2025 Beauty Year-in-Review: Best (and Worst!) Products, Viral Celeb Moments and the Creator Wars Taking Over the Group Chat

Dec 17, 2025

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In our 2025 Beauty Year in Review, we’re getting "spicy" about the industry’s biggest wins and flops. Listen in to hear all about the viral Guadalajara facelift taking over TikTok, the rise of cosmetic surgery transparency and the slice of good news impacting young women in beauty (finally!).

As beauty conglomerates shift their focus, we break down why integrity is the new authenticity and how the "glam squad" is officially outshining the A-list celebrity brand. Plus, we celebrate Gen X beauty finally having its main character moment, all thanks to Carlene (we kid, we kid).

You’ll hear about:

Kylie Jenner’s momentous silicone implant reveal, Simone Biles’ blepharoplasty and why everyone is talking about the Guadalajara facelift lady in the "year of the Hollywood facelift."
How the over-40 demographic is reclaiming the spotlight, both at retail and with a new wave of beauty creators.
Why 2025 saw a shift toward expert-led lines like Hung Vanngo and Chris McMillan, and why hiring Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye (formerly of Ami Colé) was a genius credibility play for Skims Beauty.
Product Placement on blast: Why "Nobody Wants This" & "All’s Fair" peeved off so many viewers in so little time.
A candid look at the public call-outs taking over our group chats
The "Integrity Deficit"- unpacking DEI backpedalling and what it means for Big Beauty.

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*Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated, all products reviewed are gratis media samples submitted for editorial consideration.*

Hosts: Carlene Higgins and Jill Dunn

Theme song, used with permission: Cherry Bomb by Saya 

Produced by Dear Media Studio

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