Image credit: ELEMIS
Olivia Adams – Senior Editor
It’s 2025: our favourite fruit is cherries, Korean skincare has gone international and we love an undiscovered fragrance. Below, we run through the trends and products that transformed your routine.
The cherry on top
Cherry has been ripe for the picking this year – with the deep, vibrant hue seen on high-fashion catwalks, and the scent featuring in fine fragrances, cleansing balms and lip glosses. Not only did British brand ELEMIS release its number-one bestselling cleanser in a fragrant blend of juicy black cherry, comforting almond and vanilla, but our new brand Fenty’s Plush Puddin’ Lip Mask in Barbados Cherry also proved incredibly popular. So does this mean many of us are smelling of Bakewell tarts? “No, it’s very grown up,” says Jade Glynn, Beauty Business Manager at John Lewis. “It’s less cherry cola and more – in the words of Tom Ford – ‘fantasy-inspiring levels of insatiability’.” Absolutely delicious.
The niche fragrance boom
Today, we demand more from our scents; whether better ingredients or better packaging, it’s all about uncovering hidden gems that champion individuality and aren’t in the mainstream. The average selling price of perfumes at John Lewis jumped in 2025 from £73 to £102. “Customers just love to find a fragrance that other people aren’t wearing. There’s an element of discovery,” says Jade. “A lot of this has been driven by the arrival of new luxe or niche fragrance brands, including Jo Loves, Penhaligon’s, Byredo and LOEWE.” That makes sense, but why are people now prepared to spend as much as £300 on a small bottle of scent? “It’s about so much more than the smell,” says Jade. “There’s the bottle, how beautiful it looks on your shelf, what that says about you when you walk into a room, how it makes you feel.” Basically, they are really worth every penny.
Korean suncream
Korean skincare has gone viral in recent years – and for good reason. The ingredient-focused formulas nourish, hydrate and boost, resulting in the now-famous ‘glass-skin effect’. But 2025 went one step further, with Korean sunscreen becoming a huge skincare trend. Lightweight, non-greasy and expertly made, you can trust Korean skincare products to deliver broad spectrum SPF, as well as wearability. Even better, many formulas double up as skincare, and they are brimming with skincare ingredients – such as 2% Korean Centella Asiatica, known for its soothing properties, and hyaluronic acid – which means the formulas provide 24-hour hydration. You can read our review on Erborian’s half skincare, half makeup SPF hero here.
Cushion foundation
Cushion foundation is 2025’s breakout star. Originally a cult favourite in Korea, the part-skincare, part-makeup product offers easy application, a seamless finish and hydration. On johnlewis.com, searches for ‘Cushion Foundation’ were up 50 per cent compared to 2024. New to John Lewis, Sculpted by Aimee’s Cream Cushion Foundation is lightweight, refillable and available in 30 shades. Dream.
Beauty advent calendar
Our 2025 beauty advent calendar became the fastest-selling non-tech product in the history of johnlewis.com (with the exception of Apple product launches, of course). Now in its sixth year, we have all learnt that few things offer such amazing value as this annual celebration of beauty brands. Back in 2019, the first year that John Lewis created its own beauty advent calendar, customers paid £150 to receive £255 worth of products – the equivalent of a 70% bonus. This year it cost £235, but with over £1,000-worth of products it offered the equivalent of 325% of free goodies. Truly a no-brainer.
