Coffee, Reimagined
Coffee, Reimagined: The Flavour Fuelling Culture, Beauty and Design
June 2025
By Hannerie Visser (Studio H)
Coffee is no longer just a morning wake-up call. It has evolved into a cultural symbol and a luxury lifestyle statement. From home cafés to haute couture, coffee is touching every aspect of our lives – and consumers can’t get enough. Steaming or iced, in desserts, snacks, skincare and beyond – coffee is everywhere. It signals a new wave of opportunity for brands exploring cross-category experiences.
From café culture to cross-category creativity
Coffee’s emotional resonance – comforting, energising, indulgent – makes it an incredibly versatile flavour. It’s being paired with chocolate and chilli, infused into syrups and oils, even layered into savoury profiles like meat rubs and umami broths.
This appetite for coffee in unexpected places is backed by data:
- The global ready-to-drink coffee market is projected to hit $42 billion by 2027.[i]
- Coffee-flavoured confections saw a 14% global rise in sales in 2024.[ii]
- Pinterest searches for “home café aesthetic” are up 75%.[iii]
- Gen Z consumers are twice as likely to associate coffee with self-care and ritual.[iv]
This shift in perception is key. Coffee is no longer seen as functional – it’s now emotional, experiential and increasingly personal.
The beauty of the bean
Coffee’s leap into beauty and personal care is one of the most exciting developments. Caffeine-rich skincare is trending globally, with everything from exfoliators and eye creams to shampoos and lip balms using coffee as a hero ingredient. It brings energising properties and a warm, aromatic scent profile that consumers associate with freshness and natural potency.
This is where things get exciting. Multi-sensory product development – where flavour, fragrance and function intersect – is opening up a new frontier. Cross-category innovation has never been more relevant, or more in demand.
Luxury in a latte
As the Café Effect macro trend shows, coffee is now a form of status signalling. In the wake of the cost-of-living crisis, consumers are seeking accessible luxuries – small indulgences that feel elevated. Designer cafés from brands like Jacquemus, Prada and Gucci are serving that need, one cappuccino at a time.
These brand activations are more than novelty – they’re strategic. Fashion houses are inviting consumers to engage with their world through edible, Instagrammable moments. Coffee plays a starring role in this luxury storytelling.
At-home café culture has also exploded. Consumers are investing in aesthetic home barista setups, hosting friends for curated coffee hours, and sharing these setups online. For brands, this presents an opportunity to deliver coffee products that are not only delicious, but designed – crafted to complement a lifestyle.
Tiramisu goes viral
Perhaps nothing captures the cultural moment quite like tiramisu. This classic coffee-soaked dessert has had a major revival – dominating menus, TikTok feeds and pop culture references. In recent months, tiramisu recipes have trended across platforms, from celebrity cooking videos to high-end deconstructions in fine dining.
It’s a timely convergence of nostalgia, indulgence and innovation – a coffee-forward profile that’s familiar yet full of potential. Tiramisu’s renaissance isn’t just about dessert, it’s about translating its signature flavour cues (coffee, cream, cocoa and mascarpone) into everything from ice creams to cocktails to ready-to-drink coffees.
Coffee with context
In the Apple TV+ series Omnivore, chef René Redzepi explores coffee through a deeper lens – tracing its colonial past, global impact and economic weight. The episode reinforces what many consumers are coming to realise: the story of an ingredient matters.
Today’s coffee drinkers want more than flavour – they want origin. Single-origin beans, fair trade sourcing and ethical narratives all add layers of perceived value. The opportunity lies in weaving that storytelling into product development, creating deeper emotional and cultural connections with consumers.
What’s next?
Expect coffee to continue its cross-category climb, evolving with greater sophistication. From mushroom-mocha cold brews and espresso martini desserts to collagen coffee gummies and cardamom coffee spice blends – coffee is also making waves in beauty products, wellness supplements and lifestyle experiences. From TikTok tiramisu to designer lattes and energising skincare, coffee is no longer just a drink – it’s a flavour foundation shaping the future across industries.
Hannerie Visser is the founder and creative director of Studio H, a team of culinary-minded designers that specialise in food trend reporting, product innovation and experience design.
Through exploring emerging trends, SensoryFX is committed to understanding consumer motivations, allowing us to create flavours that delight and inspire.
[i] https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/rtd-coffee-market-9096
[ii] https://www.innovamarketinsights.com/trends/coffee-trends-in-the-us/
[iii] https://www.thespruce.com/pinterest-dorm-room-trends-2024-8675795
[iv] https://www.tryperdiem.com/post/how-to-meet-gen-zs-evolving-coffee-preferences-with-fourth-wave-specialty-coffee