Gen Z Says is a bimonthly column chronicling the latest trends in the fashion-and-beauty space through the lens of Who What Wear’s own Gen Z editors. Expect a download on the upcoming class of tastemakers, emerging designers, and shopping and style choices straight from the generation setting the trends.
TikTok wouldn’t be TikTok without introducing a multitude of beauty trends drawn from nostalgic aesthetics, and members of Gen Z (the first generation to grow up with the constant presence of social media) are the prime audience for it. While I think many of us who also belong to the beauty community have a love-hate relationship with the speed at which these aesthetic-led beauty trends come our way, their presence indicates an innate appreciation for imagery we can relate to. I don’t always understand the roots of these trends, but it’s no question to me why they’re so appealing: they let us live out different versions of ourselves using generally accessible beauty finds.
The “island girl beauty” trend, for example, doesn’t rely on one particular product, but rather leans into the idea of streamlining beauty routines while enhancing natural features. The thousands of tutorials posted under the #islandgirlmakeup alone include skincare-forward beauty essentials at noteworthy drugstore and luxury price points that deliver the same dewy look. The trend also encapsulates many other micro trends we’ve seen over the past couple of months, from the tropical pink shades of the “guava girl” to the more subdued “toasty glam” makeup trend.
The Skin
Natural, sun-kissed, and protected from the harsh UV rays. Before setting foot on the beach, the island girl applies her sunscreen generously and tops it off with a shimmering body oil that catches the light. When she returns home, leaving her sandy flip-flops and beach bag at the door, she’ll hop into the shower for a tropical everything shower followed by self-tanner with a natural-looking finish.
Island-girl skin is all about keeping your complexion healthy, glowing, and protected from environmental aggressors and UV damage. While the majority of the trend’s beauty tutorials focus on how to achieve an effortlessly chic beachy look, what would we be without our skincare? Whether you’re braving the day in nothing but a bikini and a floral print sarong or prefer Levi’s cutoffs and a floaty blouse, you’ll want to make sure you’re protecting your skin with sunscreen and other skin and bodycare must-haves. The salty waves, sea air, and high temperatures will have nothing against your skin that’s prepped for anything (including some ultra-glowy makeup).
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Supergoop!
Glow Gloss SPF 40 Lip Balm in Strawberry Spritz
You may recognize this brand’s packaging from its viral sunscreens, but did you know that they also make an ultra-glossy lip gloss that can combat UV rays and offer a shiny, glossy finish? This nonsticky and ultra-hydrating Glow Gloss SPF Lip Balm offers high shine and sun protection with a formula enriched with nourishing shea butter and a peptide complex. I already have it in Vanilla Soft Serve shade, but I may have to snag Strawberry Spritz, which is the perfect sheer coral tint color for island-girl looks.
Sol de Janeiro
Bom Dia Bright Jet Set
I’m planning on jetting to a tropical island in a month, and will be packing this bodycare set in my carry-on. It features three best-selling products belonging to Sol De Janeiro’s brightening Bom Dia line. This set makes layering all my tropical fragrances easy. You can cleanse and fortify the skin using the salicylic acid–infused Bom Dia Bright Body Wash before moisturizing with the vitamin C–rich Bom Dia Bright Body Cream. Then, for a big finish, spritz yourself with the warm, sultry scent of Cheirosa 40 Perfume Mist (a blend of black amber, plum, and vanilla woods).
Vacation
Shimmer Oil SPF 30
Another product I spotted in multiple island-girl tutorials has been Vacation’s Shimmer Oil SPF 30. It combines a pearlescent glaze and reflective gold flecks. This body oil uses a nourishing blend of naturally derived oils to leave your skin feeling silky smooth with a dash of SPF 30 for sun protection. It’s also beautifully scented with the brand’s award-winning scent. So, not only will your skin look like it’s always sun-kissed, but you can also count on it to be protected while smelling delectable.
