate a world where not everything is online.”
Consumer insights expert and CEO/founder of brand strategy agency ShineScout, Lynn Casey, who has worked for companies including Shiseido, declared a “RTH – Return to Human” for the year ahead in a recent LinkedIn post.
The original object of desire was a statement powder compact or lipstick pulled out at a demure 1950s dinner table; in 2026, many new options abound. Officine Universelle Buly and Guerlain offer engraving and customization for their tactile lip care products. Carolina Herrera offers 10 printed cap options for its lipsticks, which can be topped with bangles, charms, and tassels. Gisou created Honey Pups plushie keychains. There’s, of course, Rhode’s viral lip gloss phone case, and Huda Beauty’s and Charlotte Tilbury’s release of powder compact phone grips (Gen Z brand Daise produced a lip balm version). Cora even launched a bag charm to carry one of its tampons loudly and proudly.
Devon Abelman, K-beauty expert and founder of beauty copywriting and beauty content strategy studio, abelwoman inc., traces the rise of the recent trinket trend back to Glossier, with its covetable merch such as stickers, keychains, clothing that also acted as functional beauty items, like the brand’s pebble-like You solid perfume.
“In an economy where splurging on designer purses and accessories feels increasingly out of reach, beauty offers a more affordable alternative. At the same time, skincare has evolved into more of a lifestyle than a private ritual, making mini hand creams, face mists, and lip balms feel less optional and more like everyday accessories,” she said. Boots’ Beauty & Wellness Trends Report 2026 states that 55% of consumers purchased a beauty collectible or limited edition in the past year.
Leaning into the nostalgia and whimsy aspects of beauty trinkets, Abelman also draws a parallel between Bath & Body Works hand sanitizer clip-ons and their more sophisticated modern-day counterpart, Touchland.
National Beauty Director of Nordstrom, Autumne West, picked up on the broader cultural movement around bag charms, which then began to show up in beauty with products like Dior Lip Butters, Kaja Jelly Charm Lip & Blush Stain with Glazed Key Chains, and Carolina Herrera lip product accessories.
“That kind of built-in delight told us that brands were thinking about beauty as an accessory category, not just a routine. We took that cue and started thinking about how we could amplify it across our assortment,” she told BeautyMatter.
Interactive is the key(chain) word when it comes to merchandising these highly tactile and personalized products. “We've leaned into interactive moments with charm bars, key chains, and gift with purchase offers that feel curated rather than generic,” West added.
As for the shopper reaching for these items, K-beauty (and its gift-with-purchase culture) undoubtedly primed the global market for a takeover of all things delightful. “K-beauty is all about making beauty entertaining with fun applicators, textures, and colors, so the charmification of it all just makes sense,” Abelman added. “K-beauty also loves making on-the-go applications easy and fun, particularly with cushion foundations. Women in Seoul often use them in public, so the packaging has become more playful and stylish in recent years.” She highlights brands such as Amuse, Fwee, Hince, Entropy, Whipped, Ongrediets, Coralhaze, and Peripera as K-beauty brands tapping into this aesthetic, with Tambourins at the forefront.
Casey emphasized South Korea’s Bolggu trend—the DIY practice of decorating ballpoint pens with various trinkets and stick-ons—as another affordable, soothing way to engage in style curation. The practice has another huge point of appeal. “Choices are made—by the maker, NOT an algorithm, inviting introspection and care,” she stated in a LinkedIn post.
With increasing infiltration of undisclosed AI-generated content, leading to comment sections full of “Is this AI?” posts and user discontent, perhaps consumers will place increasing value on the perfect imperfections of human touch. TikTok creator @laravioletta writes, “The more AI I see, the more I crave imperfection” below a video of her as she smears mascara over her eyelids, dark gray cream eyeshadow under her eyes, and messily applies lipstick on her mouth. The products we use, or how we use them, can become a quiet rebellion.
This rebellion appears especially strong among the youth. Gen Z was even more likely to delete social media apps from their phones, with 29% removing them, compared with 20% for other age groups. With Gen Z boosting vinyl and live event ticket sales in 2024, it’s no wonder that they are the generation most likely to abandon X and Instagram.
Esquire Magazine went so far as to proclaim being on one’s phone constantly as “lame,” although the luxury of being able to be offline can, in some instances, also be due to privilege, whether it's paying for in-person activities or having a profession that affords one less time on a screen. In this case, little bag charms or a customized lipstick case are a smaller investment. It’s about reinvesting in the physical object, making the ordinary extraordinary.
Limited-edition products or location-exclusive products are not new, but they do anchor temporal and spatial limitations in a world that is all about limitless expansion at any hour, anywhere. Displaying these prized possessions can be both a marker of social currency and brand community, while also emphasizing a return to physical over digital products—even if said physical products were likely purchased online—making it more analog by way of online. They also offer free advertising. “Beauty accessories have also become extensions of brands’ hero SKUs. Many brands are launching mini versions of their best-selling products because those formulas already have built-in recognition and proven appeal in their full-sized packaging,” Abelman added.
Perhaps we can embrace this point of physical connection in new ways. For Valentine’s Day, The New York Times asked readers to share objects that remind them of love; readers submitted objects ranging from an empty perfume bottle to old postcards. In the age of online dating apps, readers’ responses revealed a quiet yearning for more analog times. A shared moment of fangirling over a beautiful custom lipstick case might offer a different bonding than spamming the comments section of a launch announcement post.
“We're in this moment where beauty and fashion are deeply intertwined, and customers are intentionally treating their vanity like they treat their wardrobe. I think we'll see more brands leaning into limited-edition objects, more personalization, more crossover between beauty and jewelry or accessories,” West said. Abelman predicted we will see the variety of these objects increase, with sunscreen keychains, mascara & hair mascara charms, and perfume/body mist charms.
Just as we clung onto our Tamagotchi pets as teenagers or Labubus in Q2 2024, perhaps we’re all just looking for something to hold onto in a world that feels in freefall. A small innocent frivolity to counteract the serious responsibilities of adult life and unnerving news headlines. Sometimes all it takes is a trinket, or three.
