Nail Market Trends 2024-2025: From UV Gels to Hyper-Customization & Healthy Formulas
The global nail market is experiencing a vibrant transformation, with significant shifts driven by evolving consumer demands and innovative technologies. According to Euromonitor, the market is estimated at a staggering €5.6 billion in 2024, marking a robust 5.4% growth compared to 2023. This impressive dynamic is largely fueled by the burgeoning nail care category, which now accounts for a substantial 14% of the total market value.
“Current beauty trends play a key role in the progress made in this sector,” explains Candice Jagut, Marketing & Innovation Director of Fiabila, a leading global supplier in the nail industry. She highlights several influential movements:
- Skinclusivity: The demand for products catering to all types of consumers.
- Hyper-Customization: Tailored solutions for individual needs.
- Skinification: Applying advanced skincare logic to all body parts, including nails.
- Sensorial & Emotional Experiences: Consumers seek products that offer more than just aesthetics.
- Lazy Beauty: A growing preference for simplicity, quickness, and ease of use.
These shifts are driving demand for long-lasting manicures, particularly at-home UV gels, and a premiumization of products across the board, including nail care and even removers.
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1. UV Gels: The New Market Drivers and Their Challenges
While traditional standard nail polish remains a staple, it faces significant competition from gel polish – also known as semi-permanent nail polish. This technology is soaring in popularity due to its exceptional long wear and professional, glossy finish. These two main nail technologies differ significantly in their formulations, application methods, and usage:
| Feature | Standard Nail Polish | UV Gel Polish |
|---|---|---|
| Technology | Evaporation of volatile solvents, pigments, resins. | Cross-linking technology with photosensitive polymers. |
| Drying Method | Dries in open air in minutes. | Hardens under a UV or LED lamp (each layer separately). |
| Finish & Wear | Quick, accessible solution, standard wear. | Smooth, ultra-shiny finish, up to three-week resistance. |
| Removal | Standard nail polish remover. | Soaking in acetone/foil wraps, or drilling (can weaken nails). |
| Accessibility | Widely available, no special equipment needed. | Initially professional-only, now popular with DIY home kits (portable lamps). |
The recent dominance of gel technology, particularly for at-home use, presents new challenges. These include the need for less aggressive removal solutions that preserve nail health, and addressing environmental concerns related to their chemical formulations.
Jagut emphasizes the global boom: “On the global level, nail care and UV Gel manicures at home are booming. UV gels and new technologies like strips, as well as effects, are very popular in the US. In Brazil, colors and effects remain in the top 3, which they now share with nail care products. In Japan, science remains the main reference to support a hybrid product market.”
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2. The Quest for Healthier Nail Technologies
The industry is rapidly shifting towards healthier, more sustainable options. A notable pioneer is French brand Manucurist, which launched Green Flash in 2020 – the first biosourced semi-permanent nail polish available on the mass market. Developed with Fiabila, this innovation offers an alternative that removes like standard polish, boasts 12-day wear, and features a formula free from controversial ingredients. Five years on, Manucurist proudly reports 600,000 Green Flash users worldwide, three million bottles sold, and a €50 million turnover.
Camille Naud, PR & Influence Manager for Manucurist, explains their vision: “We aimed to work on risk-free formulas, both for beauticians and users. We launched the Green Biosourcé range in 2014, and then Green Flash, the semi-permanent nail polish version, in 2020. In the middle of the pandemic, when consumers sought home solutions and a cleaner approach, this product ticked all the boxes, and there soon was a craze for it.”
Fiabila, a trailblazer in biosourced formulas, now dedicates 10% of its global workforce to R&D. They’ve also welcomed dermatologist and nail expert Dr. Bertrand Richert to their scientific committee, further solidifying their commitment to nail health. Their rigorous active ingredient selection for polishes and nail care targets healthy nail growth, nutrition, repair, solidification, antioxidation, and damage prevention.
