UK Beauty and Personal Care Retailing Market Analysis
The UK beauty and personal care retailing market has shown resilience in recent years, with consumer spending growing despite economic challenges and the market is forecast to continue expanding. The beauty sector, particularly skincare and fragrances, is expected to outpace personal care, benefiting from trends like premiumisation and personalisation.
UK Beauty and Personal Care Retailing Market Trends
UK shoppers are increasingly seeking holistic wellness solutions, with a notable rise in demand for in-store services such as health checks, personalized skincare consultations, and wellness workshops.
Social media, particularly platforms like TikTok, has become a major driver of beauty trends, encouraging experimentation and impulsive purchases, especially among younger consumers.
Online shopping, especially via smartphones, is on the rise, with digital tools like virtual makeup trials and AI-powered skincare diagnostics gaining popularity.
Frequently Asked Questions About the UK BPC Retail Market
-
The size of the UK beauty and personal care retail market is estimated to be £12.5 billion in 2024.
-
Boots is the clear market leader in the UK BPC retail market, accounting for over a fifth of all BPC retail spending in 2024.
-
The rise of social commerce is impacting the UK BPC retail market. Platforms such as TikTok Shop allow consumers to purchase products directly within social apps. This seamless experience is particularly appealing to Gen Z and Millennials and has led to a notable increase in direct-to-consumer and impulse purchases, especially among younger shoppers.
Key Topics Analysed in the Report
- Consumer spending on beauty and personal care products, and how different segments are performing.
- Beauty retail trends and how leading specialists are performing relative to one another and the market as a whole.
- How consumers engage with beauty and personal care products in terms of types purchased, where they buy, and usage of different channels.
- Levels of usage and interest in a variety of in-store beauty services and how these could be developed as part of the in-store retail offer.
- How the changing role of pharmacists opens up new opportunities in health and wellness.
- How retailers are using flagship and pop-up stores to bridge the gap between physical and digital and showcase their products in an immersive, experiential environment.
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | February 2025 |
| Data Range | 2019-2029 |
| Measurement Metrics | Revenue in £ |
| Country Focus | United Kingdom (UK) |
| Consumer Data | 2,000 internet users aged 16+, November 2024 |
| Number of Pages | 126 |
| Market Segmentation | Soap, Bath or Shower Products, Deodorant/Body Spray, Oral Hygiene, Haircare, Facial Skincare, Shaving/Hair Removal Products, Fragrance/Aftershave, Body Skincare, Makeup, Beauty Accessories, Nail Care, and Electronic Beauty Appliances |
| Leading Companies in the UK Beauty Retail Market | Boots, Superdrug, Savers, The Perfume Shop, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda, Amazon, THG Beauty, Morrisons, John Lewis, Aldi, Marks & Spencer, Jo Malone, Cult Beauty, Lookfantastic, Lush |
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report was written by Natalie Macmillan. Natalie is a senior analyst with over 25 years’ experience researching and writing reports for Mintel’s European retail market coverage.
Experiential shopping is invigorating the beauty retail sector in the UK. The concept of holistic wellness, alongside the increasing responsibilities granted to pharmacists, opens up opportunities for more in-store services.
