Can you guess the search term that’s up 614% in 2025?
Throughout 2025, we have highlighted the cutting edge in cosmetic science, from the breakthroughs in Light Therapy, to cellularly-stimulating microcurrent, from PEMS, to vibration and beyond. With our final post of the year, let’s take time to review the data and see if any key conclusions can be drawn. Now, with a full year in hindsight, we can take a clear look at the trends in cosmetic science to see what has emerged as the hot trends & technologies in 2025. (Search trends based on USA Google search volume from December 2024 to 2025)
But none of these results hold a candle to our clear 2025 Victor. So, what's the overall winning search term? What swept the market? With a whopping 614% increase in searches between December 2024 and 2025, this keyword has blown every other term in cosmetic science out of the water:
With an unmatched 614.3% increase Photobiomodulation takes the crown this year as the hottest trending search term of 2025 in cosmetic science. However, for most readers, this may be the first time you are seeing or hearing of this term, so let’s break it down and discuss the impacts of these statistics on the 2026 market.
Photobiomodulation (PBM) is the scientific name used for Light Therapy, the medicinal application of Light to the body to benefit biological functioning. This is a compound word created from three separate words:
Together, the word literally means “To modify biology with Light”, typically with the connotation of healing or improving health. In everyday life, and the consumer market, the term used for this is Light Therapy, such as ‘a Red Light Therapy Mask’. However, when doctors, scientists, or clinical researchers are working on this technology, they use the word Photobiomodulation. So what do these results tell us? This staggering increase in searches for Photobiomodulation reveals that the professional health community (doctors, researchers, clinicians, etc) has become interested in Light Therapy with a bigger surge than ever in history.
This boom in Photobiomodulation traffic is one of the biggest signals in the cosmetic marketplace, providing us with invaluable data of the upcoming consumer demand for 2026. In fact, the discrepancy between Light Therapy searches (up 69.49%) and Photobiomodulation searches (up 614.3%) is more than data - it is a prophecy steeped in pre-science prescience. Bold words, eh?
Let me explain.
When doctors and healthcare professionals learn about the incredible healing effects of Light on the body, they search for the clinical research under its scientific name, Photobiomodulation. But when consumers are searching for this technology, they look up Light Therapy. This distinction gives an interesting insight - the healthcare and scientific community is searching for Light Therapy (Photobiomodulation up 614%) while consumer interest is lagging behind (ie Light Therapy up 69.29%). Why does this excite me so? Well, 2025 marks a pivotal year, this is the year where the average doctor learned about the profound safe & effective effects of Light Therapy for the first time. However, this new found awareness & interest in the healthcare community has not yet fully seeped into the consumer market.
What conclusion can we draw? This year has marked the key moment where the healthcare system has quietly acknowledged the breakthrough treatment of Photobiomodulation, and only now, are general doctors across the world uttering ‘Light Therapy’ to patients for the first time. As someone who has professionally trained doctors & gym trainers from China to India to Africa and the USA, I can say with confidence that the scientific community has now joined the movement. Photobiomodulation has gone mainstream - with Light Therapy sure to follow.
A massive boost in demand, as doctors & trainers across the world begin to recommend Light Therapy to their clients at an unprecedented rate. The professionals have been convinced that Photobiomodulation works (backed by the confidence of over 9,000+ studies), and now the public will soon follow. It is my prediction that 2026 will see “Light Therapy” crowned as the biggest story in healthcare - and my is it so sorely overdue! It has been over five years since I first witnessed the miracle healing effects of Photobiomodulation on my beloved friends and family, and I am excited to see this pivotal moment in our worldwide healthcare system return to the Light.
And for the sake of posterity, I’ll make a numerical prediction based on the available data. This time next year, searches for Light Therapy will increase over 614%. Let’s see how I do!
Peter Forhan is a Light Physicist and Photobiomodulation expert. He provides in-person training for traditional medical doctors to become well-versed in Light Therapy for the purpose of making this safe & effective medicine universally available.
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