Why Press-On Nails Might Overtake the Gel Market

Welcome back to Haul of Fame, your must-read beauty roundup for new products, new ideas and protest shopping!

Included in today’s issue: Anastasia Beverly Hills, Boka, Bottega Veneta, Colourpop, Crate + Barrel, Cyklar, Equinox, ESW Beauty, Glossier, Henry Rose, Heyday, L’Oréal, Manucurist Paris, Maybelline, Melt Cosmetics, Murad, Naturopathica, Qure, Rhode, Salt & Stone, Sarah Creal, Sézane, Soshe, The Lip Bar, Venn Skincare, Vero Lineage, Undefined, Uni, Violette_Fr and Denise Richards’s forehead.

But first…

I’m waiting for the Saturday Night Live skit where the Chloes (Troast and Fineman) go to a nail salon and talk about how relaxing it is — all while Sarah Sherman, playing a sadistic nail tech, drills and sands their fingers until they become whittled, lacquered tree stumps.

That’s how a manicure often feels to me, anyway, and I know I’m not alone. On Threads, a popular post from Netflix social media manager Tiffany Sheri called a salon manicure “the hand dentist.” On Reddit, the R/UnpopularOpinion thread “Getting a Manicure Is Not Relaxing” has hundreds of comments and upvotes. But even those who love their manicures might be reconsidering the cost right now — especially since, as my colleagues and I reported in the Wall Street Journal last year, nail jobs that once cost $40 are now $120. “Manicure inflation” — so real.

Enter the rise of custom press-on nails, which currently command about $738 million in global revenue, according to the analytics firm Grand Market Research, which predicts the category will cross the $1 billion mark in less than five years with a CAGR of 6.5 percent. Cheaper and faster to apply than regular gel tips, press-ons can be worn nearly as long as a “real” fake nail without the drilling, sanding and cuticle-slicing that some women find unbearable, and others simply can’t afford anymore. “It’s $40 here and it’s more than $100 somewhere else,” said Sunny Song, the owner of Miss Sunshine Nails, a press-on salon with locations in Manhattan and Long Island, New York. “Our nails are reusable, customisable, and easy to apply.” She notes that even with more durable nail glue, press-ons don’t file down or damage the natural nail with the same intensity as a typical gel or acrylic. “It is just so much nicer to your hands!”

Song opened her first location in 2022. Today, over 50 percent of her clients come back to purchase multiple press-on nail sets from her website. At Ketty Kiss Nails in downtown Manhattan, $25 – $40 press-on services were so popular, they helped propel the salon to open a second location near Union Square. And in Los Angeles, Lost Angels Nails — a press-on brand created last year — caters to celebrities like Megan Fox and Kate Hudson, along with shoppers searching for $20 manicures “designed to look like your Pinterest mood board,” according to co-founders Morgan Lustig (an Amazon veteran and former Rachel Zoe intern) and Brittney Boyce (a celebrity nail artist). About three months ago, the brand entered Urban Outfitters as its first outside vendor. (UO also sells nails from Chillhouse, a popular New York salon that offers a $20 application fee at its Soho, New York location.) Paintbox, which has proffered bespoke manicures alongside flutes of champagne since opening its first salon in 2013, launched a custom press-on offering this year. (My colleague Brennan Kilbane will have more on that soon.)

This week, press-on nails appeared next to Glow Recipe Watermelon Toner and Rhode Glazing Milk on the Google Holiday 100, a cheat sheet of the most-clicked products in the world. According to Google Trends, searches for the sticky talons reached multiple “all time highs” throughout 2025, with Nail Reformation’s $18 reusable packs growing 850% since January of this year. Song, the Miss Sunshine Nails founder, says women aged 18 to 30 are the ones driving the spike. “They don’t want to wait and see if the design being painted on their nails is what they really wanted,” she said. “They want to see the nails in front of them, point, and say, ‘I love that one; put it on me.’ It is instant gratification, and there’s no salon regret.”

What else is new…

Skincare

Salt & Stone is moving into “unstoppable” territory. After breaking into Aritzia doors this fall, the Los Angeles brand that I’ve nicknamed “Boy Glossier” has struck a deal with Solidcore workout studios, which will now carry an exclusive Bergamot & Hinoki Hand Wash in its 175 locations nationwide, along with Salt & Stone’s body lotion and facial cleanser. The brand is also releasing a collab with the California clothing label Cherry LA that features a Leather & Desert Grass scent — so cowboy! — in deodorant, body wash and a candle.

