Mother’s Day is less than a week away and man. Sunday 10 May 2026 – continues to rank among the highest-converting retail events outside of Christmas, with Australians forecast to spend more than $1 billion nationwide, averaging $141 per shopper, according to Business Victoria.
Critically for retailers, the occasion is highly last-minute driven, with around 46% of consumers shopping in the final week and more than half leaving at least one purchase to the day itself, according to Roy Morgan.
Retail Beauty’s edit cuts through the noise, highlighting the hero categories, high-impact products and price points driving spend right now.
Beauty Tech: The new hero gift
Premium devices are cementing their role as top-tier gifting anchors, particularly among affluent and results-driven consumers.
Shark Beauty CryoGlow LED Mask ($899.99) delivers clinically backed LED therapy with integrated cooling positioning it firmly in the clinic-at-home category. Designed to target fine lines, acne and under-eye concerns, it offers a multi-treatment, results-driven solution that supports premium gifting and higher-value transactions.
Withings Body Scan ($799) moves beyond traditional beauty into health-led diagnostics, delivering ECG, vascular age and segmental body composition analysis in one device. Positioned at the intersection of wellness and tech, it caters to consumers prioritising long-term health tracking and proactive self-management, opening up incremental spend beyond core beauty categories.
Dyson Airwrap continues to dominate as a luxury hair-tech staple, while ghd remains a consistent performer in premium styling tools.
Hair & Treatments: From salon to at-home
The category is expanding beyond traditional haircare into treatment-led and service-replacement formats, driven by demand for convenience and cost efficiency.
The 1000HOUR Lash Lift Kit ($39.99) delivers salon-quality lift, curl and definition at home, with results lasting 6–8 weeks. Each pack includes up to three applications and a waterproof finish, tapping into the DIY treatment trend and offering salon-style results at a significantly lower cost.
Meanwhile, K18 and Olaplex continue to lead the repair and bond-building segment, with both brands capitalising on the shift towards DIY, at-home hair repair. Their clinically backed, professional-grade formulas allow consumers to maintain colour, strengthen damaged hair and extend salon results between visits, reinforcing the broader move toward low-maintenance, results-driven routines at home.
Skincare: From glow to clinical efficacy
The category continues to split between accessible glow kits and results-driven dermo skincare, with growing demand for at-home treatments.
Ella Baché is celebrating its 90-year milestone with The Iconic Collection Skin Case, ($100, value $193) featuring Ultra Nourishing Cream, Rinse Off Cleansing Cream, Firming Neck Cream and Special Eye Cream. A curated edit of core formulas designed to be gifted, shared and rediscovered across generations.
HydroPeptide Positively Glowing Set ($159.95) delivers brightening and skin renewal in one kit, targeting smoothness, firmness and radiance — a strong value-led gifting option in the treatment category.
O Cosmedics The Night Shift Trio ($145) delivers a professional-grade, three-step overnight treatment at home, combining exfoliation, hydration and renewal to support the skin’s natural repair cycle. Positioned within the growing at-home facial category, it offers a high-value, results-driven alternative to in-clinic treatments.
Sephora Let’s Get Glowy Set ($39) delivers a simple three-step brightening routine (serum, gel cream, eye cream) designed to target dullness and uneven tone, with an optional five-minute mask add-on for instant radiance and hydration — supporting the growing demand for fast, results-driven routines and on-the-go skincare solutions.
La Roche-Posay and Avène anchor clinical skincare available in pharmacy, while The Ordinary leads accessible actives.
Fragrance: Still the emotional core of gifting
Fragrance remains the most emotionally driven category, with strong performance across both prestige and value tiers.
Jean Paul Gaultier has launched Gaultier Divine Couture ($195-$265), a gourmand-leaning fragrance blending notes of raspberry and meringue for a playful yet elevated take on modern femininity, ideal for Mother’s Day gifting.
Givenchy’s L’Interdit Mother’s Day Gift Set ($265) taps into fragrance-led gifting with added value. Featuring the brand’s signature floral-woody scent—blending white florals with deeper woody notes—alongside a Le Rouge Interdit Satin mini lipstick (shade 111 Nude Blush), it delivers both fragrance and colour in one elevated offer.
