Why brands are promoting self-care for Valentine’s Day
This Valentine’s Day, some brands are deemphasizing romantic ties in the name of self-care.
More brands are taking to social media to encourage people to stock up on chocolates or flowers or beauty products — not for a loved one, but for themselves. “You don’t need a Valentine to fall in love,” Bath & Body Works said on Instagram while promoting one of its newest collections. “Self-love is the best love,” read an Instagram post from Target.
Amid tough economic conditions, more brands have seen a rise in consumers using big shopping moments like Prime Day to treat themselves. And self-care has also been on the rise around Valentine’s Day, as people look for different ways to celebrate the holiday. According to a survey by consumer analytics platform CivicScience, one in two U.S. adults say they plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day 2025 and 34% will do so by buying themselves a gift. Gen Z, in particular, is leaning into the trend, with 60% of respondents aged 18-24 saying they are likely to buy themselves a gift this year, up from 58% last year.
This year, a number of brands in the beauty and personal care categories are leaning into self-gifting with on-theme product launches.
Personal care brand Athena Club, for instance, is promoting self-care routines this Valentine’s Day with the launch of its new Walmart-exclusive lineup. The new shaving products are on theme for the holiday and include a strawberry whipped shave cream. As part of the marketing campaign, the brand is encouraging people to “make yourself a treat and build the shaving routine of your dreams.”
Meanwhile, clean beauty brand LYS Beauty is rolling out a new collection of glossy lip balms to celebrate the holiday.
Founder Tisha Thompson told Modern Retail that because the brand launched on Valentine’s Day in 2021, it felt appropriate to tie a new product to a self-love-themed campaign, titled “Capture the love.” The brand’s name itself, LYS, stands for love yourself. “That’s a motto we push and promote 365 days a year,” Thompson said.
“It’s such a perfect time for people to focus on self-love, whether it be taking yourself out or making a self-purchase or just doing relaxing things,” Thompson said. Moreover, she said LYS’s products lend themselves to self-gifting because many of the products, like foundations and powders, aren’t something people would purchase for someone else.
Dr. Terry Damron, an assistant professor of marketing at Austin Peay State University, said the evolving definition of Valentine’s Day means retailers and brands have to adapt to cater to a wider audience through their product offerings and marketing language.
“When we look at consumer buying behavior across the last decade, we can see the focus of Valentine’s Day has widened to include the celebration of a variety of relationships,” Damron said. This can range from coworkers and friends to pets. “Savvy retailers have adapted to this shift, refining and expanding their product mix and promotions to reflect consumer demand.”
“We see a number of related marketing mix decisions, such as curated gift guides for a range of recipients and even ‘Galentine’s Day’-specific merchandise available specifically for the February 13 holiday,” Damron said.
As people celebrate Valentine’s Day in more ways, brands are looking to create more marketing moments.
This year, Ikea, for example, is encouraging customers to refresh their space with affordable Valentine-themed items. On February 14, Ikea is offering loyalty members discounts on mattresses, bedding and pillows, among other items. The furniture retailer is encouraging customers to refresh their homes with simple, affordable items like red and pink throw pillows and a heart-shaped wall lamp.
Elizabeth Spencer, commercial activity leader at Ikea U.S., said the company has seen self-gifting spike around holidays and promotional periods in recent years. “We have seen this [self-gifting] trend at IKEA, not only for Valentine’s Day but also during other seasonal moments and traditional retail shopping holidays,” Spencer said. Promotional pricing is increasingly important, she added, given the ongoing pressure of inflation. “Consumers are increasingly seeking the best deals, especially when buying something for themselves.”
These combined trends, Spencer said, “have influenced our approach to ensure we have offers for our customers throughout the year.” So, while homeware is a nontraditional Valentine’s purchase, homeware “can make for great self-gifting for February 14,” she said. That’s especially true as people spend more time at home during the winter months and are looking to spruce up their spaces.
As brands look to find ways to bring customers back, seasonal holidays are becoming an important opportunity to reach self-gifting shoppers. It’s also a way to tap into the spike in retail therapy.
As LYS’s Thompson said, the current climate is yet another tie into the self-care theme. “Facing the world is becoming more and more difficult every day with everything going on,” she said. “And Valentine’s Day is a great time to remind people to put themselves first.”