Speaking of trendy deodorants (yikes, what a segue…), Cyklar announced it’s entering the category with Mandelic Acid Brightening Deodorant Gel, a roll-on in four of its signature scents. They debuted on Nov. 4 for $20 each.

I consulted on Naturopathica’s rebrand a few years ago, and my big advice was, “Your formulas are too good to become gimmicks. Keep it pure, but build in discovery points.” Enter the farm-born brand’s annual Christmas offering: Three simple kits for formulas with marshmallow root, manuka honey and argan oil, tidily packed in a deep blue cosmetics bag. The best-sellers returned to spa shelves on Nov. 10.

There’s a new trend of products that claim to “double cleanse” with a single formula. Murad’s Lipid Entrenched Cleansing Balm is one of those entrants, with a $35 formula that uses fermented camellia oil to remove SPF and longwear makeup.

Days after the release of its toothpaste smoothie, Boka released a vanilla and cardamom toothpaste on Nov. 10. So… a shake that tastes like toothpaste, and toothpaste that smells like a body lotion? Sure.

Eye spy Trendmood’s first ever product launch, a jar of sparkly purple under-eye patches! They launched on Nov. 10 with a dedicated Instagram post, naturally.

Adwoa Aboah is the face of Uni’s holiday campaign, with a Nov. 10 launch including photos, videos and the tagline “Trust me, she wants Uni.” (She’s also an investor in the brand, The Business of Beauty reported in July.) Someone on the NYC subway might cross out the brand name and write “universal health care” (if you do this, send me the pic) but maybe Adwoa’s serene gaze and super-perfect freckles will stop them.

Heyday welcomed the K-beauty brand Venn Skincare into its 35 spas on Nov. 11 with an exclusive Salmon Facial PDRN Boost treatment. A version of the popular “salmon sperm facial,” this one uses Venn’s biotech ingredients in a treatment and offers its $250 Rejuvenative PDRN-NE Ampoule treatment as a take-home item.

Calling all skin tech junkies. On Nov. 12, The Spa by Equinox released two treatments created with Beverly Hills dermatologist Dr. Robert Dorfman, A.K.A. the man who convinced Denise Richards to let him take pics of her forehead getting zapped. Visitors can try the Bioregenesis 90 Facial + Oxylight, a $790 treatment with microneedling and salmon DNA and microcurrent and ultrasound. There’s also a $550 version, which gives you the needles and fish juice with a cryotherapy finish.

Makeup

Can Anastasia Beverly Hills regain its dominance through colour cosmetics? On Nov. 6, the brand launched Haze, a nine-shade shadow palette with a reasonable $32 price tag. Most of the shades are neutral but there’s a deep midnight blue in there that’s unusual but not outrageous. Would love it in a liquid eyeliner, too.

Cloudtopia is Maybelline’s answer to the viral “blurry blush” trend. It’s a lip-and-cheek tint with a soft matte finish that debuted in 10 buildable shades. The $10 pigment pots hit Ulta Beauty on Nov. 6.

It’s tricky to make a truly holographic eyeliner, but Violette_Fr nailed its most recent Lune Liner, a quartet of JEM-worthy shades like chrome purple, iridescent green gold or pink-based opal. The pigment payoff is good and so is the longevity — I went to the gym while wearing the $34 Ultraviolet and nothing moved.

If you’d rather do a pencil liner, Sarah Creal’s whisper-network kohl just added a new shade, Twilight Smoke, which blends copper and silver shimmer into a grey-brown base. It’s $35.

Welcome to the world, Outside In! The brand by Hourglass Cosmetics founder Carissa James dropped its first product, a self-setting serum, on Nov. 6. Daniela Morosini’s got the full scoop here!

For those who are still die-hard manicurians, Manucurist Paris debuted Let’s Prep, a $24 trio of functional glass nail tools, including a file, a cuticle pusher, and a nail buffer. It rolled out on Nov. 10.

Sure, Netflix’s new Frankenstein looks great, but if you’re still partial to Edward Scissorhands, head to Melt Cosmetics. On Nov. 10, the California brand rolled out a collection that includes a shimmery eye palette, a blush and false eyelashes covered with graphics of Edward’s famous deer and dinosaur topiaries. Adorbs.

Fillipina beauty influencers, assemble! On Nov. 10, Los Angeles beauty vlogger Heart Defensor Telegaarta introduced a collaboration with Japonesque including a Pro Performance Lash Curler, a pack of additional pastel padding for the clamp, and a wristlet charm. (But, like, can we not start accessorising our beauty tools? Please?) The pack is $25 and the charm is super cute on a phone case; just keep it there.

