Trends 2025: Indulgence Is the New Norm: How Everyday Luxury Is Redefining Living Standards

What is the “Everyday Indulgence” Trend? — From Occasional Treats to Daily Comfort Staples

• Indulgence shifts from rare to routine. Consumers are increasingly weaving small luxuries—custom scents, designer comforts, elevated food experiences—into daily life rather than reserving them for special occasions. The boundary between necessity and luxury is blurring.

• Emotional drivers over opulence. The new indulgence isn’t about conspicuous wealth—it’s about emotional uplift, mood boosts, and self-care signals. People want what feels good now while knowing they should still be prudent.

• Hyperpersonalization as indulgence. Rather than generic luxury, the rise of tailored, mood-based experiences—like custom beverages, scent systems, or personalized services—reflects a shift from status to self-expression.

• A tension of desire vs. discipline. Many consumers feel pulled between splurging for joy and maintaining financial responsibility. This internal tension shapes how indulgence is consumed and rationalized.

Why It Is the Topic Trending: We’re Entering the Era of “Desire-Led Living”

• Return to emotional spending. After years of restraint, consumers are ready to spend on what brings them joy, even amidst ongoing economic pressures. Indulgence becomes part of balancing life’s stresses.

• Cultural fatigue with austerity. The pendulum is swinging away from minimalism’s extremes; there’s appetite for more comfort, beauty, and sensory richness in everyday life.

• Experience over ownership. Younger consumers prefer access, moments, and ambiance over accumulating luxury goods. Indulgence is being redefined as lived feeling, not material display.

• Premiumization of ordinary categories. From toiletries to home fragrance, everyday goods are being elevated—brands that tap this shift gain permission to command higher margins.

Overview: From Restraint to Release

In Shifts: How Everyday Indulgence Will Reshape Our Living Standards, Ipsos maps a transformation: indulgence is no longer a fringe behavior but a core pillar of modern consumption. As consumers balance caution with desire, they are embracing small splurges and emotional luxuries to enrich daily existence. This trend is not about abandoning discipline—it’s about redefining what deserves investment. The future lies in everyday delight, not distant decadence.

Detailed Findings: The New Makeup of Indulgence

• From occasional treats to daily escapes. What once felt special is now standard—people are installing scent diffusers, customized teas, or designer home touches as baseline comforts rather than occasional luxuries.

• Emotional framing matters. Indulgences are justified by their mood benefit—stress relief, reward, joy—rather than pure prestige. The emotional ROI drives purchase behavior.

• Innovation + ritual = new standards. Brands offering small rituals—e.g. a nightly candle, a signature flavor pairing—tap into habit-forming indulgence. That turns novelty into expectation.

• Perceived versus real investment. While consumers want indulgence, they remain conscious of cost. Many prefer micro-luxuries—affordable touches in everyday categories—over large, risky premium buys.

• Sustainability and meaning infiltrate indulgence. Ethical materials, responsible sourcing, and story-driven products gain weight. People want indulgence that aligns with values, not just extravagance.

Key Success Factors of the Trend: What Makes Indulgence Stick

• Emotional resonance. Products succeed when they connect to mood, memory, or ritual. The more they feel personalized, the more lasting their appeal.

• Low friction. Daily indulgence must be convenient. If a fragrance system or luxury snack is cumbersome, it fails as a ritual.

• Adaptive scalability. Brands that allow scaling—small upgrades that feel luxurious—are more likely to retain consumers than one-time splurge models.

• Brand storytelling anchored in values. Indulgence tied to sustainability, heritage, or craftsmanship resonates more deeply than pure aesthetic.

• Habit formation. Indulgences that integrate into daily routines—morning routines, wind-down rituals—become part of identity rather than extras.

Key Takeaway: Indulgence Isn’t Over the Top—it’s Over the Ordinary

The meaningful shift isn’t toward grand luxury, but toward making daily life feel more valuable. Everyday indulgence is the new frontier: emotional, thoughtful, and embedded in the mundane. The brands and experiences that win will be those that elevate the ordinary—not by extravagance, but by intention, sensory depth, and emotional connection.

Core Trend: “Luxury Embedded in Life”

This trend frames indulgence not as something separate, but built into the rhythms of daily life. The next generation sees beauty, comfort, and emotional delight not as splurges, but as baseline expectations in how they live.

Description of the Trend: The Indulgence Recalibration

The indulgence recalibration is about restoring meaning to small comforts. In a world saturated with material excess, people are recalibrating value: a scent system, a thoughtful snack, or a mood-enhancing drink becomes an act of self-expression. This is indulgence that feels earned, not flashy.

Key Characteristics of the Trend: The Texture of Everyday Luxury

• Mood-first offerings. Products marketed for feel, ambiance, or psychological uplift win more than those pitched purely for quality.

• Micro-luxuries over mega-luxuries. Smaller, affordable touches—candles, scents, specialty snacks—become entry points into indulgence.

• Sensory layering. Success combines multiple senses—scent, texture, sound—to craft richer experiences.

• Curated, not cluttered. Minimal but meaningful indulgences will attract more traction than overstuffed luxury assortments.

• Emotional balancing. Indulgence becomes a tool to offset stress and enable emotional equilibrium.

