UK Colour Cosmetics Market – Trends and Insights
- In the UK, 53% of makeup buyers prefer premium brands over standard ones, reflecting a sustained demand for high-quality products despite economic challenges.
- The color cosmetics category grew by 5.4% in value in 2024, but this marks a slowdown compared to 2023, highlighting vulnerable consumer confidence amid ongoing economic pressures.
- With 64% of UK adults believing the cost of living crisis is not improving, value-led shopping behaviors are expected to rise, increasing the appeal of own-label and mass-market makeup products and threatening the market share of prestige brands.
- Social media trends and pop culture moments present opportunities for brands to sustain demand by positioning themselves as trendsetters and educators, appealing to consumers seeking inspiration and guidance.
- By offering innovative, user-friendly products and leveraging engaging social media strategies, brands can encourage product exploration, foster deeper consumer engagement, and maintain relevance in a competitive market.
Key Topics Analysed in the Report
- The impact of economic turbulence on the UK colour cosmetics market
- Consumer priorities across different makeup segments, and how brands can respond
- Mintel’s 2025 British Makeup Personas – No-Frill Novices, Beauty Beginners, Enthusiastic Experimenters and Makeup Mavericks (including how each persona engages with makeup, shop for cosmetics, and how brands/retailers can target them effectively)
- Social media and pop culture trends influencing the makeup landscape, and how to capitalise on them
- The role of multi-channel and immersive retail strategies in capturing diverse consumer groups
- Brand and product preferences in the UK colour cosmetics category
| Report Attributes | Details |
|---|---|
| Published Date | June 2025 |
| Data Range | 2019-2029 |
| Measurement Metrics | Revenue in £ |
| Country Focus | United Kingdom (UK) |
| Consumer Data | 2,000 internet users aged 16+, April 2025 |
| Number of Pages | 134 |
| Market Segmentation | Face, Eye, Lip, Nail |
| Leading Companies in the UK Colour Cosmetics Market | Fenty Beauty, Nails.INC, Violette FR, Lancôme, Rhode, e.l.f. Beauty, Maybelline, Rimmel, NYX, L’Oréal, Revolution Beauty, MAC Cosmetics |
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- Opportunities for the colour cosmetics market
- Better leverage pop culture moments
- Facilitate experimentation with inclusive innovation
- Lean into brand extension opportunities
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size & forecast
- Market predictions
- What consumers want and why
- Social media trends continue to benefit blush
- Graph 1: base makeup products purchased in the last 12 months, 2024 and 2025
- Matte finishes prevail
- Graph 2: sought after claims when purchasing base colour makeup for cheeks, 2025
- Remove barriers to entry to boost engagement with formats that are less widely used
- Cater to the demand for subtle, versatile and long-lasting eye make
- Graph 3: eye makeup products purchased in the last 12 months, 2024 and 2025
- Use single eye shadows to test demand for new palettes
- Graph 4: types of powder eyeshadow products purchased in the last 12 months, 2025
- Lip gloss moves in on lipstick’s territory
- Graph 5: lip makeup products purchased in the last 12 months, 2024 and 2025
- Bridge the gap between lip longevity and hydration
- Graph 6: sought after claims when purchasing lip makeup, 2025
- Help consumers recreate trending nail designs at home
- Graph 7: purchase of nail colour products in the last 12 months, 2024 and 2025
- Colour theory trends can excite the category and drive purchasing
- Graph 8: makeup usage and purchase behaviours, 2025
- Makeup bundles can streamline purchase journeys
- Consumers gravitate toward simple makeup routines and application techniques, but crave creativity
- Mintel’s 2025 British Makeup Personas
- Graph 9: Mintel’s British Makeup Personas, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Trends and innovation boost spending the category
- Graph 10: new product launches in the blush and lip gloss* segments, 2020-24
- Glass skin is back and rife in innovation
- Look to food for inspiration on the next big beauty trends
- Nostalgia wins in marketing
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market size
- Colour cosmetics growth slows, as consumers embrace underconsumption trends
- Graph 11: retail value sales of colour cosmetics products (£m), 2019-25
- Value sales exceed £2bn for the first time in 2024
- Volume sales have remained stable
- Prestige outperformed, despite mass-market success