Good Weather Skin
The One Daily Sun Cream SPF 30 Mineral Sunscreen
Since being introduced to this mineral sunscreen a few months ago, I’m convinced that all the other mineral sunscreens I’ve tried throughout my career that left my skin looking ashy weren’t thoroughly tested on deep skin tones like mine. Good Weather Skin’s The One Daily Sun Cream has become a nonnegotiable in my skincare routine because it leaves my face looking dewy and fresh with no white cast, and uses skin-loving ingredients in its formula like hydrating squalane, nourishing seabuckthorn oil, and texture-improving niacinamide. It’s also a bonus that its chic packaging looks especially chic when tucked into a beach bag.
Lux Unfiltered
N°12 Bronzing Face Drops
Adding these self-tanning face drops into your beauty routine is the quickest way to achieve the look of skin that’s glowing from the inside out. Lux Unfiltered’s buildable self-tanning serum adds a boost of natural-looking color using a formula filled with hydration-boosting hyaluronic acid, soothing passion fruit oil, and pomegranate extract to keep your skin texture smooth. It’s also simple to use: The more drops you apply to the skin, the deeper the tan you’ll have.
St. Tropez
Self-Tan Whipped Crème Mousse
For an even, sun-kissed body, consider picking up this lotion-to-mouse self-tanning product. Its formula features niacinamide, vitamin E, echinacea, and a high molecular weight in hyaluronic acid to promote an even skin tone while helping to protect it from environmental damage, reducing the look of redness, and hydrating the skin. For best results, make sure to exfoliate and moisturize the skin first, and then use a mitt for streak-free application. Eight hours is recommended for an immediate tint, and reapplication after 24 hours for a deep tan.
The Makeup
Warm, vibrant, and breathable. After prepping her skin for a day spent sun-bathing and dipping into the ocean waves, she selects makeup products that will play up her natural features while adding some special touches. She starts by grooming her brows before moving on to a light-coverage bronzing concentrate over the high points of her face and blush across the cheeks and nose bridge. The finishing touch? Highlighter and a couple of swipes of guava-colored lip gloss.
One of my favorite things about this particular TikTok-driven trend is that it incorporates the basics of summer skincare (such as protecting your skin from UV ray damage by focusing beauty routines around sunscreen use) with elements of a sun-kissed appearance. One thing every TikTok island-girl beauty routine can agree upon is the use of ample skin prep ahead of the makeup application, and prioritizing makeup products that will leave all complexions bronzed and warmed to perfection. While there are a number of base makeup products that are worth praising, it’s no surprise that several are balm and cream formulas.
If you’ve ever experimented with makeup season to season, then you’re most likely aware of how the texture, tone, and needs of your skin may shift. My skin, for example, stays nice and hydrated during the warmer months and responds well to balms and creams that melt into my skin, giving me stunning light-medium coverage and a natural-looking finish that layers beautifully with additional products. I retire many of my liquid foundations and concealers, as they tend to begin just sitting on the surface of my skin come June, and also have a habit of shifting beneath the rest of my makeup when I’m in high temperatures.
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SheGlam
Color Bloom Dayglow Liquid Blush in Shimmer Devoted
One of the easiest ways to add a sun-kissed touch to your makeup is by choosing a blush shade that has a little shimmer in it. All of SheGlam’s Color Bloom Dayglow Liquid Blushes would work beautifully for a tropical makeup look, but the shimmer version of Devoted (an orangey-pink color) is the exact color I’d reach for to give my cheeks a just-pinched, flushed appearance. This vibrant and long-lasting blush blends seamlessly into the skin, delivering a flush of hydration with nourishing natural oils.
Glossier’s Boy Brow defines, thickens, and shapes your brows using a creamy, conditioning formula and a precision brush that coats fine hairs for a flexible hold. It’s formulated to echo the flexible formula of mustache pomade and is offered in six shades. The eyebrow gel-pomade also never stiffens or flakes for natural-looking brows. To create island-girl makeup, add volume to the front and arch of the brows with quick, thin strokes, and then taper off at the end.