Market and Cultural Signals Supporting the Trend: Comfort Culture Gains Ground

• “Return to normalcy” tipping point. Post-pandemic, consumers are leaning into comfort and emotional restoration. Ipsos highlights this shift as a core structural change. Ipsos

• Personalization boom. The rise of subscription, limited-edition, and tiered offerings reflect demand for curated indulgence. Ipsos

• Wellness + lifestyle convergence. Indulgence is merging with health, mindfulness, and wellness domains, becoming part of holistic living. Ipsos

• Premium pricing in everyday goods. Consumers have shown willingness to pay more for everyday items with elevated qualities—design, scent, experience.

• Narrative-driven brands win. Brands that communicate meaning, heritage, or emotional storylines connect more deeply in this context.

What is Consumer Motivation: Why People Indulge Today

• Emotional nourishment. Indulgences fulfill a need for calm, joy, or reward during uncertain times.

• Identity expression. Choosing a signature scent or flavor becomes a form of self-definition.

• Micro-rituals as anchors. Small daily acts—lighting a candle, brewing a designer tea—create stability and meaning.

• Desire for control. In unstable times, indulgence offers agency over moments of pleasure.

What is Motivation Beyond the Trend: Cultural & Economic Implications

• Reconstructing consumption values. Indulgence becomes a signal of conscious living, not mindless spending.

• Brand purpose as expected. Consumers will expect emotional and ethical alignment—“indulgent” brands that lack meaning will struggle.

• Diffusing luxury. The divide between mass and luxury narrows—luxury becomes less about exclusivity and more about experience.

• Sustainability imperative. The most successful indulgences will be those that merge delight with responsibility.

Description of Consumers: The “Intentional Indulgers”

• Who are they? Consumers who want to balance practicality with emotional reward, often juggling busy lives and mental stress.

• Age: Skews Millennials and Gen Z, but spans upward into Gen X seeking vibrancy in everyday life.

• Gender: Balanced, with slightly higher sensitivity among female consumers drawn to sensory and wellness categories.

• Income: Middle to upper-middle, with discretionary space to allocate small but frequent indulgences.

• Lifestyle: Health-aware, value-driven, digitally engaged, and emotionally conscious.

Consumer Detailed Summary: Indulgers in Profile

• Emotionally responsive. These consumers buy based on how something makes them feel—uplifted, calm, inspired.

• Habit builders. They integrate indulgence into routines—morning rituals, nighttime wind-downs, weekend treats.

• Experience seekers. They prioritize atmosphere, sensory depth, and subtle novelty over flashy features.

• Conscious spenders. Even indulgences are scrutinized for value, durability, and meaning—the “splurge” must feel justified.

How the Trend Is Changing Consumer Behavior: From Buying Goods to Curating Experiences

• Consumption as experience. Products are judged less on function and more on emotional resonance.

• Shift from accumulation to refinement. Instead of owning more, consumers choose fewer but better, more meaningful items.

• Routine as ritual. Daily acts become stages for indulgence—coffee, scent, beverages, snacks.

• Story-driven connection. Brand narratives, origin stories, and sensory detail become key differentiators.

Implications of the Trend Across the Ecosystem: Indulgence as Infrastructure

• For Consumers: Everyday life becomes more emotionally layered and intentional. Indulgence is no longer optional—it’s foundational to well-being.

• For Brands: Emotional-first product design and storytelling will outpace traditional feature-based competition.

• For Retailers: Curated ambiance, sensory merchandising, and experiential touchpoints will attract consumers seeking deeper meaning—not just cheaper deals.

Strategic Forecast: Where Everyday Indulgence Leads

• “Ambient luxury” proliferation. Expect everyday goods—from home fragrance to snacks—to carry elevated design and experience cues.

• Subscription and layering models. Brands will offer tiered indulgence packages to embed themselves into consumers’ routines.

• Emotional algorithmics. AI and data tools will recommend items not just by preference but by mood, context, and desired feeling.

• Cross-sector synergy. Wellness, tech, home décor, and food sectors will further intertwine in delivering holistic indulgent experiences.

Areas of Innovation: What’s Next in Indulgent Living

• Mood-aware products. Think beverages or scents that shift tone based on time or environment.

• Micro-moment services. On-demand sensory boosts—mobile scent dispensers, mini massage devices, ambient sound capsules.

• Narrative packaging. Unboxing becomes ceremony, with story, texture, and multisensory details.

• Sustainably indulgent models. Indulgences that emphasize recyclability, refill systems, and ethical sourcing.

Summary of Trends: Indulgence Reimagined as Daily Ritual

• Core Consumer Trend: “Emotional Micro-Luxury.” Small pleasures become essential tools for mood, identity, and rhythm.

• Core Social Trend: “Comfort as Culture.” Indulgence becomes a shared language of healing, self-expression, and ritual.

• Core Strategy: “Mood-Driven Brand Design.” Product success is now tied to emotional impact rather than function alone.

• Core Industry Trend: “Luxury Embedded Everywhere.” The divide between luxury and everyday narrows as experiential value dominates.

• Core Consumer Motivation: “Pleasure with Purpose.” Indulgence is justified when tied to self-care, identity, and emotional equilibrium.

• Trend Implications: “The Indulgence Economy as Default.” Brands and markets must lean into delivering meaning, not just material goods.

Final Thought: The Everyday Becomes the Extraordinary

We are entering an age where indulgence is not an escape—it’s a signal of how we want to live. Small luxuries will no longer be occasional treats but woven threads in daily experience. Brands that understand this shift—from texture and story to emotional resonance—will redefine the standards of living, making delight not the exception but the new baseline.

Source: https://www.ipsos.com/en-us/future/shifts-how-everyday-indulgence-will-reshape-our-living-standards