Top Products of 2025 (And What They Tell Us About 2026)
As we reach the end of 2025, we’ve been looking in two directions at once at INKY Ingredients: back over the products you’ve loved this year, and forward to the ingredients that will shape our upcoming “Top Picks for 2026” guide.
Before we reveal our 2026 favourites, it felt only right to celebrate the ingredients that have truly earned their place on your shelves this year. From small-batch soap makers and indie skincare brands to home-fragrance creators, these are the products you’ve reached for again and again in 2025 – and the ones we’re confident will stay relevant as trends evolve in 2026.
Our Top 10 Best-Selling Products of 2025
Here are the INKY ingredients that defined your formulating year – along with ideas for how to keep using them as we head into 2026.
✨ Our Top 10 Best-Selling Ingredients of 2025
1. Tea Tree (Australian), Essential Oil Organic
Why it was a bestseller: A timeless favourite and a hero of natural formulation, Tea Tree Oil remains one of the most versatile and trusted essential oils.
Benefits: Naturally antimicrobial, cleansing, and ideal for skin, hair, and home-care blends.
Why it stays big in 2026: With the rise of functional naturals and microbiome-friendly cleansing, Tea Tree remains essential in every maker’s toolkit.
2. Melt & Pour Foaming Bath Butter Base
Why it was a bestseller: Loved by bath & body businesses for its reliability and luxurious feel.
Benefits: Whips beautifully, easy to customise, perfect for whipped soaps and scrubs.
Why it stays big in 2026: Sensory bath rituals and self-care products continue to dominate the market.
3. GoldenWax 464
Why it was a bestseller: A favourite among candle makers thanks to its smooth tops, strong scent throw and professional finish.
Benefits: Perfect for container candles, stabilises fragrances well, and offers a clean burn.
Why it stays big in 2026: Home fragrance continues booming — candles remain a core category for indie makers.
4. Gotu Kola (Centella) Leaf Extract
Why it was a bestseller: A favourite in skincare for its soothing and barrier-support benefits.
Benefits: Helps calm redness, supports skin repair, ideal for serums, balms and face oils.
Why it stays big in 2026: Barrier care and remains a major trend for next year.
5. Cedarwood Atlas, Essential Oil Organic
Why it was a bestseller: Its warm, grounding scent made it a hit with candle makers, perfumers and beard-care brands.
Benefits: Aromatherapeutic, antimicrobial and blends beautifully with florals and citrus oils.
Why it stays big in 2026: Earthy, gender-neutral fragrances are trending.
6. Bakuchi (Bakuchiol) Oil, Cold Pressed
Why it was a bestseller: The plant-based alternative to retinol continues to skyrocket in popularity.
Benefits: Promotes smoother-looking skin without irritation.
Why it stays big in 2026: The demand for gentle-but-effective age-supportive actives keeps growing.
7. Jojoba Seed Oil Golden, Cold Pressed Organic
Why it was a bestseller: A foundational carrier oil that works for every skin and hair type.
Benefits: Lightweight, non-comedogenic, mimics skin’s natural sebum.
Why it stays big in 2026: Minimalist formulas and multi-use oils continue trending.
8. Melt & Pour SLS-Free White Solid Base
Why it was a bestseller: Easy to customise and ideal for white or pastel soap bars.
Benefits: Gentle, beginner-friendly, and perfect for decorative soaps.
Why it stays big in 2026: Handmade soap remains a booming craft category.
9. Vitamin E (Tocopherol 70%)
Why it was chosen: A formulation essential that protects oils from oxidation and delivers antioxidant skin benefits.
Benefits: Extends shelf life, supports skin repair, and adds functional value to any formula.
Why it stays big in 2026: With sustainability and waste reduction in mind, makers are leaning into ingredient preservation and stability.
10. Rose, Absolute
Why it was chosen: A premium aromatic ingredient used in perfume, skincare and luxury candles.
Benefits: Deep, rich floral aroma; perfect for high-end formulations and romantic blends.
Why it stays big in 2026: Emotional wellness, fragrance rituals and luxury naturals continue trending upward.
What These Favourites Tell Us About 2026
When you stand back and look at this top 10, a few clear themes emerge that line up with where beauty, wellness and home care are heading in 2026:
- Gentle, effective cleansing: SLS-free soap bases, tea tree and soothing extracts all point to customers wanting products that are kind to skin but still feel hardworking.
- Barrier and recovery care: Ingredients like Gotu Kola and Jojoba support calmer, more resilient skin – a big focus as barrier health and sensitivity stay front of mind.
- Nature-first actives: Bakuchiol oil shows how indie brands are embracing bio-intelligent approaches and gentler alternatives to traditional actives.
- Scent and ritual: Candle and wax melt ingredients like GoldenWax highlight how home fragrance and mood-setting rituals are now part of daily self-care.
All of this feeds directly into our upcoming Top Picks for 2026 feature, where we’ll dive deeper into the ingredients and trends we see shaping small-batch personal care, beauty and home fragrance over the next year – from facified body care and scalp-first routines to longevity-minded, bio-intelligent skincare and elevated, sensory-led formats.
For now, we want to say a huge thank you for making these ingredients your heroes in 2025. We can’t wait to see how you keep evolving with them – and what you’ll create next.
Please note that the views/opinions expressed in this blog are solely our own. It is the responsibility of our clients to conduct the necessary testing to substantiate any claims and ensure compliance with industry standards for every ingredient. We will not accept any liability for claims made based on our content.