Freck
Freck OG The Original Freckle
Here’s proof that the freckle trend we saw on the rise just a couple summers ago—as “clean girl” and “coquette” makeup took over our For You Pages—hasn’t gone anywhere. The Freck OG has made an appearance in over half of the makeup tutorials from makeup artists and beauty enthusiasts. It’s a must-have for creating a natural-looking sprinkle of freckles wherever you need it. It can be applied by dipping the provided brush in the formula and then tapping it out across the skin. I like to focus mine on and around the nose bridge.
Summer Fridays
Lip Butter Balm in Pink Guava
I can’t tell you how beyond excited I was to see one of my favorite hydrating lip balms come out with a vibrant tropical shade that complements all skin tones! The Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm has been a favorite of mine for a while because it moisturizes parched lips with a yummy blend of shea butter, murmuru seed butter, and vegan waxes to soften and boost shine. I could have sworn I was strictly a Vanilla Beige and Iced Coffee Girl, but I can’t stop wearing Pink Guava.
Ciele
Bronze & Protect SPF 50+ Bronzing Concentrate
Luckily, you don’t have to wait until summer rolls around to achieve the bronzed complexion of your dreams. Ciele’s Bronze & Protect SPF 50+ Bronzing Concentrate is my top pick for creating and an island girl–inspired look because it’s a highly pigmented bronzing concentrate formulated with a non-nano mineral based broad spectrum SPF 50+ that protects against four different types of radiation (UVA, UVB, Blue Light and Infrared) and while giving the complexion a luminous protective finish.
Armani Beauty
Fluid Sheer Glow Enhancer
To add even more glow to the skin, focus some highlighter on the high points of the face (such as the T-zone), starting with the light application of a product, and then building it up as needed. This lightweight product can be used to create a targeted highlight or mixed with skin care or foundation for added radiance with sheer, buildable coverage. This high-tech formula is powered by patented Micro-Fil Technology, which allows pigments to fill in fine lines and smooth texture. It’s also now available in six shades.
The Fragrance
Sweet, tropical, nostalgic, and bright. The island girl loves fragrances that reflect the world around her, and opts for perfumes that combine notes of sticky fruit pulp with soft blossoms carried on the breeze, creamy coconut milk, and salty sea air. Every time she smells these scents, she’ll be transported back to lush flora and fauna and white beaches sprinkled with seashells.
Before becoming a beauty editor, I struggled to understand what defines a scent as tropical when compared to others that may feature a vibrant blend of similar notes. Over the last few years of my career, I’ve come to understand that unique perfumes that fall into this category combine vivid imagery of sandy white beaches, brightly colored flora, and the sticky, sweet pulp of fruits from these climates with the nostalgia of being in these places. Whether you’re already plotting your next tropical vacation to embrace your inner island girl or have a soft spot for the beauty trend’s aesthetics, spritzing yourself with one of these fragrances brings the beach to you.
When I’m shopping for fragrances that perfectly embody the island-girl vibe, I’m on the hunt for scents that strike the perfect balance between tapping into classic scent combinations that immediately make me imagine a tropical paradise and offering alternate variations of notes that I normally expect. For example, while I don’t normally gravitate towards creamy coconut fragrances (I don’t love the dry-down of most of them on my skin), I’ve recently discovered a few that have made me second-guess myself. Alternately, while I strongly associate lemon with a European getaway, it’s not the first note I think of when I think of the Bahamas, but it’s all I can think of now when paired with frangipani.
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Jo Malone London
Frangipani Flower Cologne
Scent Type: Solar floral
Notes: Lemon, jasmine petals, frangipani, ylang-ylang, sandalwood
This perfume was my first introduction to frangipani flower scents, and I’ll always be grateful for it. It’s housed in a limited-edition bottle and is inspired by the delicate yellow and white frangipani plant (also known as the plumeria), which can be potted along the Bali coastline. It opens with zesty lemon before shifting into a soft, solar bouquet of jasmine, ylang-ylang, and frangipani. A base of creamy, sandalwood that adds even more warmth to the mix, making it beyond addictive.
