In the past few months, trends like #MorningShed and #SleepyGirlMocktail have blown up online. With the rise of the "Sleep Economy," sleep has become a focal point for both beauty and wellness, prompting brands to develop innovative products aimed at enhancing sleep quality. This movement goes beyond a fleeting trend—it's evolving into a lifestyle, as new narratives and rituals surrounding sleep gain momentum.
Sources : @maytemyers / @misspeytonsmith / @joatgains
The Sleep Surge
In this new phase, sleep optimization is about a lot more than clocking eight hours. It is about improving sleep hygiene, sleep quality, and the entire sleep experience. Brands are tapping into this by developing products designed to optimize bedtime routines, leading to huge growth in sleep-related searches across social media.
‘Sleep’-related searches grew +124% (YoY - U.S. TikTok - Oct 29)
Searches for ‘sleep hygiene’ skyrocketed by +222% (YoY - U.S. TikTok - Oct 29)
The Daily Shed
#TheDailyShed is a relatively recent trend that emerged in early summer. It involves revealing one’s wake-up beauty routine, focusing on the removal of nighttime products. Common elements include skincare treatments, like overnight peeling masks, anti-wrinkle patches, and undereye masks. It also extends to haircare, like silk bonnets or heatless curlers to maintain hairstyle and reduce frizz. Beauty enthusiasts also showcase the removal of mouth tapes, chin straps, and nasal dilators, used to regulate breathing.
‘Daily Shed’ searches grew +253.5% (quarter-over-quarter - U.S. TikTok - Oct 29)
The Sleepy Girl Mocktail
The #SleepyGirlMocktail is a beverage that gained popularity on TikTok in 2023 and has continued to trend into 2024. It's touted as a natural sleep aid, typically made with tart cherry juice, magnesium powder (+95.3% YoY TikTok views - Oct 29), and a splash of seltzer or lemon-lime soda. Proponents claim that the melatonin in tart cherry juice and the calming effects of magnesium can promote better sleep.
Brands like Moon Juice (+41.2% YoY TikTok views - Oct 29) have taken the opportunity to surf on the TikTok trend and deliver "Sleepy Girl™ Mocktail" supplements and recipes. Moon Juice’s signature sleep supplement is Magnesi-Om®, which contains three bioavailable forms of Magnesium and L-Theanine to enhance calmness. In October 2024, it also released the Cherry Sleepy Magnesi-Om, which more closely reflects the taste of the original Sleepy Girl Mocktail recipe, popularized by @gracie_norton. The brand even boldly claims to be the “Home of the Sleepy Girl Mocktail 🍒💤”.
‘Sleepy Girl Mocktail’ has over 118.6M views on U.S. TikTok ( +711.7% YoY U.S. TikTok views - Oct 29)
Credit: Moon Juice
Nasal Dilators & Mouth Tapes
The most viral sleepmaxxing items on TikTok are mouth tapes and nasal dilators, which are often used in tandem to encourage breathing through the nose. Users claim they improve sleep quality, resulting in better overall health. Intake Breathing is one of the most popular nose strip brands on TikTok, however, some are taking a DIY approach, making their own breath-enhancing devices: @raizashow’s tutorial involving using two magnets and a strip of tape has garnered more than 28M views in less than 2 months.
With the increasing popularity of nasal dilators and mouth tapes, experts are raising safety concerns and skepticism over the lack of scientific evidence to support their beneficial claims. Instead, sleep experts recommend focusing on basic sleep hygiene practices like maintaining a constant sleep schedule and creating a comfortable sleep environment, as well as limiting screen time before bed. James Wilson, known as The Sleep Geek, says consumers need to exercise caution when it comes to the whole sleepmaxxing movement. He believes that overemphasizing sleep optimization can lead to ‘orthosomnia’: the unhealthy obsession with achieving perfect sleep, which ultimately increases stress and anxiety and thus worsens sleep quality.
THE CIC TAKE
The sleep economy is expanding, as consumers demand products that are increasingly personalized, high-performing, and nuanced - 37% of U.S. consumers are looking for enhanced sleep products that also address cognitive functioning, stress, and anxiety management. This is a dynamic and thriving market, where engaged consumers are open to experimenting with new tools, treatments, and rituals. Our latest Inspiration Report, Higher Perspectives - The Future of Skincare and Wellness, explores the emerging opportunities arising in sleep performance as consumers align their beauty and health goals. Contact us for more information.
“Moving beyond sleeping better, new products are focusing on helping consumers maximize every moment,
including their downtime. The Nighttime Performer is prominent amongst the one-third of Americans who are interested in sleep monitoring devices and sleep-optimizing products and will invest in high-performance nighttime treatments and services. For them, sleep is intrinsic to wellness, and they will invest in rest to unlock peak daytime performance. With almost 9-in-10 Americans recognizing that quality of sleep matters more than quantity, there remains a huge opportunity for recovery-focused products.”
(U.S. TikTok data source: Spate)