• by Sarah Mahoney  @mahoney_sarah, December 27, 2016

If you’re suddenly surrounded by women with ever-more-polished eyebrows, blame Santa. It turns out the already-booming brow business got even bigger this holiday, with Anastasia Beverly Hills the single most requested beauty gift in the country.

Sales of brow products are up an impressive 35% from January through October, reports the NPD Group. And in a poll of more than 4,000 women in all 50 states, Influenster says Anastasia Beverly Hills, the social media darling long associated with the bold brow movement, was the most requested beauty brand. Urban Decay came in second, especially its Naked Eyeshadow Palette. And MAC Cosmetics ranked third.

Overall, sales of prestige beauty products are up 6% so far this year. And while that’s a percentage point less than the same period a year ago, NPD reports that women are buying these high-end products a little differently than in the past, describing it as a “binge mentality.”

“This began with makeup, as more consumers are using more products than we have ever seen,” says Karen Grant, NPD’s global beauty industry analyst, in the report, and is moving into skincare. And while sales of anti-aging products are still declining, skincare products used to prepare skin for better makeup application, once ignored, are booming. Sales of both lip treatments and masks are up 22%, for example.

Brows aren’t the only hot spot in makeup, with sales of lip color products rising 21% in the first nine months of the year, and contouring and sculpting kits up 33%. 

Changes are also brewing in prestige fragrances, with traditional fragrance spin-offs among the strongest, up 15%. Those include products like Chanel No. 5’s new No. 5 L’eau, which is newer, lighter, and aimed at younger women. Scents for the home, including fragrance diffusers, are up 18%.

“In fragrance, consumer engagement continues to expand to embrace the personal and holistic experience beyond the body,” she writes. “Scent engagement is no longer just a singular, individual encounter, but a shared experience in the home.”