In the United Kingdom, the market for beauty and personal care e-commerce reached 9.3 billion U.S. dollars in 2022. That year, the personal care industry generated 8.1 billion U.S. dollars in revenue, while the beauty care industry generated 1.2 billion U.S. dollars. By 2027, revenue for the entire market is expected to exceed 14 billion U.S. dollars.
In cahoots with Boots
Popular high-street brands are among the brands that dominate the e-commerce market. With thousands of retail stores across the UK and a successful digital adaptation, Boots is one example of an omnichannel retailer. Founded in 1849, the company specializes in pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and cosmetics. In January 2023, Boots topped the charts for the most favored beauty store and app. That month, a whopping 15 million users visited Boots' online store, along with over 240,000 app downloads. According to a survey about the Boots brand, most online shoppers have a positive image of the brand in the UK. In addition, a staggering 96 percent are familiar with the brand.Other well-performing online stores are Superdrug and Lookfantastic. Superdrug is a retail company with a strong web presence. After Boots, the company was the country's most well-known beauty and health online shop in 2022. Lookfantastic, a part of TGH plc, is a pure player. However, only 40 percent of consumers recognized the brand that year.
Shoppers' appetite for beauty
In the fourth quarter of 2022, about 41 percent of consumers in the UK purchased beauty products through the internet. The country lagged behind its international counterparts, as nearly 70 percent and 50 percent of surveyed Polish and Portuguese shoppers purchased beauty items online, respectively. Scotland is home to the largest share of digital health and beauty shoppers compared to other UK regions. In December 2022, around 30 percent of shoppers in Scotland bought wellness products online. In Wales, that figure was only 14 percent.Even though beauty is becoming increasingly genderless, women continue to purchase more of these products online compared to their male counterparts. Interestingly, however, men buy more beauty products via mobile phones than women do. Oral and personal care products were the most commonly used wellness products in 2022. For both these categories, over 80 percent of UK consumers reported using them regularly. That year, online consumers spent on average 453 U.S. dollars on personal care and 57 U.S. dollars on beauty.