Natalie Macmillan
European Analyst – Retail
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for beauty and personal care retailers
- Unlock growth through health and wellness integration…
- …to become a trusted partner in consumers’ overall wellness journeys
- Elevate store experiences with pampering services…
- …and encouraging product discovery and experimentation
- Utilise technology for enhanced product information…
- …and to deliver hyper-personalised experiences
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size and forecast
- Market predictions
- BPC spending growth slows due to lower inflation
- Beauty increases share of BPC spending
- Graph 1: breakdown of consumer spending on beauty and personal care products by segment, 2019-24
- Health and beauty specialists’ sales grow strongly in 2024
- Graph 2: health and beauty specialist’ sales (including VAT), 2019-24
- What consumers want and why
- Fragrance sees strongest uplift in purchasing in the past year
- Graph 3: beauty and personal care products purchased in the last 12 months, 2023-24
- Smartphone shopping jumps among younger consumers
- Graph 4: method for shopping for beauty/personal care products, 2023-24
- Boots remains the most popular specialist
- Graph 5: retailers used to buy beauty and personal care items in the last 12 months, 2024
- Hair styling and health checks are most used in-store services
- Graph 6: in-store beauty and personal care services, levels of interest, 2024
- Loyalty rewards and freebies most likely to encourage in-store shopping
- Graph 7: factors to encourage in-store shopping for beauty/personal care products rather than online, 2024
- Stores with pharmacies can capitalise on high trust levels
- Graph 8: agreement with statements about trust in pharmacists, 2024
- Retailers must make the physical aspects of stores work for them
- Graph 9: agreement with statements relating to the in-store environment for beauty and personal care products, 2024
- Exclusive products help a retailer stand out
- Graph 10: agreement with statements about selected aspects of buying beauty and personal care products, 2024
- Retailer activity
- Specialists and grocers account for three quarters of BPC spending
- Graph 11: estimated channel of distribution of spending on BPC products, by type of retailer, 2023-24
- Boots is the leading BPC specialist
- Graph 12: estimated specialist BPC retailer market shares, 2024
-
MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size and segmentation: beauty and personal care products
- BPC inflation masks the true pattern of growth
- BPC spending growth slows due to lower inflation
- Beauty outpaces personal care segment growth
- Graph 13: breakdown of consumer spending on beauty and personal care products, 2019-24
- Beauty category performance
- Facial skincare buoyed by innovation and marketing
- Fragrances and body sprays growth led by strong fragrance performance
- Social media and experimentation boost colour cosmetics
- Bodycare demand rebounds after a post-pandemic dip
- Personal care category performance
- Unisex deodorants boost sector growth
- Styling aids growth boosts haircare
- Oral hygiene growth is being driven by innovation
- Market forecast: beauty and personal care products
- Spending on beauty and personal care products set to hit £14.5bn by 2029
- Future trends impacting BPC spending
- Beauty segment set to grow ahead of the market in next five years
- Personal care spending to grow at slower rate
- Specialist BPC retailer sector: market size and forecast
- Specialist BPC retailer business numbers are falling…
- Graph 14: health and beauty specialists’ enterprise numbers, 2019-23
- …but store numbers have held steady
- Graph 15: health and beauty specialists’ outlet numbers, 2019-23
- Health and beauty specialists’ sales grow strongly in 2024
- Graph 16: health and beauty specialist’ sales (including VAT), 2019-24
- Specialists’ sales are highly seasonal
- Graph 17: average weekly sales of specialist BPC retailers, by month, 2024
- Specialists sales to reach £19.1bn by 2029
- Competition for specialists will intensify
- Channels of distribution
- Specialists and grocers account for three quarters of BPC spending
- Graph 18: estimated channel of distribution of spending on BPC products, by type of retailer, 2023-24
- Online grows strongly on the back of social media trends
- Graph 19: market size for online BPC, 2020-24 (est)
- Specialists’ online sales are growing faster than average
- Graph 20: estimated online sales of store-based BPC retailing specialists, 2019-24
- Online is set to grow steadily
- Online BPC sales forecast to reach £4.3 billion by 2029
- Market drivers
- BPC price inflation eases
- Graph 21: trends in overall CPI inflation and BPC inflation rates, 2019-24
- Pressure on household finances continues
- Graph 22: agreement with the statement ‘The UK cost of living crisis is…’, 2024-25