This year, Fiabila launched My UV-Gel@Home, the first self-applied gel compliant with regulations and designed for retail, offering up to three-week wear. Jagut notes, “This technical and regulatory feat meets the strong demand for gel polish to be applied at home, offering the same high performance as the products used in salons, but for a more affordable price. In addition, the formula is mainly composed of oligomers to prevent any sensitization risks.” Its one-step removal, via the refreshing gel Pro’Nail Gel Remover, is another breakthrough.
Removal remains a primary hurdle for semi-permanent gels. IL Cosmetics, another major global supplier, has specifically addressed this. Aurélie Ignaccolo, their Marketing Director, explains, “When users are asked about their expectations, they rank removal at the same level as long wear and shine performance, ease of application, and formula safety.” Their innovation, Gentle Gel, allows semi-permanent gel removal using only warm water and an oil drop, without acetone or foils. The gel peels off after a three-minute soak, preserving nail health and allowing frequent manicure changes without fear.
IL Cosmetics also focuses on nail care for nails weakened by increased semi-permanent polish use, offering a Nail Care selection, including a strengthening serum and hybrid color-and-care ranges with subtle nude finishes or multi-reflective effects.
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3. Nail Polish & Care Go Hybrid
The broader beauty market’s move towards a holistic, premium skincare approach is profoundly influencing nails. For Fiabila, nail care already constitutes 14% of the global nail market and an impressive 28% of its turnover.
This shift has birthed a new generation of standard, hybrid polishes that blend color with dedicated nail care. Kure Bazaar, a pioneer in clean nail polish, recently launched Remarquable Therapy Cosmetics – a collection of nail serum-polishes in 14 shades. These natural formulas combine silicon, keratin, and calcium for fortification, protection, and strengthening, alongside botanical extracts like hibiscus, chestnut, buckwheat, samphire, and, for the first time in nail polish, Centella Asiatica for its anti-aging benefits.
“The approach is revolutionary: you can have fun with beautiful colors, while taking care of your damaged nails with natural formulas. It is the nail polish of the future,” proclaims Christian David, Kure Bazaar’s founder and natural nail polish trailblazer. Packaged in amber bottles for formula protection, the range includes 14 colors, plus complementary nail and cuticle-specific care products. Last autumn, Kure Bazaar opened Maison Kure Bazaar in Paris, offering both collections and therapeutic nail treatments, solidifying its presence in about 15 countries.
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4. The Rise of Nail Polish Patches
Another significant trend gaining traction is nail patches. These convenient stickers are thin, pre-cut films, usually made of gel or flexible resin, that are directly applied and easily adjusted to the natural nail shape. Highly popular in the US and Asia, especially Korea, some versions can be cured under an LED lamp for a semi-permanent effect and removed with foil wraps and acetone, mirroring traditional gel removal.
Responding to the “Lazy Beauty” trend, Fiabila and Incoco have partnered to launch the Wear Ever collection. This travel-size, ready-to-apply manicure features 100% real nail polish strips that require no drying time. Simply affix them to the nails, cut by pressing along the nail contour, and lightly file for a professional finish and up to ten days of wear. Removal is effortless with standard nail polish remover.
Jagut highlights their quality: “These strips are actual cosmetic products; they comply with the FDA’s and REACH regulations and the adhesive base is gentle on the nail. They are composed of four layers: a gentle, skin-friendly adhesive base which primes and preserves the nail surface, a base coat to enhance hold, a standard nail polish layer with rich and intense colors, and possible patterns, and a top coat to fix the color, provide shine, and long wear.”
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5. Customization and Inclusivity Driving Innovation
Meeting the pervasive demand for customized beauty products, American manufacturer Kirker has invested in Blank Beauty, a company leveraging AI technology for automated nail polish production both in-store and online. Blank Beauty claims its compact devices (under 0.38 square meters) can create an astonishing 40,000 polish shades at retail points. Online, users can connect to the Blank platform, design custom colors in minutes, and have them delivered home.
In terms of inclusivity, Fiabila has unveiled Universel Nail Cure, the first undetectable, gender-neutral nail perfector. Designed to regenerate, protect, and strengthen the nail surface, it provides a subtle, natural matte finish without a traditional polish effect, catering to a broader audience seeking healthy, natural-looking nails.