Mother’s Day spending hits record, beauty tech emerges as top gift choice

Mother’s Day lands on Sunday, May 10, and shoppers are still spending at record levels. The National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics project $38 billion in total spending this year, with the average shopper expected to spend $284.25, even as families weigh what feels thoughtful against what simply feels expensive.

That pressure is why beauty tech has moved from novelty to one of the season’s most visible gift categories. Sephora and Ulta Beauty are both promoting Mother’s Day beauty gifts and fast-shipping options, while Ulta is giving skin-care tools and devices their own place in the mix. For last-minute buyers, the pitch is clear: a premium device can feel more personal than flowers or a gift card, but it only makes sense if it fits a real routine and arrives on time.

The appeal of these devices is grounded in a larger consumer trend. Home-based dermatology tools, including LED, laser, radiofrequency and IPL devices, have drawn rising demand in medical literature, and clinical research has examined home RF and LED devices for anti-aging and acne-related uses. That has helped turn red-light masks and similar devices into high-ticket gifts for shoppers willing to pay for the promise of repeat use instead of a one-time treat.

Still, these products are not interchangeable. The Food and Drug Administration says aesthetic devices may be regulated depending on their intended use and whether they affect the structure or function of the body. The American Academy of Dermatology advises seeing a board-certified dermatologist before trying an at-home red-light device, noting that a clinician can help decide whether it belongs in a skin-care plan at all. For mainstream households, that makes price-to-value a practical question, not a marketing slogan: a device that is useful, safe and likely to get used can justify the splurge, but a flashy gadget with no clear skin-care role quickly becomes an expensive drawer item.

The spending surge also reflects how deeply the holiday is embedded in American life. Anna Jarvis created the American version of Mother’s Day in 1908, and it became an official U.S. holiday in 1914. More than a century later, 84% of U.S. adults say they plan to celebrate, and retailers are banking on that broad participation to keep beauty tech near the top of checkout pages as the shipping clock runs down.