Penhaligon’s The Favourite EDP ($380) is a sweet, sensual and powdery floral, blending violet leaf, mimosa, iris, musk and sandalwood for a long-lasting, elegant finish, reinforcing its position as a heritage-led, premium gifting fragrance.
Santa Maria Novella Pot Pourri 1221 Edition offers a herbal, aromatic scent profile, blending citrus and laurel with lavender, thyme and rosemary, grounded in patchouli, cedarwood and balsam. A refined, heritage-led fragrance, it delivers a unique, elevated gifting option for consumers seeking something distinctive beyond traditional florals.
Versace Dylan Blush Pink EDP ($175/50ml, $220/100ml) is a sweet, modern gourmand floral, blending bergamot and strawberry apple with a marshmallow heart, orange blossom and freesia, finishing with vanilla and musk. It offers a fresh, feminine and highly giftable scent profile with strong mass prestige appeal for Mother’s Day.
Miniso fragrance range draws inspiration from iconic global destinations, with bottles priced at $11.99 and mists at $7.99, delivering ultra-accessible gifting options ideal for impulse purchases and multi-buy behaviour this Mother’s Day.
The broader range of Chinese and Korean beauty and skincare further strengthens its appeal, tapping into trend-led, affordable products designed to make gifting feel both accessible and elevated.
Body Care & Rituals: Experience-led gifting rises
Body care is evolving into a core gifting category, driven by ritual and sensory experience.
Ritual-led sets like Alive Body Limited Edition Body Ritual Gift Set ($109) delivers a complete, white-floral body care ritual, featuring wash and lotion duo, hand cream and lip butter in a cohesive, gift-ready format. With elegant packaging and a limited-edition launch window, it taps into seasonal gifting demand and experience-led purchasing, driving strong perceived value and easy conversion.
Lush limited-edition drops drive seasonal urgency, with hero products like the Mama Bear Bath Bomb ($8) offering a playful, sensory gifting option. Featuring the brand’s iconic Honey I Washed The Kids scent, it taps into affordable, feel-good treats that encourage impulse purchases and add-on spend.
L’Occitane Iconic Almond Collection ($189) remains a proven premium performer, combining hero products in a complete body ritual that cleanses, nourishes and firms the skin. With strong brand equity and gift-ready packaging, it continues to drive high-value transactions and repeat seasonal demand.
La Prairie’s Cashmere Body Cream ($440) delivers a cocooning, ultra-nourishing finish with a silky, skin-softening texture, making for an elevated Mother’s Day gift for those who appreciate indulgent, results-driven body care.
Home Fragrance & Lifestyle: The cross-category growth play
Ambient products continue to blur the lines between beauty, home and wellness.
Trudon Figuerie Room Spray (375ml, $339) delivers an instant, refined scent experience, capturing the lush, humid air of a Mediterranean fig grove. Blending green fig leaves with soft earthiness and warmth, it creates a fresh, botanical atmosphere on demand, elevating the category beyond traditional candles into luxury, immediate-impact fragrance formats.
Ecoya Electric Wax Melter ($84.95) and Soy Wax Melts offer a flame-free, low-maintenance fragrance solution, gently diffusing scent to fill a space without the need for an open flame. Available in a range of signature fragrances, they support repeat purchase and everyday use while appealing to safety-conscious consumers.
Carrière Frères Damask Rose Wax Palet ($69) extends the category into wardrobe and drawer scenting, with each hand-crafted botanical wax piece slowly releasing a soft, elegant rose fragrance. Decorative and functional, it taps into quiet luxury and non-traditional gifting formats.
The bottom line
Mother’s Day is no longer just a fragrance play. Retailers that win will be those who merchandise across categories, price points and purchase motivations — from $10 impulse buys to $900 investment devices — while telling a cohesive story around wellness, efficacy and everyday luxury.
Think beyond the bouquet — and build a basket that delivers both emotion and results.
Read issue 86 of Retail Beauty below: