Top trends to leave behind in 2025 in culinary, beauty, and design

Trends by their very nature spread with the intensity of a wildfire They capture our collective imagination dominate our social feeds and dictate our lifestylesmdashuntil just as suddenly they burn out As we close the chapter on 2025 the dust is finally settling on a year defined by viral aesthetic dominance and highoctane fads From neondrenched burgers to sterile lablike living rooms the pressure to live a life curated for the lens has reached a breaking pointA growing number of people are inclining towards leaving behind the restrictive the superficial and the performative Whether itrsquos reclaiming the soul of local travel or ditching the rigid rules of the lsquoclean girlrsquo look the shift toward 2026 is clear we are trading manufactured perfection for authentic realityCulinary When aesthetics eclipse appetiteFor Vedant Newatia founder and head chef at Atelier V and Masala Code the most frustrating trend is the lsquoraveificationrsquo of basic daily rituals He is particularly skeptical of the rise of morning and coffee ravesI do not understand why a simple routine has turned into a prebreakfast party Coffee is meant to ease you into the day not throw you into flashing lights before you are fully awake The manufactured lsquoclub energyrsquo has even bled into professional environments with kitchen raves featuring DJs behind the line This feels unnecessary a kitchen already possesses a natural rhythm that loud music and strobe lights only serve to disruptrdquo says the chefBeyond the atmosphere he targets ingredientled fads like Matcha and Boba tea While visually striking Newatia argues ldquoTheir popularity is inflated rather than being grounded by flavour profiles or a ritual that would sustain itself Most critically he hopes to see the end of lsquoInstagramfirstrsquo recipes ldquoDishes like fried chicken burgers dripping in neon sauces that look dramatic on camera but collapse the moment you think about taste For classically trained chefs the focus remains on technique and balance not just the money shot for a reelrdquo he concludesBeauty Breaking the clean girl rulebookIn the beauty world influencer Honey Sheth is ready to reclaim the fun in makeup by ditching the lsquoclean girlrsquo aesthetic What began as a refreshing pivot toward minimal skinfirst beauty has according to Sheth devolved into a rigid and judgmental rulebookAt some point makeup stopped feeling fun and started feeling restrictive The pressure to look effortlessly perfect with glossy skin and neutral tones created an environment where colour felt too much and drama felt outdated Clean girl beauty quietly told people that doing more was unnecessary even wrong Expression took a backseat to looking polished and acceptable she explainsSheth argues that makeup is a form of rebellion confidence and emotionmdashnot a uniform ldquoArtists like Sofia Sinot and pop culture icons like Zara Larsson are the vanguard of a new movement one where bold eyes graphic liners and unconventional colour stories allow for personal freedomrdquo she notes Her hope for the future ldquoBarelythere skin and bold pops of colour can finally coexist without the shadow of a trend telling us which one is correctWellness Moving beyond the quick fixDr Rohan Goyal founder and regenerative medicine specialist at Nuvana is advocating for an end to the lsquoonesizefitsallrsquo obsession As wellness became a buzzword in 2025 it unfortunately became synonymous with shortcuts viral detox teas extreme 7day cleanses and generic supplementsThe reality is far more unachievablemdashand often counterproductive These trends driven by viral beforeandafter transformations ignore individual physiologyrdquo Goyal warns He notes that the human body does not respond uniformly to the same treatment ldquoSomething marketed as wellness may end up creating stress or dependency on products rather than building longterm vitalityThe expert points out that common issues like fatigue or inflammation are rarely isolated and they are often symptoms of deeper metabolic or hormonal imbalances ldquoTreating them with a generic cleanse delays effective managementrdquo he cautions As we move forward Goyal hopes wellness shifts toward informed personalised and integrative treatments that allow the body to truly regenerate and restore over timeTravel Reclaiming local identityTravel blogger Divyakshi Gupta is on a mission to end the comparison trap She tells us how irksome the pervasive trend of introducing Indian destinations as lsquothe foreign place of IndiarsquoShe elaborates I see reels introducing Khajjiar as the Mini Switzerland of India or Coorg as the Scotland of Indiarsquo This trend has even led to local names being silenced In the Tirthan Valley natural pools known locally as Kulhi Katandi are being rebranded by tourists and creators as lsquoMini ThailandrsquordquoGupta urges a shift in perspective Each Indian place has a unique distinct identity and that identity should be respected Content creators should stop using these foreign comparisons as clickbait and instead create awareness of the rich local cultures that make these destinations stand out on their own merits If we donrsquot own these places as our own who willInterior Design The death of the clinical homeRohan Jain director at RJ Projects is ready to see the end of ultraminimal homes that feel more like laboratories than living roomsldquoWhile minimalism offers a sense of calm the extreme versionmdashcharacterised by limited colours a lack of texture and hard finishesmdashoften feels distant and impersonal When a home begins to resemble a show apartment rather than a livedin space it becomes difficult to truly relax This is particularly true in the Indian context where homes are vibrant hubs for multigenerational families and constant hosting Ultraminimalism forces residents to constantly edit themselves leaving no room for the books artwork and memories that people naturally collectrdquo Jain observesHis vision for 2026 is lsquoHuman Minimalismrsquo He believes that clean layouts should be supported by thoughtful materials and personal elements Good design isnrsquot about removing everything itrsquos about making choices that support the people who live thererdquo he concludesThe common thread across these industries is a desire for substance over surface As these experts suggest the most sustainable trend for the coming year isnt a specific colour or a new superfoodmdashitrsquos the freedom to be authentic personal and grounded in reality