- Market forecast
- Forecast – note on US trade disruption
- The impact of US trade disruption on the colour cosmetics market
- Continued growth expected for colour cosmetics
- Graph 12: market size and forecast for colour cosmetics, 2019-30
- Focus on high-performance at every price point
- Market segmentation
- Lip cosmetics outperformed all other segments…
- …as consumers experiment with different formats
- Remove barriers to entry to further boost base makeup sales
- Consumers are willing to trade down when buying eye products
- Help consumers create trending nail looks at home
- Channels to market
- Brand assortment and loyalty rewards benefit H&B retailers
- Graph 13: retail value sales of colour cosmetics, by channel, 2023 and 2024
- Use live demonstrations to ease the online shopping process
- Rethink physical makeup shopping experiences
- Explore cross-category promotions to boost supermarket makeup sales
- Market share
- L’Oréal strengthens its market share with innovation
- Graph 14: estimated retail value sales of colour cosmetics, by manufacturer, 2023-24
- Brands at an array of different price point saw success in 2024
- Small brands make a big impact
- Market drivers
- Price sensitivity could encourage consumers to trade down
- Graph 15: the financial confidence index, 2016-25
- British society is increasingly diverse
- Beauty’s shade problem brought to light
- Build brand trust and loyalty with skin-friendly NPD and content
- Speak to teens with playfulness and community engagement
- Redefine makeup experiences for ageing consumers
- Fix concealer creasing for ageing consumers
- Graph 16: facial skin ageing concerns, 2024
- Women feel the weight of changing beauty standards
- Guide makeup users better
- Graph 17: difficulty finding relevant BPC reviews, recommendations, tutorials and advice, 2025
- Create opportunities for pre-makeup masking
- Navigate the rise of alternative shopping platforms
- Improve virtual try on tools
- Regulatory talc changes spark online drama
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WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY
- No-frills Novices
- The demographic profile of No-frills Novices
- No-frills Novices: play it safe
- What they buy: mascara above all else
- Graph 18: top 10 most purchased makeup products in the last 12 months, by makeup persona, 2025
- Lean into format loyalty
- Formulate base products with ease of use in mind
- Hybrid formulas could boost the appeal of cheek products
- Graph 19: NET purchase of base colour makeup, by makeup personas, 2025
- Setting sprays can support minimal application
- Elevate their preferred eyebrow basics
- Low-fuss and long-wear lips win for this persona
- Improve simple nail offerings
- Provide product bundles for ease
- Build confidence with community events
- No-Frills Novices: colour palette
- No-Frills Novices: Mintel recommends
- Beauty Beginners
- The demographic profile of Beauty Beginners
- Beauty Beginners: focus on education
- What they buy: confidence starts with the base
- Graph 20: top 10 most purchased makeup products in the last 12 months, by makeup persona, 2025
- Cautious, but curious
- Turn colour corrector confusion into confidence
- Pair multifunctional blushes with tools
- Ease Beauty Beginners into eye makeup with hybrid, low-effort formulas
- Make lashes stick with easier options for new users
- Provide comfort and colour in the lip segment
- Press on nails appeal on multiple fronts
- Address the viewership disconnect
- Beginners just want to have fun
- They exhibit confidence…
- …but need more guidance
- Beauty Beginners: colour palette
- Beauty Beginners: Mintel recommends
- Enthusiastic Experimenters
- The demographic profile of Enthusiastic Experimenters
- Enthusiastic Experimenters: creativity breeds confidence
- What they buy: nail colour align with creativity
- Graph 21: top 10 most purchased makeup products in the last 12 months, by makeup persona, 2025
- Looking for more
- Playfully embrace cheek trends
- Graph 22: sought after claims when purchasing base colour makeup for cheeks, by makeup persona, 2025
- Don’t dismiss eyeshadow palettes
- Enthusiasts want gloss with added benefits
- Consider less advanced creatives
- Create fun for the experimenters
- Mintel’s concept generator creates three product ideas to gamify makeup purchasing
- Support confidence through skin-aware innovation
- Male makeup experimentation is a growing opportunity
- Makeup is a generational bridge
- Tap into Pinterest for inclusive beauty discovery
- Enthusiastic Experimenters: colour palette
