America’s beauty obsession is a multi-billion-dollar cultural juggernaut driven by social media trends, an anti-aging industrial complex, and the social currency of physical appearance. Driven heavily by localized beauty-obsessed markets like New York, Los Angeles, and Miami, consumers constantly seek the latest in clinical skincare, injectables, and wellness.
What’s Trending Nationwide
- Clinical Skincare: The “skintellectual” movement dominates, with consumers prioritizing barrier repair, peptides, and dermatologist-backed ingredients. There has also been a highly publicized surge in Gen Alpha’s interest in age-prevention routines.
- Injectables & “Tweakments”: Demand for Botox, dermal fillers, and microneedling continues to skyrocket as people increasingly view these as standard maintenance rather than dramatic alterations.
- Niche & Clean Beauty: Consumers are moving toward vegan, cruelty-free, and hyper-personalized cosmetics, as reflected by the high demand for searches like “vegan makeup” and “eczema skincare”.
Community Consensus
On beauty discussion platforms like Reddit and Quora, users consistently emphasize that the beauty-obsessed trend in America is tied to social utility—many believe attractive, put-together individuals receive more courteous and rewarding social and professional treatment. However, forum users also frequently share warnings about the financial drain and the pressure from digital filters.
These are the US Cities Where Beauty Routines are Practically a Lifestyle
Miami has been crowned America’s most beauty-obsessed city, according to a new study that reveals where residents are most invested in skincare, makeup, salons, and beauty services.
Researchers at Eight Saints Skincare analyzed 73 major US cities to discover where beauty culture is strongest. The study looked at beauty-related Google searches, the number of beauty retailers, the availability of hair and beauty salons, and the average Google rating of local beauty businesses.
Miami ranked first for being beauty-obsessed after dominating two of the biggest categories in the study. The city had the highest number of beauty retailers and the highest number of hair and beauty salons per 100,000 residents. It also ranked second for average Google ratings, showing that Miami’s beauty scene is not only large but also well-reviewed.
Atlanta followed in second place for being beauty-obsessed and recorded the highest beauty search interest in the country. With 14,850 beauty-related searches per 100,000 residents, the Georgia city appears to be the place where people are most actively looking up makeup, skincare, and beauty trends online. Atlanta also performed strongly for beauty retailers, salon access, and customer ratings.
Los Angeles ranked third for being beauty-obsessed, proving it remains one of the biggest beauty hubs in America. The California city had the second-highest number of beauty retailers and the second-highest number of hair and beauty salons per 100,000 residents. Its strong ranking reflects LA’s close connection to entertainment, social media, wellness, and appearance-led industries.
Florida cities performed especially well, with Orlando and Tampa joining Miami in the top 10 for being beauty-obsessed. Orlando ranked fourth after posting the second-highest number of beauty-related searches, while Tampa placed sixth with consistently strong results across searches, retailers, and salons. The findings suggest Florida is one of the country’s biggest hotspots for being beauty-obsessed.
Las Vegas completed the top five for being beauty-obsessed and ranked highly across every category. The city had the third-highest level of beauty-related searches and also performed well for beauty retailers, salon availability, and business ratings. Given its nightlife, events, and tourism-driven economy, Las Vegas appears to be a city where looking polished is part of the culture.
The rest of the top 10 included Irvine, Dallas, New York, and Plano for being beauty-obsessed. Irvine stood out for having the highest-rated beauty businesses in the entire study, while New York had the third-highest number of hair and beauty salons. Plano also performed well for business ratings, showing that some smaller cities can still compete with major beauty markets when it comes to customer satisfaction.
At the other end of the rankings, Wichita ranked last in the study for being beauty-obsessed and was named the least beauty-obsessed city in America. It had the lowest number of beauty-related searches per 100,000 residents and ranked near the bottom for salons, retailers, and average beauty business ratings.
Fort Wayne, Lincoln, Stockton, and Omaha completed the bottom five for being beauty-obsessed. Fort Wayne had the fewest salons and beauty retailers in the ranking, while Lincoln had the lowest average Google rating for beauty businesses. Stockton and Omaha also fell behind because of lower beauty search interest and fewer local beauty options compared with higher-ranking cities.
