【2026 H1 Trend Survey】"Heisei Retro Boom" Accelerates Further: BELLOWL Releases Top Trends Across 5 Categories—Beauty, Characters, Food, Music, and Lifestyle—Chosen by 116 Gen Z Respondents

BELLOWL Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "the company") announces the release of its "2026 First-Half Trend Survey Report," based on quantitative surveys, trend analysis, and discussion groups conducted with 116 male and female members of Gen Z.

https://wakawaka.monipo.jp/notes/a5PE9LTd

This survey analyzed trending topics among Gen Z during the first half of 2026, ranking them across five categories: "Beauty & Fashion," "Characters," "Food & Drink," "Idol and Artist Music," and "Products & Lifestyle Trends."

Overall, results showed a significant acceleration of the Heisei-era retro trend, along with the widespread emergence of new words and habits originating from social media.

Survey Overview

Survey Name: 2026 First-Half Trend Survey Report

Conducted by: BELLOWL Co., Ltd.

Methodology: Quantitative survey, trend analysis, and focus group discussions

Participants: 116 male and female Gen Z individuals

Survey Date: June 2026

【Beauty & Fashion Category】

Amid the ongoing Heisei nostalgia trend, many participants reported matching PANDORA bracelets with friends, attaching hibiscus-themed clips to bags, and incorporating them into nail art. Additionally, "standing ears"—a trend aiming for a slimmer facial appearance—gained popularity, with related beauty treatments and accessories also becoming widely discussed.

【Character Category】

New game releases boosted popularity for "Tamagotchi" and "Tomodachi Collection," while "Pokémon," celebrating its 30th anniversary, saw renewed excitement. The rising popularity of "Monchhichi" and "Sugarbunnies" further indicates the accelerating Heisei retro wave. With extensive merchandise, events, collaborations, and gachapon capsule toy releases, this category has become increasingly visible in everyday life.

【Food & Drink Category】

Top-ranking items included the recently relaunched "Mocchurin," the K-pop idol-driven "milk tea" boom, and "Mammoth Coffee," an affordable Korean coffee chain expanding rapidly in Japan with large, low-priced drinks. Additionally, many users attempted to recreate the highly viral "Pringles Chocolate," which gained attention on overseas social media.

【Idol & Artist Music Category】

Following the popularity of last year's hit "Ii jan," M!LK continued to gain momentum. Hearts2Hearts saw their songs go viral as memes on TikTok, while SWEET STEADY attracted attention with their upbeat rhythm and strong social media presence. A wide range of music received broad support.

【Products & Lifestyle Trends Category】

Existing trends gained further momentum, giving rise to new fads. The "Ino Tadataka community," inspired by aspirations for a healthier lifestyle, accelerated, with many people attempting to walk or cycle around the Yamanote Line, sharing their progress on social media. Alongside the growing sticker album trend, a new slang term "Shirupato" (short for "sticker patrol") emerged, referring to visiting stores to collect stickers. Additionally, "setlog," an evolution of the real-time daily moment-sharing app "BeReal," became popular—users share updates with friends every hour. Another new buzzword, "frenemy" (from "friend" + "enemy"), describing someone who acts friendly but behaves like an opponent, spread widely across TikTok and other social platforms.

Summary

This survey revealed a shared acceleration of nostalgia for Heisei-era retro culture across diverse areas, including beauty, fashion, characters, food, music, and daily lifestyle. Moreover, existing trends are fueling new fads and neologisms, indicating that Gen Z trends are no longer isolated phenomena but are spreading in a chain reaction.

About Monipo

Monipo is a research service specializing in surveys targeting Gen Z and younger demographics.

With the mission of "transforming young people's authentic voices into actionable insights for businesses and society," Monipo supports clients from survey design to analysis and practical application of results.

Monipo URL: https://lp.monipo.jp/

Wakamono Research Lab: https://wakawaka.monipo.jp/

Company Overview

BELLOWL Co., Ltd. supports new business and service development by deeply understanding people. Through its "Consumer Research Business," offering qualitative research, analysis, and strategic insights for enterprises, and by planning, developing, and operating proprietary services such as "Monipo," the company creates new values and experiences around everyday life.

https://bellowl.com/

For media inquiries:

Public Relations, BELLOWL Co., Ltd.

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 050-3095-3741