- Enthusiastic Experimenters: Mintel recommends
- Makeup Mavericks
- The demographic profile of Makeup Mavericks
- Makeup Mavericks: a desire for quality
- What they buy: a lust for lips
- Graph 23: top 10 most purchased makeup products in the last 12 months, by makeup persona, 2025
- Extensive makeup kits
- Skincare-infused makeup wins over savvy shoppers
- Formulate with makeup blending in mind
- Graph 24: sought after claims when purchasing base colour makeup for cheeks, by makeup persona, 2025
- Lip layering is common amongst mavericks
- Use limited editions to provide newness, while driving loyalty
- Boost sales with trend-driven makeup bundles
- Even confident makeup consumer feel intimidated by the in-store experience
- Go beyond the feed to inspire and engage skilled makeup users
- Help older consumers regain their confidence
- Makeup Mavericks: colour palette
- Makeup Mavericks: Mintel recommends
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Cross-category launch activity and innovation
- Base makeup continues to remain the focus of NPD
- Graph 25: new products in the colour cosmetics category, by sub-category, 2021-25
- Longevity claims fluctuate in NPD
- Graph 26: new product launches in the colour cosmetics category, by top 10 claims (based on 2024), 2023-25
- Is vegan beauty here to stay?
- Sustainability meets performance
- Assert efficacy with advanced technology
- H&M increased its share of NPD
- Graph 27: new product launches in the colour cosmetics category, by top 10 ultimate companies (based on 2024), 2023-24
- Private label innovation is rife
- Tread carefully with relaunches and reformulations
- Look to the US for accessibility innovation
- Makeup charms can become a status symbol
- Brands explore the beauty merch opportunity
- Help consumers get festival ready
- Base colour launch activity
- The matte reinvention leads to a soft-focus skin era
- Brands think outside the box in formats
- Primers have a grip on the mass market
- Setting sprays are going beyond hold
- Skin tints are booming
- Correct the course of colour correctors
- Highlighters could make a comeback
- ‘Blonze’ and ‘brontour’ can create hybrid hits
- Minis have major impact in low-churn categories
- Eye colour launch activity
- Improve liquid eyeshadow base formulas
- Provide extra benefits in eyeliner
- Brands make a beeline for mascara
- Small palettes, big impact
- Alternatives to traditional mascara
- Lip colour launch activity
- Elevate lip innovation with targeted anti-ageing claims
- Lip tints are all the rage…
- …with opportunities to expand into lip liner alternatives
- Glossing over the competition
- Graph 28: new product launches in the lip segment carrying ‘gloss’ claims, 2020-24
- Rethink lipsticks for the gloss generation
- Nail colour launch activity
- Consumers want fast and lasting nail-friendly polishes
- Drive creativity through ease
- Take inspiration from makeup formats
- Trend-driven nail sets are key
- Performance meets wellness in premium nails
- Press-on nails are poised for growth
- Stay attuned to pop culture for fun collaboration ideas
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Social accounts for the majority of ad spend
- Coty increases its share of ad spend
- Graph 29: total above-the-line, online display, direct mail and social media advertising expenditure on colour cosmetics, by advertiser, 2023 and 2024
- Collection Cosmetics calls on OG YouTube royalty’s loyalty
- Brands call out and expand holy grails…
- …and use nostalgia to emphasise heritage
- MAC reclaims its shine authority
- Wonderskin goes offline
- Super brand day showed TikTok’s impact on beauty
- Playfully engage through gamification
- Makeup as the ultimate treat
- Blend beauty and food/drink in pop-up activations
- Social media trends
- Bolder makeup stole the spotlight in 2024…
- …and are expected to continue in 2025
- Look to food for inspiration on the next big colour trends
- K-beauty influences makeup trends…
- Graph 30: Google searches for ‘glass skin’, 2022-25
- …and drives consumer interest in colour theory
- Create products to help consumers easily emulate trends
- Nail trends go beyond colour
- Adapt trends for mass appeal
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APPENDIX
- Supplementary data
- Population estimates
- Makeup Persona Definitions
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size and forecast: at constant and current prices
- Market forecast: prediction intervals
- Forecast methodology
- Channels to market
- Market share
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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