where trends meet insight

in a beauty world that constantly pushes new routines, new products, and new “must-tries,” the “clean girl” look has managed to stay surprisingly steady. it isn’t dramatic or full of heavy glam, but that’s just the point. the more people look for something simple and actually doable every day, the more this style just… sticks. by 2025, clean girl beauty has become its own lane: light makeup, healthy-looking skin, and a put-together vibe that doesn’t take an hour to achieve. it’s not about trying to look perfect, and it’s not about pretending you don’t care. it’s more about finding that middle ground. feeling polished and put together without feeling heavy and overdone. honestly, that’s probably why this aesthetic keeps showing up everywhere, it just works.

take Rhode for example. it has essentially become the blueprint for this aesthetic. it’s not just the aesthetics they succeed in, the numbers also back it up. Rhode’s search interest shot up more than 200% in a year with over 12.7 million annual searches, with the brand becoming big enough to get acquired for $1 billion by e.l.f Beauty in May of this year. the brand is built around the idea of everyday, effortless beauty instead of pushing for dramatic transformations. Rhode leans heavily into visual minimalism and repetition and founder-driven credibility. Hailey Bieber isn’t positioned as the owner of the brand, but as a user of the brand. it feels authentic, casual, and personal all at the same time. Rhode is also great at soft marketing, a term coined on subtle product placement, natural influencing, and content that feels more like inspiration than advertising. this technique makes people want to try the products on their own terms, which is consistently more effective than being told flat-out the advertising is promotional. “Bieber is aiming for an aesthetic where natural beauty is prioritized and that makes the products feel “cool and attainable.” in her cover story with Allure, she claims “[she] was really intentional about creating images that felt like they were drawing you in, in a way that felt like it looks healthy, it looks real, it looks inviting”.

Rhode is not the only brand that’s reached major success within this movement. Summer Fridays, Glossier, Tower 28, Saie, Kosas, and many others have branded themselves behind the idea of minimal, chic, effortless self-care. again, these brands understand not only how to sell the product, but the feeling that comes with it.

what really ties all of these brands together is the way they’ve reinvented what “minimal” beauty looks like in the first place. instead of selling full-coverage foundations or complicated routines, they focus on products that feel intuitive, products you can apply half-awake in your bathroom and still look put together. their formulas tend to be sheer, buildable, and skin-first, which makes the whole aesthetic feel more like enhancing yourself rather than covering anything up. and the marketing reflects that same energy: soft colors, natural lighting, close-ups of real faces with real texture, and packaging that looks clean enough to live on your counter. even the way these products show up online, reviews calling them “easy,” “lightweight,” or “my everyday go-to”, creates this collective sense that beauty doesn’t have to be a big production to be effective. it’s less about any single brand and more about the shared promise they all make: that looking polished can be simple, breathable, and accessible, and that feeling confident doesn’t require a full transformation.

part of what makes the “clean girl” aesthetic so appealing is how easily it fits into everyday life. it doesn’t require hours of effort or complicated routines; instead, it’s about small, simple steps that actually make a difference. soft tones, dewy textures, and light, breathable formulas create a quiet sense of balance—not just on your skin, but in your mornings, your routine, and the way you feel going through your day. people are drawn to routines that feel reliable, where a little effort gives noticeable results, and that predictability makes the whole process feel satisfying and trustworthy. the combination of simplicity, reliability, and polish is exactly why the “clean girl” aesthetic has caught on and why people keep coming back to the brands that represent it.

at the end of the day, the “clean girl” aesthetic isn’t just a trend you swipe past on Instagram; it’s a way of approaching beauty that actually makes sense for real life. the brands behind it, from Rhode to Summer Fridays, Tower 28, Glossier, Kosas, and Saie, all tap into that same idea, each in their own way, offering formulas, textures, and visuals that make the whole aesthetic feel approachable and achievable. people aren’t just buying makeup or skincare; they are buying confidence, calm, and a little bit of control in their daily lives. that’s why this kind of beauty resonates so strongly, why it’s grown so popular, and why it’s here to stay. if you haven’t tried it yet, give it a shot, experiment with a few simple products, focus on what makes your skin feel healthy, and see how a simplified routine can change the way you feel throughout your day. you never know, less can be more!

thank you for tuning in to this week’s post! we look forward to hearing your thoughts.

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