[BEAUTY TRENDS] What is the most rising skincare ingredient in the US right now?

What is the most rising skincare ingredient in the US right now? 

TOP 5 ingredient trend analytics by categories!

In the US skincare market, "what ingredient solves which skin concern" has recently become a more important purchasing criterion than simply "what to apply." In particular, consumers tend to carefully compare the efficacy and safety of ingredients rather than brand awareness, and make purchasing decisions after checking actual usage effects and consumer reviews through social media channels such as YouTube and Instagram. Accordingly, VUSSENS analyzed consumer perceptions and ingredient trends in serum, cream, toner, and mist—the representative categories of skincare routines—based on US online social channels and community data over the past three months (March 16 to June 16, 2026). In this report, we will look at which ingredients US consumers are paying attention to and what new opportunities these changes are creating in the North American beauty market.

📈 1. Skincare Market Landscape Analytics

According to the VUSSENS analysis, serum (7,229 cases) and cream (6,024 cases), which are core categories of skincare, still maintain a high level of interest. What is noteworthy is the growth of toner (2,104 cases) and mist (670 cases). In particular, toner is evolving beyond just smoothing skin texture into the first step of skincare packed with functional ingredients, and interest in mist is also expanding as a product for skin condition management and glow care beyond simple hydration. There was also a clear shift in the way consumers explore product information. While traditional Blogs (41.2%) and Reddit (22.5%) remain major channels, the growth of YouTube (+16.8%) and Instagram (+15%) has been expanding rapidly of late. This shows that consumers are no longer just reading ingredient descriptions, but are choosing products after directly verifying: 

✔ How the texture applies to the skin 

✔ What the actual skin changes look like 

✔ Whether the before & after effects are visible to the naked eye

Consumption is shifting beyond "ingredient-centric consumption" to "consumption where results are verified visually." Especially for high-performance ingredients, consumers tend to trust actual usage experiences and visual skin changes more than advertising copy. Therefore, moving forward, strategies that intuitively show the process of skin change through video and visual content, rather than just explaining the efficacy of ingredients, are expected to become much more important. 

📈 2. Skincare Category Landscape Analytics : Top 5 Ingredients

The most critical change in this analysis is that PDRN, Peptide, and Collagen have entered the rankings in large numbers as new dominant keywords ("New"), moving beyond traditional ingredients such as Niacinamide and Retinol.

Serum: Fitting for a high-performance category centered on ingredients and efficacy, Acids (37%) for skin texture improvement took the lead, while Collagen (32%), PDRN (29%), and Peptide (28%) made spectacular debuts in the top ranks. Cream: As needs expand beyond hydration into anti-aging and regenerative care, PDRN (31%) took 1st place simultaneously with its entry. This was followed by Vitamin (26%) and Peptide (21%, +9%). Toner & Mist: In toner, the very first step of the routine, PDRN (28%, +9%p) also ranked 1st. In the mist category, Hyaluronic (26%) and Collagen (16%) newly entered the charts, showing a clear trend of taking care of elasticity and radiance in daily life.

The growth of PDRN and Peptide in particular can be interpreted not as a temporary fad, but as a signal that consumers have begun to pursue more direct skin improvement effects and long-term skin health at the same time. In the future, it is expected that it will be important for brands to go beyond simply proposing new ingredients and instead deliver a strategy that communicates what skin concerns are solved and how safely the product can be used.

📈 3. Consumer Perception Across Skincare Categories: Related Keyword Analytics

Even for the same skincare product, the roles consumers expected differed distinctly by category. According to VUSSENS' associated word analysis, US consumers do not simply perceive each product line as a "moisturizing product," but are utilizing them as functional solutions tailored to their skin concerns and lifestyles.

🧪 Serum: ➡️ #IngredientSelection #SkinTextureImprovement #IntensiveCare Strongly linked with keywords like ingredients, formula, and acid, it appeared as a representative high-performance category where ingredients and efficacy are considered most importantly.

💧 Toner: ➡️ #FirstStepRefinement #LightHydration #FreshFinish Mentioned along with routine, cleanser, and step keywords, it is recognized as a first-step product that refines skin texture and balances oil and moisture after cleansing.

🧴 Cream: ➡️ #MoistureFinish #BarrierProtection #TangibleEffects Keywords like moisturizer, routine, and dry were prominent, showing that it is perceived as a core product that retains moisture and protects the skin barrier in the final step of skincare.

🌬️ Mist: ➡️ #InstantHydration #DailyRefresh #MakeupBooster Centered around spray, hydration, and day keywords, it was perceived as a light moisture care product used frequently throughout daily life.