The Maker
Paradiso Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Fruity floral
Notes: Mangosteen, blood orange, Italian bergamot, plumeria, ambrette seed absolute, myrtle, oakmoss, Moroccan cedarwood, patchouli leaves
The Maker’s Paradiso, which features notes of mouthwatering magosteen, dreamy plumeria, and dewy patchouli leaves, captures a tropical island’s fauna and flora with luscious fruit-forward notes paired with soft florals and warm earth. I like to think of this perfume as the answer to anyone who has wished for a fragrance that smells and feels like that first day that actually feels like summer: full of possibilities and intrigue. I love wearing this perfume alone, or with a scent that leans more gourmand for a hint of sweetness.
Viktor&Rolf
Flowerbomb Tiger Lily Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Solar floral
Notes: Coconut milk accord, bergamot, tiger-lily accord, jasmine grandiflorum super infusion, freesia, mango, benzoin
I didn’t think Viktor&Rolf’s Flowerbomb Eau de Parfum could get any better, but the brand added tiger lily accord and coconut milk accord to its floral base, and now I don’t know how I lived with it. The solar perfume transports its wearer to a tropical summer oasis by opening with an inviting burst of creamy coconut before revealing a heart of tiger-lily flower and a juicy base of mango. For me, it was truly love at first sniff, and it has quickly become the ultimate summer fragrance.
D.S & Durga
Jazmín Yucatan Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Aquatic floral
Notes: Water, passion flower, bergamot, jazmín yucateo, sambac, clove, snake plant, vetiver, copal
If you’re a fan of tropical fragrances that call to mind mysterious island rainforests rather than white sandy beaches, you’ll be just as obsessed as I am with Jaszmín Yucatan from D.S. & Durga. This perfume is altogether green, sensual, and aquatic with a complex blend of sweet fruits, tropical florals, and fresh aquatic notes. There’s also something slightly animalistic and grounding about it, perhaps due to the addition of vetiver and copal making up the base. It’s a bold take on the tropics that would make any island girl crave a dip in a secret waterfall.
Byredo
Alto Astro Eau de Parfum
Scent: Aromatic woods
Notes: Aldehydes, coconut water, incense, jasmine petals, milky musks, sandalwood, cashmere wood, salted amber
To me, Byredo’s newest launch is a sheer, aromatic woods fragrance that perfectly pairs the freshness of coconut water, jasmine petals, and milky musks with an inviting blend of warm woods and salted amber. It calls to mind a sandy shoreline bathed in moonlight, a lone siren sitting on a jagged rock, and a mystery to be solved. The fragrance exudes a soft romance with a hint of something darker lingering just below the depths. Though it’s one of the “least” traditional tropical fragrances on this list, it also happens to be one of those fragrances that might whisper “island girl” rather than proclaim it in all caps.
Kilian Paris
Sunkissed Goddess Eau de Parfum
Scent Type: Fresh solar
Notes: Tiare flower, ylang-ylang essence, coconut, vanilla, guaiac wood, cistus labdanum
On the hunt for a more traditional sunlight and sunscreen fragrance, but an elevated version? Kilian Paris’ Sunkissed Goddess Eau de Parfum is for you. It’s inspired by one of the most nostalgic scents of beachside living, Polynesian monoi oil. This perfume combines warm sunlight and fresh florals with a lush blend of tiare flower, soft ylang-ylang essence, and resinous woods. It’s sweet, sensual, and slightly sheer, making it a second-skin fragrance that smells like your skin bathed in sunlight.
The Hair
Hydrated, shiny, voluminous, and tousled. Whether it’s accessorized with plumeria and sand or a colorful bandana, the island girl likes to wear her tresses natural and healthy by adding a few products to her haircare and styling lineup. She uses ultra-hydrating shampoos and conditioners to add body to her strands and never skips out on UV protection. She also never forgets a spritz or two of a thickening and texturing spray before heading out.