The Full Ranking
| Rank | City | State | Google Searches for Beauty-Related Terms per 100,000 residents | Beauty Retailers per 100,000 residents | Average Google Rating of Beauty Businesses | Hair & Beauty Salons per 100,000 residents | Total Score |
| 1 | Miami | Florida | 14,000 | 95.01 | 4.81 | 420 | 95.74 |
| 2 | Atlanta | Georgia | 14,850 | 84.97 | 4.79 | 380 | 89.91 |
| 3 | Los Angeles | California | 13,950 | 87.99 | 4.68 | 400 | 86.33 |
| 4 | Orlando | Florida | 14,500 | 84.12 | 4.67 | 360 | 82.30 |
| 5 | Las Vegas | Nevada | 14,100 | 81.99 | 4.69 | 370 | 82.19 |
| 6 | Tampa | Florida | 13,800 | 76.02 | 4.65 | 340 | 74.99 |
| 7 | Irvine | California | 13,100 | 67.88 | 4.82 | 310 | 73.93 |
| 8 | Dallas | Texas | 13,200 | 77.97 | 4.64 | 340 | 73.73 |
| 9 | New York | New York | 13,200 | 80.00 | 4.49 | 390 | 73.41 |
| 10 | Plano | Texas | 12,500 | 64.12 | 4.77 | 320 | 70.04 |
| 11 | San Francisco | California | 12,900 | 79.01 | 4.48 | 350 | 68.19 |
| 12 | Chicago | Illinois | 12,600 | 75.01 | 4.53 | 330 | 66.02 |
| 13 | Houston | Texas | 12,800 | 72.01 | 4.55 | 320 | 65.30 |
| 14 | San Diego | California | 11,800 | 68.98 | 4.66 | 310 | 64.87 |
| 15 | Austin | Texas | 12,100 | 65.04 | 4.68 | 300 | 64.07 |
| 16 | Seattle | Washington | 11,600 | 65.96 | 4.63 | 300 | 61.21 |
| 17 | Henderson | Nevada | 11,500 | 57.95 | 4.66 | 280 | 57.38 |
| 18 | Anaheim | California | 11,350 | 62.06 | 4.62 | 280 | 56.93 |
| 19 | Denver | Colorado | 9,850 | 60.01 | 4.67 | 270 | 53.26 |
| 20 | San Jose | California | 10,300 | 56.99 | 4.64 | 280 | 53.15 |
| 21 | Boston | Massachusetts | 9,800 | 58.07 | 4.65 | 270 | 51.68 |
| 22 | Long Beach | California | 11,100 | 53.92 | 4.53 | 290 | 50.89 |
| 23 | Phoenix | Arizona | 10,200 | 59.00 | 4.54 | 270 | 48.89 |
| 24 | Charlotte | North Carolina | 9,500 | 54.99 | 4.61 | 260 | 47.36 |
| 25 | North Las Vegas | Nevada | 11,400 | 51.90 | 4.48 | 270 | 47.21 |
| 26 | Raleigh | North Carolina | 9,800 | 52.09 | 4.63 | 250 | 46.94 |
| 27 | Portland | Oregon | 9,600 | 52.98 | 4.61 | 260 | 46.90 |
| 28 | Fort Worth | Texas | 9,900 | 50.03 | 4.54 | 260 | 43.98 |
| 29 | Arlington | Texas | 10,850 | 47.97 | 4.51 | 250 | 43.66 |
| 30 | San Antonio | Texas | 10,100 | 48.02 | 4.52 | 250 | 42.11 |
| 31 | Minneapolis | Minnesota | 9,400 | 50.91 | 4.51 | 250 | 40.93 |
| 32 | Oakland | California | 9,700 | 49.93 | 4.44 | 260 | 39.65 |
| 33 | Philadelphia | Pennsylvania | 9,100 | 55.00 | 4.43 | 260 | 39.51 |
| 34 | Sacramento | California | 9,300 | 49.00 | 4.51 | 240 | 39.07 |
| 35 | New Orleans | Louisiana | 8,800 | 47.87 | 4.52 | 240 | 37.74 |
| 36 | Columbus | Ohio | 8,900 | 45.00 | 4.52 | 230 | 36.05 |
| 37 | Chandler | Arizona | 9,200 | 42.95 | 4.47 | 240 | 35.15 |
| 38 | Jacksonville | Florida | 9,600 | 46.02 | 4.37 | 250 | 34.41 |
| 39 | Pittsburgh | Pennsylvania | 8,500 | 45.04 | 4.5 | 230 | 34.28 |
| 40 | Jersey City | New Jersey | 9,100 | 41.87 | 4.46 | 240 | 34.11 |
| 41 | Durham | North Carolina | 8,900 | 40.92 | 4.49 | 220 | 32.54 |
| 42 | Virginia Beach | Virginia | 8,600 | 42.89 | 4.49 | 220 | 32.46 |
| 43 | Reno | Nevada | 8,700 | 43.13 | 4.41 | 240 | 31.62 |