This analysis shows that US consumers no longer view skincare products through a single function of "moisturization." Even for the same ingredient, the expected efficacy and purpose of use vary depending on the category, and the roles of each product line are becoming more segmented, such as: Serum for intensive care Toner for refining skin condition Cream for barrier protection Mist for daily radiance management In the future, it is expected that strategies that clearly propose what role the product plays in the consumer's lifestyle, rather than just emphasizing the ingredient itself, will become more critical.

📈 4. What Consumers Actually Think: Ingredient Sentiment Analysis (Sentiment VOC)

US consumers' response to the TOP 5 core ingredients (PDRN, Peptide, Acid, Niacinamide, Retinol) was generally favorable, with 61% positive, 36% neutral, and 3% negative. Through actual review data, VUSSENS analyzed positive evaluations along with the hidden Pain Points felt by consumers.

1.   PDRN

👍 Positive: Receiving high interest for skin regeneration, elasticity, and radiance improvement effects, it is recognized as a representative high-performance K-beauty ingredient.

👎 Negative: Along with opinions that the effect was not as significant as expected or that the value for money was low, curiosity about the raw ingredients and actual efficacy also appeared.

2.   Peptide

👍 Positive: It is recognized as a core anti-aging ingredient that helps improve wrinkles and strengthen elasticity.

👎 Negative: Because there are various types of ingredients, it is difficult for consumers to understand the differences, and some doubts regarding concentration and actual efficacy were also identified.

3.   Acid

👍 Positive: It is receiving positive evaluations as an ingredient that solves various skin concerns such as exfoliation, skin texture improvement, and pore management.

👎 Negative: As the degree of irritation varies depending on the type and concentration of acid, concerns about skin irritation and usage methods appeared together.

4.   Niacinamide

👍 Positive: It enjoys steady popularity as a representative multi-functional ingredient with skin tone improvement, blemish care, and even soothing effects.

👎 Negative: Concerns exist regarding skin irritation and barrier damage when using high concentrations or when combining it with other functional ingredients.

5.   Retinol

👍 Positive: It still stands as one of the most representative functional ingredients for anti-aging and wrinkle improvement.

👎 Negative: Concerns about side effects such as skin irritation, dryness, and redness are continuously mentioned, and interest in low-irritation alternative ingredients is also increasing.

While US consumers prefer ingredients with outstanding efficacy, they are also deeply concerned about whether they can be used safely on the skin. In particular, as interest in skin irritation, ingredient combinations, and side effects increases, brands that provide reliability in efficacy along with a safe usage guide—rather than simply proposing a new ingredient—are expected to become more competitive in the future. In other words, the new competitiveness in the US skincare market lies not in "strong efficacy" itself, but in "ingredients that can be used safely."

5.   What are the TOP 10 Brands Mentioned Along with the TOP Ingredients? 

According to the VUSSENS analysis, the brand most frequently mentioned together with the TOP ingredients recently was The Ordinary (365 cases). COSRX (93 cases) ranked 2nd, followed by Olay (82 cases), L'Oréal (53 cases), Vichy (49 cases), and CeraVe (44 cases). The overwhelming volume of mentions for The Ordinary shows that US consumers are highly interested in "ingredient-centric skincare" that transparently discloses the ingredients themselves, their content, and efficacy, rather than brand image. On the other hand, COSRX ranked 2nd, establishing itself as a representative K-beauty brand centered on soothing, hydrating, and skin barrier care. In particular, amid rising interest in high-performance ingredients like PDRN and peptides, it is characterized by being recognized as a brand that lowers irritation and manages skin conditions stably. In addition, CeraVe and Vichy were also steadily mentioned as brands centered on skin barrier and sensitive skin care, confirming that US consumers consider skin-friendly usage experiences important alongside functionality. In short, in the US market, brands that provide trust and user experiences regarding "why the consumer can trust and use that ingredient" are expected to become more competitive. This trend can be seen as an important signal showing that the recent US skincare market is being reorganized around "brands that provide trust in ingredients and skin experiences" rather than "famous brands."

6.   Core Insights from VUSSENS

Through VUSSENS, this analysis confirmed that the US skincare market is rapidly shifting from a simple moisture-centric focus to an "ingredient-centric" and "high-performance skincare expecting actual skin improvement" focus. In particular, skin regeneration and anti-aging ingredients such as PDRN, Peptide, and Collagen are emerging as new core keywords, and consumers are considering what ingredients solve their skin concerns and how safely they can be used as more important factors than simply famous brands. In addition, consumers are moving beyond text-based information searches to choose products after checking actual reviews and results on YouTube and Instagram. Therefore, how effectively a brand communicates the skin changes and usage experiences created by an ingredient—rather than just the ingredient itself—will likely become a crucial competitive edge.

VUSSENS is an AI-powered beauty market analysis platform that supports fast and accurate decision-making for brands by analyzing global beauty market trends, category changes, product competitiveness, and marketing performance based on data.

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