L’Oréal dropped a Lumi Bronze stick balm bronzer on Nov. 10, so it must officially be “please make me look alive in the winter darkness” season.

Glossier’s Hot Cocoa and Cookie Butter Balm Dotcom returned to the website on Nov. 11. No plans to make the two tinted glosses a part of the permanent collection, but like Cadbury Mini Eggs at Easter, they’re a fun holiday surprise every time they return.

Soshe’s Nude Pillow Blurring Blush hit shelves on Nov. 11 after co-founder Sahar Rohani confessed over TikTok that she felt “like she made a mistake” with the brand’s four original blush shades — all pink and purple-based. This one is a more golden hue “for the olive-toned girls” and costs $28.

Last week, Foxly launched its targeted Gen-Z skincare collection at Whole Foods. On Nov. 11, the place where you steal an extra cookie next to the salad bar (shhh!) unveiled two shimmery lip balms from ESW beauty, including a rose-tinted version and a tingly mint one. They’re $20 each and both claim to be inspired by smoothies.

Undefined launched R&R Untinted Sun Serum on Nov. 11 with zinc oxide, niacinamide and allantoin. The $28 formula can be worn alone or under makeup, and has a water-resistant formula for these emerging snow days. (Yes, you still need SPF on snow days.)

Unless you’re on a social media cleanse, you already know that Rhode’s Birthday Edit dropped on Nov. 12 with four Peptide Lip Tints in Ribbon, Espresso, Raspberry Jelly and Toast, plus a giant squishy cosmetics bag and a “snap on” gloss holder that sticks to an iPhone.

It’s not Christmas shopping season until Colourpop is like, “Wait, guys, we have more glitter lip gloss!” Starting Nov. 13, you can get the brand’s Fresh Kiss Glossy Lip Balms with Shimmer in six colours, including Raspberry Cream (pink), Chocolate Cherry (deep red) and Whipped Cream, a sheer opal. They’re $10 each.

Congrats, it’s triplets! The Lip Bar released three new shades of its Nonstop Liquid Matte Lipstick to celebrate its partnerships with influencers De’arra Taylor, Jeannette Reyes and Jenee Naylor. Each creator gets her own $49 lip kit collab just in time for gifting season. They all launch on Nov. 14.

Hair Care

Welcome to Revolve, Vero Lineage! The new haircare line by San Diego colourist Linda Gatt hit the online trend agora on Nov. 11 with a $46 leave-in conditioning spray and a $44 keratin hair oil.

Imagine a bike helmet lined with tiny LED bulbs. That’s what the gizmo brand Qure is premiering on Nov. 14. It’s called the Q-Renew LLLT helmet, costs about $1,000 and promises 12-minute treatment sessions with red light therapy and lasers for “stimulating hair follicles, promoting regrowth, and enhancing scalp health.” Shall I try it while CitiBiking through the park?

Fragrance

Does your Bottega Veneta fragrance need its own little Bottega Veneta handbag? Of course it does. On Nov. 10, the brand now helmed by Louise Trotter debuted exquisite woven leather cases in silver, forest green and deep red. Each case comes with a Bottega travel perfume spray of your choice; the whole package is $350 for the original Bottega fragrance or $380 for one of the Mezzanotte items.

Well, now we know where Michelle Pfeiffer gets her placemats. On Nov. 11, the actress announced the first-ever brand partnership for her clean fragrance brand, Henry Rose. It’s a Crate + Barrel collab called the Hearth Candle with notes of charred lavender, cinnamon bark and tobacco, mixed into a soy-based wax. The candle vessel looks like Harry Potter’s Goblet of Fire, if it were designed by Kelly Wearstler. It’s $80.

Also in fragrance and home crossovers, Sézane has partnered with the French wallpaper atelier Antoinette Poisson on a $70 scented candle featuring Sézane’s signature fragrance. It’s already sold out online, but you can find a few lingering in the Soho, New York boutique…

And finally…

Shoutout to Amelie Desazars, the Parisian co-founder of Skin & Co, for getting CNN to film her marching into the storied Le Bon Marche and buying back all of her inventory in protest of Shein’s store arrival. According to camera footage, she spent about 1,400 Euro on her own products — but that’s a small price to pay for beaming out the message that Skin & Co doesn’t do cheap & easy. (Also, in 2024, Desazars’s brand got a $1.7 million infusion from Caudalie, so, like, they’re fine.)

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