KATSEYE Is Beauty's Newest It Girls—Here Are Some Of The Trends They Love

Show of hands: Who here has, admittedly, gone a complete 180-turn with KATSEYE's "Gnarly" after a few listens? While it's safe to say that many of us had math equations floating in our heads the first time we pressed play, the experience has quickly transformed to something like this: "Gnarly" is now immortalized in our daily vocabulary, even if it's just a brain rot response to something our friends say. Well, we could describe everything with one single word. 

Sure, the hyperpop comeback has a polarizing nature. But one of the things that easily lured me into the song's brewing lore is the love I have for those who gave life to it in the first place—the KATSEYE girls. While others discovered them through the explosiveness of "Gnarly" or their sonically playful debut EP "SIS" (Soft is Strong), I was part of the pack that followed their journey right when HYBE and GEFFEN unveiled what The Debut: Dream Academy is all about.

In the talent competition-slash-reality show, viewers witnessed 20 aspiring stars (from more than 120,000 auditionees!) battle it out in their high-pressure headquarters through vocal and dance skills. The number eventually whittled down to six, letting us meet talented girls of different cultures: Sophia Laforteza (Filipino), Lara Rajagopalan (Indian-American), Daniela Avanzini (American-Venezuelan-Cuban), Megan Skiendiel (American-Chinese-Singaporean), Jeong Yoonchae (South Korean) and Manon Bannerman (Swiss-Italian-Ghanaian). This dynamic allowed these Gen Z idols to connect with diverse audiences across the globe—even when it comes to the beauty arena!

Cue their newest Glossier billboard. After their FENDI and Coach campaigns, KATSEYE's biggest brand deal to date got us torn about what Lip Glaze variant to try, a.k.a. the beauty giant's freshest product drop. I'm afraid I don't need much convincing in purchasing one, stat. 

But get this: Before the massive collab happened, KATSEYE had already been beauty icons in their signature spontaneous ways. Need a refresh? Here are a few moments that prove their influence in how we get ready—from hairstyles to complete makeup looks.

Who hasn’t caught wind of this craze? Whether you watched Sophia’s "Angels We Have Heard on High" Christmas cover or have been lurking on Reddit, everyone has had a unified plea: Drop the glossy lip combo, queen! Fans have even been making TikTok edits that focus on the beauty of the KATSEYE leader's lips, and how its stunning glossy appearance never faltered.

Well, fans have spotted the artist bringing a Lucas Papaw Ointment, so that can be added to the equation. However, a clear answer never came easy—Sophia even once quipped that it's "mantika ng lechon" (oil from the Filipino roasted pig dish), LOL—until Glossier's Get Ready With Me edition with KATSEYE was released. 

"I feel like this is like a very important moment in [the] history of KATSEYE," Manon says, as Sophia pulls out the brush applicator from her Glossier Lip Gloss in Clear. Sophia wraps up the dabbing with "Everybody… Everybody!" as an act of confirming that this is the product you've been waiting for. So, does that cap off our sleuthing for Sophia's secret lip combo?

To say that Manon is a textbook "It Girl" is an understatement. Before Dream Academy, many casual viewers claimed that she had already been making rounds on Pinterest for her insane face card. One of her famous pre-debut selfies currently has almost 800,000 likes on Instagram to boot! Interesting enough, the Pop Star Academy Netflix documentary—which chronicled the journey of the KATSEYE girls before becoming KATSEYE—revealed that Manon was actually scouted through social media.

This is why Manon starting trends out of the blue isn't entirely surprising. Case in point: Eyebrows, period. The internet has been making tutorials on how to do their brows the Manon way—straight and subtly fierce. Beauty girls are willing to shave the arch to achieve the look! I can't blame them—even the artist's own global girl gang takes a page off her book. "I used to shave my eyebrows… Actually, Manon inspired me," says Lara in the Glossier GRWM video.

ICYMI: X users have been stumbling upon (and have become captivated by) Daniela's "Gnarly" live performance fancams. They're asking about who she is—as they should!

Her lore has always been extra fun. Sophia calling her "Latina Mami" is completely understandable; the feisty and passionate aura ignited way back in her childhood, where she competed in America's Got Talent at seven years old. This vibe followed through in her KATSEYE era, not just in the heated dance floor, but also in delivering looks. Head to TikTok and you'll see fans attempting to build Daniela's killer look for themselves, especially during the "Gnarly" era. From sleek lip liners to smokey eyeshadow colors to bold eyeliners (a cat's eye?), it's definitely tempting to play around with the fierce and edgy finish. Maybe channeling Daniela will get me the confidence I need 24/7. 

As we recall in the universe of Yoonchae, the youngest member of KATSEYE: "Maknae eats first." (And girl, does she eat every time.)

While cooped up in your bedroom and doomscrolling, you might have chanced upon her stunning version of TikTok's Y2K glam makeup trend in 2024—yes, the one with Lee Hyori's "10 Minutes" playing in the background—and had the urge to recreate it. The video instantly won the hearts of fans and casual viewers that people began requesting for a Y2K concept for the girl group. The makeup style totally suited Yoonchae, and a similar soft and cool look—where she played with flipping and mirrors—garnered heaps of heart emojis yet again after a few months. No one does the cutesy reflection check like Yoonchae at this point.  

Also, can we briefly talk about how she also seems to own every hair color and style she's tried? When Yoonchae sports some bangs, fans want it official. Pink hair color? She can pull it off. And when the blonde 'do happened in the "Gnarly" MV, it seems like her fans refuse to see it for the last time.

Speaking of the hairstyle department (and bangs!), remember how lucky the Filipino crowd was to witness Megan with bangs during their performances here? Well, it seemed like she heeded many fans' calls to wear them every once in a while.

Spoiler alert: Megan's bangs really are a gift that keeps on giving. At the start of April, Megan casually dropped a Fendi-tagged selfie that made us do a double-take. Who knew that cotton candy-colored money pieces are easy to fall in love with? 

It's not even the first time we witnessed this look: Dua Lipa and Rina Sawayama in 2020 and Bella Hadid in 2021 are just a few examples that sparked our interest to try money pieces ourselves. Thanks to Megan, it's quite refreshing to see pastel pink integrated with this (resurrected) trend in 2025. What's even better is this isn't a typical trial version—she still has the same hairstyle as of writing. A trip to the salon is looming as we speak!

Apart from being That Girl with the closet girlies daydream to raid, Lara shines with her ethereal aura. A baddie with an angelic voice is hard to come by! From the dark-colored lip shades to the bold eyeliners, the internet's been taking notes from her frequent makeup look.

Moreover, fans have noticed how Lara constantly wears bindis, may it be in music shows or chill livestreams. FYI, a bindi is a mark or sticker jewelry that’s usually worn by Indian women on the forehead, traditionally symbolizing the "third eye" or the connection to the divine. In 2023, the KATSEYE member would be seen posting videos of her "Bindi Haul" and asking her followers their choice of bindi. This has then inspired Indian girls to fully embrace their culture and identity.