Top Aesthetics Trends to Watch in 2025
Despite a tough economic environment in 2024, aesthetics consumers continued to spend – and they’re not planning to stop in 2025. According to research from NewBeauty, the majority of consumers plan to maintain the same level of spending on aesthetics treatments; even if they had to reduce their overall spending, they’re much more likely to cut dining out, nail care, and clothing than aesthetics or cosmetics.
With consumers committed to their routines and treatments, we have seen several key trends from 2024 continue to dominate the conversation and industry landscape, including the impact of GLP-1s, the rising importance of natural results, and the burgeoning interest in exosomes.
Ahead, we break down the macro trends driving the industry this year, plus the procedures and treatments to watch.
Top Trend of the Year: The “Ozempic Effect”
In 2024, GLP-1 and GIP weight loss medications became truly mainstream. You can now get it from Weight Watchers or a myriad of direct-to-consumer companies, all from the comfort of your home. And we don’t see this slowing down anytime soon. NewBeauty surveyed injectable weight loss users, and the majority are committed to long-term use and have reduced spendings in other areas due to the cost of the drug.
The mass proliferation of these weight loss medications has led to what experts are dubbing the “Ozempic Effect,” which refers to the impact of these drugs on all aspects of the beauty and aesthetics industry, from plastic surgery and cosmetic treatments to skincare products. Most weight loss patients are planning to invest in treatments once they reach their goal weight – whether that’s dealing with excess skin, loss of muscle, declining skin quality, or pockets of fat. This large population of patients and their specific needs have been a huge influence on aesthetics treatments performed. Some surgeons are even calling “Ozempic Makeovers” the new Mommy Makeover, which may include removing loose skin, fat transfer for volume restoration, and other tailored solutions.
Honorary Mention: Filler Fatigue & Inclination Towards a More Natural Look
In 2025, the over-filled look is officially out. Industry veterans agree that the filler market has seen its peak, driven partially by concern over the long-term impact of fillers, which we’re now seeing nearly 20 years after they were first introduced. While filler treatments will always have a place, more patients are choosing to dissolve their fillers, which means we’re also now seeing the after effects of filler removal. Providers are seeing that fillers have distorted skin quality over time, leading to skin surface irregularities and hollowness that make people look haggard and aged.
The decline in fillers is also accompanied by reduced interest in excessive contouring and buccal fat removal, which aimed to create more angularity and shadows on the face. Instead, patients are now looking for a fresh, less defined, fuller face, which is often associated with youth (however, this shouldn’t be conflated with the overfilled look achieved by fillers – natural volume is the end goal).
With the “Ozempic Effect” and filler fatigue as the major macro trends, these are the procedures we predict to be in-demand for 2025.
1. Skin Tightening & Lifting
Expect to see a spike in non-invasive skin tightening and lifting treatments in response to GLP-1 and GIP weight loss. According to NewBeauty research, loose and sagging skin is the top concern after medical weight loss, as cited by 62.4% of patients.
Outside of weight loss patients, plastic surgeons are seeing face lifts trending and trending younger. Specifically, there’s a wave of interest in jaws and jowls, driving up demand for a procedure sometimes known as the “lower facelift,” which focuses on tightening and lifting the jowls and neck. Many patients feel this is a highly visible area that naturally show signs of aging, such as loose skin and loss of definition.
While some patients are turning to surgery, there are exciting and effective treatments in the non-invasive space fueled by this demand. RF energy has been proven to be effective at stimulating collagen and elastin production; a monopolar RF device like EVERESSE can tighten and lift, delivering great results for the jowls and neck to create more youthful facial contours, while combining RF with microneedling can not only help with laxity but also texture. CoolPeel, a popular no-downtime laser resurfacing treatment, can also be used to target lines, wrinkles, and skin laxity, and works well in conjunction with RF technology.