| 44 | St. Paul | Minnesota | 8,200 | 43.85 | 4.47 | 220 | 30.99 |
| 45 | Santa Ana | California | 8,900 | 42.03 | 4.4 | 230 | 30.45 |
| 46 | Colorado Springs | Colorado | 8,600 | 42.01 | 4.48 | 200 | 29.91 |
| 47 | Mesa | Arizona | 8,600 | 41.10 | 4.42 | 220 | 29.17 |
| 48 | Cincinnati | Ohio | 8,400 | 40.87 | 4.42 | 220 | 28.55 |
| 49 | Riverside | California | 8,300 | 39.07 | 4.42 | 210 | 26.75 |
| 50 | Madison | Wisconsin | 7,700 | 37.08 | 4.5 | 200 | 26.56 |
| 51 | Kansas City | Missouri | 8,300 | 38.98 | 4.4 | 210 | 25.95 |
| 52 | Baltimore | Maryland | 7,900 | 40.06 | 4.39 | 220 | 25.84 |
| 53 | Tucson | Arizona | 8,400 | 39.97 | 4.38 | 210 | 25.81 |
| 54 | Greensboro | North Carolina | 8,200 | 37.91 | 4.43 | 200 | 25.53 |
| 55 | Aurora | Colorado | 8,500 | 38.03 | 4.36 | 210 | 24.60 |
| 56 | Port St. Lucie | Florida | 8,400 | 35.93 | 4.37 | 210 | 23.97 |
| 57 | Oklahoma City | Oklahoma | 7,800 | 37.94 | 4.39 | 210 | 23.90 |
| 58 | Newark | New Jersey | 8,100 | 40.01 | 4.29 | 220 | 22.54 |
| 59 | Corpus Christi | Texas | 8,500 | 35.02 | 4.35 | 200 | 22.24 |
| 60 | El Paso | Texas | 7,800 | 34.04 | 4.41 | 190 | 21.42 |
| 61 | Milwaukee | Wisconsin | 7,400 | 35.96 | 4.38 | 200 | 20.84 |
| 62 | Cleveland | Ohio | 8,200 | 39.01 | 4.26 | 210 | 20.39 |
| 63 | Albuquerque | New Mexico | 7,280 | 34.95 | 4.38 | 200 | 20.17 |
| 64 | Memphis | Tennessee | 7,500 | 34.98 | 4.36 | 200 | 19.99 |
| 65 | Tulsa | Oklahoma | 7,100 | 34.07 | 4.36 | 190 | 17.70 |
| 66 | Detroit | Michigan | 7,600 | 35.97 | 4.24 | 210 | 16.99 |
| 67 | Fresno | California | 8,000 | 32.94 | 4.31 | 180 | 16.83 |
| 68 | Bakersfield | California | 8,100 | 31.95 | 4.28 | 190 | 16.52 |
| 69 | Omaha | Nebraska | 6,500 | 31.97 | 4.35 | 180 | 14.08 |
| 70 | Stockton | California | 7,500 | 31.03 | 4.25 | 190 | 13.51 |
| 71 | Lincoln | Nebraska | 5,900 | 28.02 | 4.18 | 160 | 2.81 |
| 72 | Fort Wayne | Indiana | 6,100 | 24.88 | 4.22 | 150 | 2.81 |
| 73 | Wichita | Kansas | 5,600 | 28.90 | 4.19 | 160 | 2.73 |
Methodology
To rank the most beauty-obsessed cities in the country, the study looked at four main data points. The research analyzed the number of beauty-related Google searches, beauty retailers, and salons per 100,000 residents. It also factored in the average Google rating for local beauty spots. Every metric was weighed equally to give each city a final score and create the ultimate ranking for being beauty-obsessed.
This article was created at the WHN News Desk in collaboration with Rose Gomez on behalf of Eight Saints Skincare, run by a passionate, small team dedicated to offering truth and clarity in skincare.
As with anything you read on the internet, this article should not be construed as medical advice; please talk to your doctor or primary care provider before changing your wellness routine. WHN neither agrees nor disagrees with any of the materials posted on being beauty-obsessed. This article is not intended to provide a medical diagnosis, recommendation, treatment, or endorsement. Additionally, it is not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, individual, or anyone or anything. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.
