Marketing That Looks Good Enough To Eat

In today’s crowded luxury market, grabbing attention means appealing not just to sight, but to all the senses. Increasingly, brands are borrowing from the world of food, tapping into deep, instinctive cravings to create irresistible products that look good enough to eat. It is a powerful shortcut straight to the brain’s pleasure centres, turning everyday routines into moments of indulgence.

The Neuroscience Behind the Craving

Our brains light up when we see food-like textures and colours. The softness of whipped cream, the gloss of candy wrappers, and pastel hues reminiscent of ice cream activate dopamine-driven reward centres. This sensory trigger forms a deep emotional connection that luxury brands are currently leveraging.

Hailey Bieber’s brand Rhode offers products like their Glazing Milk toner and Barrier Butter moisturiser, which evoke a sense of indulgence through their rich textures and soft visuals.

In 2025, the brand leaned again into the food-meets-beauty aesthetic with a summer campaign inspired by lemon martinis. At the centre was the Lemontini flavoured Peptide Lip Tint, styled with lemon martinis with lemon peel. The campaign turned the product into more than skincare, it became a moment of sensory indulgence that felt like sipping a cocktail in Europe during summer.

Selling a Feeling, Not Just a Product

When products look like cupcakes or candy jars, they invite indulgence and comfort. This strategy isn't just about the function of the product, it's about turning everyday beauty or fashion into small moments of pleasure.

Rihanna’s brand Fenty Skin offers scented body creams featuring indulgent fragrances, like guava or salted caramel, which is paired with minimalist, colourful packaging. This turns skincare into a sensory treat. Meanwhile, Jacquemus uses rustic food imagery such as bread and butter to evoke warmth and simplicity, making luxury fashion feel inviting and comforting.

Why It Works Before You Even Touch the Product

The emotional pull starts before unboxing. Your brain anticipates the softness, sweetness, and pleasure just by seeing or smelling the product. This builds excitement and loyalty.

Laneige embraced the food aesthetic trend with its Glaze Craze Tinted Lip Serum, featuring a donut-inspired squishy applicator. On social media, the product is styled alongside colourful donuts, showcasing its shade range with playful donut-inspired names like “Blueberry Jelly” and “Strawberry Sprinkles." The result is a visually irresistible blend of skincare and indulgence that invites users to turn their skincare routine into a sweet, sensory ritual.

Final Scoop

Food aesthetics in marketing is more than just a trend. It is a smart, instinctive way to connect on an emotional level. By appealing to cravings for comfort and pleasure, brands like Rhode, Fenty, Laneige, Jacquemus and many others create meaningful connections that elevate the consumer experience.

So next time you're shopping at Sephora and you're drawn to a product that looks good enough to eat, it is already working its magic by making you feel something before you even try it.