2. Fat grafting
Fat grafting, also known as fat transfers or fat injections, is a surgical procedure where fat is transferred from one part of the body or another. The increased interest in fat grafting as of late can be directly attributed to injectable weight loss medications. Because these drugs are not targeted, patients may not lose fat evenly across the body – resulting in pockets of fat that remain after weight loss or fat loss in unintended areas. Fat grafting solves both sides of the problem at once – take the fat from where the drug didn’t have an impact and transfer it to places where you didn’t want to lose volume.
For an interesting perspective on new fat transfer procedures, check out our latest clinical series on this topic.
Fat grafting is also a popular alternative to fillers for creating youthful fullness in the face, although there may be non-invasive ways to restore facial volume. Take new monopolar RF technology EVERESSE, which delivers RF energy deep into the dermis to trigger “double-depth collagen generation.” This has been clinically proven to help restore natural volume and facial contours at any age and can be a great alternative for the needle and scalpel-averse.
3. Regenerative aesthetics & exosomes
Regenerative treatments have continued to rise in popularity, especially as an alternative to fillers. Many regenerative solutions are derived from our own body, such as platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and nanofat grating, tapping into our innate capabilities and simultaneously creating a more natural result.
We also expect to see continued interest in exosome treatments, which are microvesicles derived from cells carrying exponential regenerative properties. Allure reported exosomes as a top trend in 2024 and 2025, but caution that not all created equal. Providers need to consider the source of these products as well as how and where they are processed.
For providers looking for a validated and tested exosome product, Chronos EXO CR is an in-office application using traceable, pure, and potent exosomes. Derived from single-source Wharton’s Jelly, EXO CR is minimally manipulated and produced in an FDA-compliant, ISO 7, cGMP-certified lab. Users of EXO CR in conjunction with energy-based treatments report not only a decrease in downtime but also an improvement of overall results at the 5, 6, 7-week mark.
4. body procedures
It’s no surprise that due to the “Ozempic Effect”, body procedures remain popular – although the exact procedures may be shifting. There is now higher demand for surgical procedures to address the loose or excess skin common after significant weight loss (with the arms and abdomen being popular areas). Liposuction is also still on the table because injectable weight loss is not targeted to specific areas. Interest in BBLs has waned, as patients are looking for more natural silhouettes and contours for the body, similar to their desire for a more natural appearance in the face.
According to NewBeauty research, nearly 50% of patients are concerned with loss of muscle tone or definition associated with GLP-1 and GIP use. Non-invasive body treatments like PHYSIQ 360 can help stimulate and re-educate muscles, which is a great complement to working out and can play a crucial role in maintaining ideal results.
Skin quality and skin texture can also be impacted by weight loss – and not just on the face. Radiofrequency Microneedling (RFMN) can be used to address skin laxity and crepiness, and the VirtueRF device has a handpiece specifically designed for body applications. And don’t forget that lasers aren’t just for the face! We’re seeing more providers use laser resurfacing to improve texture, tone, and skin quality on the body as well.
5. Blepharoplasties
Blepharoplasties (or “blephs”) have been rising in popularity, especially among celebrities, and will remain popular in 2025. A blepharoplasty can help lift and open the eye area, giving patients a more refreshed and youthful look. These surgical procedures can be performed on the upper or lower eyelids and help address hooding and wrinkles or under-eye bags and dark circles, respectively.
Blepharoplasties can be combined with fat grafting (see trend #2) to further address the hollowness and tear troughs under the eyes. Another common technique is combining the surgical procedure with a CO2 laser to improve skin texture by addressing lines, wrinkles, and pigmentation.
Shaking up CO2 lasers is the revolutionary HELIX, which combines fractional CO2 technology and non-ablative resurfacing to deliver customizable results. HELIX can be used to perform the popular CoolPeel treatment, or the new FUSION treatment, which combines traditional CO2 with a 1570nm wavelength to effectively target fine lines, wrinkles, skin tone, and texture. For patients who don’t want the downtime associated with a surgical bleph, many providers are achieving great success with non-invasive technologies that offer targeted tightening and beyond.
Are you ready to get a jump start on the most in-demand treatments of 2025? Elevate your practice with Cartessa's state-of-the-art aesthetic and cosmetic solutions. Contact us today to get started!