- An ageing population presents opportunities
- Social media offers many touchpoints with beauty shoppers
- Growth in social commerce will impact beauty retailing
- Pharmacy First is proving a valuable footfall driver
-
WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- What they buy
- Fragrance sees the strongest uplift
- Graph 23: beauty and personal care products purchased in the last 12 months, 2023-24
- Discretionary usage is driving fragrance purchasing
- Retailers launching own-brand fragrance
- Target demographics and lifestages with tailored products
- Gen Alpha and Gen Z are hands on and experimental
- Older consumers want products to enhance appearance and promote wellbeing
- Boost engagement with different male demographics
- Graph 24: beauty products purchased in the last 12 months, 2024
- Remove taboos around beauty products for men
- How they shop for beauty and personal care
- Smartphone shopping increasing most
- Graph 25: method for shopping for beauty/personal care products, 2023-24
- Physical stores can build on the success of online-only brands
- Use in-store digital innovation to elevate the in-store experience
- Holland and Barrett uses tech to enhance customer advice
- Leverage social media trends to engage younger shoppers
- Tap into TikTok Shop’s success
- Where they shop
- Supermarkets are the most popular place to purchase
- Savvy shopping and quality own-labels make grocery stores an attractive destination
- Three quarters of 16-24 year old women use health and beauty specialists
- Graph 26: types of retailer used to buy beauty/personal care items, by age and gender, 2024
- Department stores appeal strongly to younger men
- Younger men overindex at online pharmacies
- Graph 27: customer profile of pharmacies and online pharmacies, 2024
- Boots remains the most popular retailer for BPC products
- Graph 28: retailers used to buy beauty and personal care items in the last 12 months, 2024
- Boots enhances appeal to younger shoppers with new brands and sponsorships
- The growing importance of Amazon
- Sephora challenging the status quo
- Usage of and interest in in-store services
- Potential to build on interest in in-store grooming and wellness services
- Hair styling and health checks are most used
- Graph 29: in-store beauty and personal care services, levels of interest, 2024
- Build haircare merchandising around styling services
- Making people feel good with pampering beauty services can drive sales
- Graph 30: in-store beauty and personal care services, levels of interest, 2024
- Make services accessible, but also something special
- Usage of health screening already well established
- In-store workshops can build community and tap into wellness
- H&B bolsters its standing as a wellness brand through personal connections
- Speak to the needs of different lifestages
- Growing acceptance of medical aesthetics
- The medicalisation of beauty…
- …can unlock opportunities for retailers
- Factors to bring shoppers in-store
- Loyalty rewards and freebies appeal most
- Graph 31: factors to encourage in-store shopping for beauty/personal care products rather than online, 2024
- Feature-rich schemes can build engagement and loyalty
- Innovate to stand out in a crowded loyalty market
- Hands-on learning can engage younger shoppers
- Cult Beauty Playground’s funfair format let visitors play and learn
- L’Oréal’s interactive ‘The Beauty Playground’ pop-up
- Enable practical sustainable shopping behaviours
- Design an eco beauty in-store space
- Attract value-driven shoppers with in-store money saving tools
- Use tailored sampling to begin a relationship
- Look to emerging tech to provide in-store advice
- But there is a need to reassure and enhance trust in AI-driven solutions
- Events can draw younger shoppers into stores
- Use in-store events to create a buzz and engage with shoppers in real life
- Attitudes to shopping for BPC
- High levels of trust in pharmacists
- Boost retail engagement through in-store health services
- Graph 32: attitudes relating to health care when shopping for BPC, 2024
- Building on holistic wellness
- Expand pharmacy-led services
- Use health screening and diagnostic tests to help prevent ill health
- Graph 33: attitudes relating to shopping for beauty and personal care, 2024
- Combine technology innovation with the human touch
- Exclusive products drive interest
- Use exclusives to capture social-media-savvy early adopters
- Graph 34: attitudes towards shopping for beauty/personal care, 2024
- The convenience of rapid delivery can justify a higher price
- Emphasise time saving and reliability to target time-poor shoppers
- Graph 35: agreement to “I would be happy to pay more for the convenience of receiving a product through a rapid delivery service”, by age, 2024
-
RETAILER ACTIVITY
- Key metrics and market share
- Boots is the dominant specialist BPC retailer
