Food-inspired marketing has been everywhere recently. From fruit-themed fashion to Rhode Skincare’s cinnamon roll product launch campaign—food is the next biggest trend in marketing, and we’re obsessed. While food is having its moment in marketing, this isn’t the first time it’s been in the spotlight—and it certainly won’t be the last! Food-themed marketing campaigns fall under the umbrella of sensory marketing, a tried and tested strategy that works time and time again. Here’s what you need to know about sensory marketing and food-inspired trends!

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What is Sensory Marketing?

Sensory marketing is a marketing strategy that creates an immersive experience by focusing on any of the five senses—hearing, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Marketing teams deploy this strategy to anchor sensorial experiences in a campaign, subconsciously establishing an emotional connection and influencing buying decisions. 

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Food-themed marketing campaigns are an excellent way to achieve this, as food is a universal language that can target nearly every sensory indulgence, depending on the campaign's approach. Rather than simply presenting a visually pleasing aesthetic, food-inspired marketing evokes tasty scents, flavors, and textures while still providing aesthetic imagery.

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Sensory Marketing in the Beauty Industry

Examples of sensory marketing have been everywhere recently, but let’s take a look at what has led up to this trend and a few food-themed campaigns:

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Food-Inspired Beauty Products: Many beauty enthusiasts today were first introduced to the makeup world with Lip Smackers, a lip balm brand tailored to children and teens. Released in 1973 as the world’s first flavored lip balm, the brand featured lip balms with an assortment of colors and flavors, many of which were named after fruits, confectionery sweets, candy, and even soda. The brand was successful with multiple generations in their youth, including Generation X, Millennials, and Generation Z, which has likely influenced the food craze and beauty intersection in marketing today.

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Food-Inspired Fashion and Beauty Trends: One of the biggest indicators that food-themed marketing would be on the rise lately has been the element of food in fashion and beauty trends. From ‘blueberry milk nails’ to fruit-themed clothing and ‘latte makeup’ exploding in popularity—and now baked goods and even fish-themed graphics—it's no wonder the next step for marketing teams is food-themed campaigns and similar sensory marketing tactics.

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Food-Inspired Product Packaging: When you think about sunscreen, do you think about whipped cream? Probably not, but in August 2022, Vacation infused the two products into one, creating Vacation’s Classic Whip Sunscreen—minus the actual whipped cream. The packaging is genius for the sunscreen mousse, reminiscent of a can of whipped cream and a dollop of mousse pictured; this sunscreen is sure to make anyone look twice in the beauty aisle.

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Food-Themed Campaigns: Food-inspired campaigns are saturating the beauty industry, from Glossier to Rhode Skincare, Lush Cosmetics, and more. Every beauty brand seems to be searching for ways to craft sensorial experiences for its audience.

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  • Glossier: In January 2025, the cult favorite makeup brand, Glossier, dropped a delicious cherry bomb for their product launch of Black Cherry Balm Dotcom, with cherry-themed everything in their campaign—cherry imagery, a cherry red car with a matching license plate, and even a limited edition cherry shaped lock. Glossier’s Black Cherry campaign currently has the beauty industry obsessed, as they demonstrate the perfect execution of sensory marketing and community building.

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  • Rhode Skincare: What does skincare have to do with pancakes? In March 2024, the skincare brand posted a photo of their Glazing Milk product served on a tray with buttery pancakes and a cup of espresso. Aside from the subtle nod to the product name and a morning routine—skincare and breakfast—the items had little in common, and yet, the brand’s audience loved it. Rhode Skincare has since continued to post food-inspired images and sensory marketing in mind. Many products are also named after food items, including Peptide Lip Tint, with names like Toasted, Raspberry Jelly, Caramel, and more. In November 2024, Rhode Skincare fully embraced food-themed marketing in the launch of a limited-edition Peptide Lip Tint, Cinnamon Roll.

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  • Lush Cosmetics: Last year also saw a resurgence of natural beauty brands like Lush Cosmetics crafting food-themed campaigns that aligned with their product ingredients. In 2024, the brand connected with its roots with products inspired by fresh ingredients you could find at a market in their IncrEDIBLE campaign. From almonds, cocoa powder, coconuts, dates, honey, milk, oats, vanilla beans, and more, Lush Cosmetics crafted a decadent beauty and wellness experience.

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‍Why Sensory Marketing is Effective and Timeless

‍Combining food elements with beauty trends is a heavenly match—but why? Sensory marketing is an effective marketing strategy because it appeals to our emotional connections and creates memorable experiences with a brand. On an innate level, sensory experiences are how humans connect and make sense of the world. This means sensory marketing can invoke nostalgia among consumers; often creating a strong emotional reaction. Buyers may feel more inclined to purchase or interact with a brand simply based on this connection.

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Pancakes have nothing to do with skincare, but as a comfort food—and for some, a feel-good moment from their childhood—pancakes become a part of a brand’s story, allowing individuals to form a personal connection. Some consumers may not have cared about your new product release before, but serve it with a delectable stack of buttery pancakes and syrupy goodness—yes, please!

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While food is having its moment in the beauty world, this trend actually cycles through every few years, proving it's a staple marketing technique. Food-themed marketing ebbs and flows out of prevalence, yet always seems to remain in fashion—even if in the subtlest of ways—making this tactic a timeless fixture in our marketing strategies that’s ready to evolve year after year.

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Across all industries, digital marketing is essential for any successful business. Digital marketing establishes a strong relationship with your target audience and increases your brand’s awareness, allowing your company to reach a wider audience. To grow your business, evaluate your current digital marketing strategy to determine what’s working and what still needs improvement. If your team needs help with digital marketing, the first step to your success starts here! Contact us today, and watch your business grow tomorrow!

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‍Go Beyond The Social With BlueTickSocial

‍BlueTickSocial is a woman-owned and women-led digital marketing agency. We focus on building your digital presence to generate sales, increase engagement, create brand awareness, and take your company goals to the next level.

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Other Sources:

‍Elizabeth Goodspeed on our current obsession with food in advertising and fashion

‍Gen Z’s love for food-inspired beauty: what’s it all about?

‍How The Beauty Industry Has Made Strategic Food Marketing Its Recipe For SuccessMakeup and Food Unite

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