While scanning through thousands of island-girl beauty tutorials, hair stands out to me almost as much as the bright and sun-kissed makeup looks. As someone with 4c hair, seeing curls and coils represented just as frequently as straighter strands made me feel represented by this trend, and I couldn’t wait to take a deep dive into the common haircare and styling products I saw being used to create these looks. One of the best things about this trend is that natural textures are celebrated, and the universal hair styling products I’ve been spotting are being used to keep it that way. Island-girl hair looks range from messy topknots and braids to sun-bleached shades and beachy, colorful accessories. (I’m partial to adorning mine with resin flower claw clips to hold up my curls and natural cowrie shells in my goddess braids.)
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Coola
Organic Scalp & Hair Mist Sunscreen
For most of us, protecting our skin from the harmful effects of UV rays has been drilled into us from an early age. Defending our hair and scalp from the same thing, however, is often ignored, even though they’re constantly exposed to it. Coola’s Scalp & Hair Mist Organic Sunscreen SPF 30 offers a nongreasy solution to defending UV threats with a lightweight mist that targets the scalp area and won’t weigh down hair with up to 80 minutes of water resistance. It also leaves a soft, ocean-salted sage scent behind.
Ouai
St. Barts Leave In Conditioner
Did you know you can now pick up Ouai’s best-selling Leave In Conditioner in its tropical St. Bart’s scent? The brand’s detangler hydrates hair, fights frizz, and protects against breakage and heat damage up to 450°F. Its unique formula is infused with hydrating tamarind seed extract, panthenol, and vitamin E to detangle the strands and hydrolyzed proteins to protect your hair from damage. I’m also in love with its scent: a blend of dragon fruit, orange blossom, tuberose, and Baltic amber.
Bondi Boost
Thickening Therapy Spray
If you’re in the market for a dependable hair styling product that can deliver fuller, thicker tresses for all hair types and textures, give Bondi Boost’s Thickening Therapy Spray a try. It’s designed to address thinning, damage, split ends, and breakage. This spray targets each strand with a combination of hyaluronic acid as well as nutrient-rich collagen, ginseng, and sea kelp to strengthen tresses. It will leave your hair with more volume and subtly scented with raspberry and cool mint.
Bumble and Bumble
Surf Infusion
For windswept, beachy waves that aren’t as dry or salty as the real version, consider adding this sea salt spray to your island-girl beauty routine. It’s designed with medium to thick hair in mind, and the product adds texture and shine to your tresses using a sea salt and mineral blend for texture, tropical oils for a gorgeous sheen, and UV filters for protection against the drying effects of the sun. This one also leaves your hair smelling amazing with refreshing citrus and marine notes for all-day freshness.
Rahua
Enchanted Island Vegan Curl Butter
Keep curls and coils bouncy and shiny with this rich and reparative curl butter by Rahua. It’s an oil-based leave-in treatment that enhances curls while adding strength and shine using a formula powered by African shea butter and plant-based biotin to reinforce your strands. The formula is also infused with Rahua Oil from the Amazon Rainforest for added shine, plus a dash of guava and coconut oil to leave your hair ready for a luxurious, tropical escape. Since adding this to my summer haircare routine, I’ve noticed how much more bouncy and defined my 4c coils look (even without the help of my normal heavy gels and oils).
Briogeo
Superfoods Banana + Coconut Nourishing Shampoo & Conditioner
We’ve always been told to eat our greens and fruits, so why not begin incorporating them into your washday routine? Briogeo’s nourishing, juice-inspired shampoo and conditioner set is packed with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients derived from fruits like bananas, acai, and coconut to nurture and protect the hair while adding essential hydration and minerals to your parched scalp and tresses. It’s also derived from 97% natural ingredients, so it’s a must for supporting the health of your hair.
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