- Leading specialist health and beauty retailers: revenue
- Leading specialist health and beauty retailers: stores
- Beyond Boots and Superdrug, pharmacy is a fragmented sector
- Leading pharmacies: revenue
- Leading pharmacies: stores
- Beauty retailing has been the prime growth driver for Boots
- Graph 36: Boots UK sales and segment performance, Q1 22/23-Q4 23/24*
- Online is a main factor behind BPC market growth
- Graph 37: Boots.com sales performance and share of total retail sales, Q1 2022/23-Q4 2023/24*
- The role of stores is shifting
- Graph 38: trends in Boots store numbers, 2021-24*
- Superdrug moves towards prime locations
- Boots looks to third-party brands to boost beauty sales
- Retailers use loyalty schemes to build stronger relationships with customers
- The future of convenience is now
- Space NK carves out a premium niche
- Sephora shakes up the market
- Space NK leads ranking of fastest-growing BPC retailers
- Graph 39: top 10 fastest-growing retailers by year-on-year change in key spending metrics, based on Snoop SpendMapper cohort, 2024
- Jo Malone grows customers and spend
- Graph 40: leading specialist BPC retailers, year-on-year sales change with Snoop Spendmapper Cohort, 2024
- Leading non-specialists
- Tesco and Sainsbury’s expand their beauty offerings
- Food discounters see strong BPC growth in 2024
- Graph 41: trends in non-specialists’ BPC sales, by broad category, 2020-24*
- Leading supermarkets are the biggest non-specialist sellers of BPC products
- Market shares
- Boots is the dominant player
- Graph 42: leading specialist and non-specialists’ estimated share of all spending on personal care products, 2024
- Boots has clear market leadership…
- …and is the largest overall retailer of BPC products in the UK
- Launch activity and innovation
- Digital brands brought to life
- Expansion from established players and new faces on the high street
- John Lewis expanding its beauty offer of brands and services
- Selfridges opens new beauty hall
- Retailers look to make it easier to recycle
- Benefit explores digital shopping
- Tesco pilots in-store healthcare services
- The Perfume Shop partners with Deliveroo
- Lush offers personalised perfume discovery
- Private label launches grow as more retailers expand their offering
- Graph 43: % of BPC launches accounted for by private label BPC products, 2020-24
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Beauty and personal care campaign spending remains stable
- Graph 44: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on beauty and personal care, 2020-24
- Spending on digital advertising is increasingly important
- Graph 45: total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising on beauty and personal care, by media type, 2024*
- Ad spend by leading retailers of beauty and personal care products
- Lush Cosmetics join forces with EachOther to bring essential human rights to British high streets
- Boots introduces over 25 new beauty brands and launches biggest ever beauty marketing campaign
- Sephora’s ‘We Belong to Something Beautiful’ campaign
-
APPENDIX
- Supplementary data – market dynamics
- The ageing UK population
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size and forecast – beauty and personal care spending
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – beauty and personal care spending
- Market size and forecast – beauty spending
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – beauty spending
- Market size and forecast – personal care spending
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – personal care spending
- Market size and forecast – specialist beauty and personal care retailers’ sales
- Market forecast and prediction intervals – specialist beauty and personal care retailers’ sales
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
- Consumer research methodology
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
Mintel: Market Intelligence Made Easier
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
For further information about our research and analysis methods, visit our helpdesk.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 2,195 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or purchase order
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount is applied directly at checkout
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
One of the biggest challenges we face is the need to get smart on a business or category real quick.
We are talking to clients who live and breathe their category every day and the expectation is that we will be able to get caught up very quickly, and bring the thinking that can help them.
We need to do that often in a matter of days, so it’s not a small ask. Mintel gives us a very articulate view of category conditions and does so at the speed we need it.
Jeff White, Business Development Director, Deutsch
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
