2025
9
UK Facial Skincare Market Report 2025
2025-05-29T18:02:36+00:00
REPBA4B50E8_3472_4FEF_BC22_2844AC7423F6
2195
182756
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Report
en_GB
Growth in the UK skincare market has slowed (value sales increased 7.9% in 2024). However, there are still opportunities for growth if brands offer a personal approach by addressing lifestyle…
UK
Facial Care
simple

UK Facial Skincare Market Report 2025

"The facial skincare category continues to grow, as consumers extend their routines. There are opportunities to tap into social media trends and support a more personalised approach to skincare."

Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst

Georgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst

UK Facial Skincare Market – Trends and Insights

  • Growth in the UK skincare market has slowed (value sales increased 7.9% in 2024). However, there are still opportunities for growth if brands offer a personal approach by addressing lifestyle and environmental factors, such as stress, pollution and hard water in product claims and marketing.
  • If a product doesn’t make a noticeably positive change to their skin within a few weeks, over half of UK facial skincare users would stop using a product. While this could contribute to market growth, it poses a threat to brand or product loyalty. Brands need to encourage patience and use marketing to show that a slow and steady approach to skincare can offer optimal results.
  • There is significant interest among consumers in cosmetic procedures, but two-fifths of UK facial skincare users trust skincare products that claim to offer comparable results to cosmetic procedures.
  • Considering the cost-saving of facial skincare products, even from prestige brands, compared to cosmetic procedures, this poses significant opportunities to drive spending in the facial skincare category.

Key Topics Analysed in the Report

  • The needs and skincare habits of consumers based on their skin type
  • How to capitalise on the growing K-Beauty trend
  • The perceived impact of factors like pollution, stress and hard water on skin health
  • Why consumers continue to prioritise natural ingredient claims
  • How the preventative ageing trend has broadened interest in anti-ageing claims
Report AttributesDetails
Published DateMay 2025
Report AuthorGeorgia Stafford, Beauty & Personal Care Analyst
Market Data Range2019-2024
Market Forecast Range2025-2030
Measurement MetricsRetail value sales of facial skincare products (£)
Consumer Data2,000 internet users aged 16+, March 2025
Market SegmentationMoisturisers, Cleansers and toners, Serums, Wipes, Masks, Lip salves, Eyecare, Washes and scrubs, Mists and sprays
Leading Brands in the UK Facial Skincare MarketSimple, Garnier, CeraVe, NIVEA, L’Oréal Paris

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  1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

    • Opportunities for the facial skincare market
    • Overcome the barrier to brand loyalty created by social media
    • Help consumers recognise and respond to their unique skin stressors
    • How to benefit from the Korean skincare trend
    • Market dynamics and outlook
    • Market size and forecast
    • Market predictions for facial skincare
    • The facial skincare category is set to continue its path of growth
    • The fastest growing segments in the facial skincare category
    • Innovative methods help secure brand growth
    • Proving value helps online-only retailers
    • Social media and spending power will impact the market
    • What consumers want and why
    • Let blemish care come secondary to skin type
    • Graph 1: self-reported skin type, 2025
    • Innovation boosted lip care usage in 2024
    • Elevate the sensory appeal of lip balm
    • Capitalise on the hair removal opportunity
    • Graph 2: methods used to remove facial hair, 2025
    • Address the impact of stress
    • Consumers remain ingredient conscious
    • Graph 3: select claims sought in facial skincare products, 2025
    • Address young consumers’ concerns about ageing
    • Innovation and marketing
    • Heritage brands reassert their expertise
    • New launches help men broaden their skin routines
    • Use advertising to boast ingredient effectiveness
  2. MARKET DYNAMICS

    • Market size
    • Market growth eases, but remains strong
    • Graph 4: retail value sales of facial skincare products (£ m), 2015-24
    • Social media has helped to drive market growth
    • Market forecast
    • Forecast – note on US trade disruption
    • The impact of US tariffs on facial skincare
    • Future growth is predicted for the facial skincare category
    • Leverage the power of AI
    • Engage with anti-ageing trends to drive spending
    • Market segmentation
    • Toners have benefitted from K-Beauty trends
    • Revive skincare segments in decline
    • Continue to propel cleansers’ and serums’ growth
    • Bring the human touch to prestige skincare
    • Market share
    • Private label suffers as large brands see growth
    • Market leaders lean into skincare trends
    • Help men address the impact of lifestyle factors on skin
    • Enhance the sensorial experience of private label skincare
    • Consumers forego mass market market leaders in lip care
    • Go further than lip protection to win over consumers
    • Channels to market
    • Continued innovation helps H&B retailers and department stores
    • Improve grocers’ reputation as a skincare destination
    • Online retailers offer better access to K-Beauty
    • Market drivers
    • Meet value expectations with quick results
    • Graph 5: CPI and total pay growth, 2021-25
    • Biotech will up the competition
    • Prepare for Gen Alpha
    • Tap into a rise in number of those aged 35-44…
    • Graph 6: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2020-30
    • …and those aged 65+
    • Social media trends will continue to impact spending
    • Inclusivity is the expectation
    • Cater for all skintones to encourage growth
    • Adjusting attitudes towards wellbeing will have a mixed impact on the skincare category
    • Support consumers following cosmetic procedures
  3. WHAT CONSUMERS WANT AND WHY

    • Self-reported skin types
    • Provide blemish care for different skin types
    • Graph 7: self-reported skin type, 2025
    • Acknowledge consumers’ skin insecurities
    • Address the key concerns of oily and blemish prone skin
    • Graph 8: usage of facial skincare products, by oily, blemish-prone skin, 2025
    • Tap into the online acne community
    • Simplify dry skin claims
    • Boast the power of natural antioxidants for sensitive skin
    • Usage of facial skincare products
    • Increasing usage across the board proves continued engagement with skincare
    • Graph 9: usage of facial skincare products, 2024-25
    • Private label can make product repertoires wider
    • Further boost usage of toners
    • Lock into the lip care trend
    • Clean up the environmental impact of wipes
    • Ensure proper use of exfoliants
    • Drive spending on cleansers
    • Methods used to remove facial hair
    • Develop post-hair-removal skincare products
    • Graph 10: methods used to remove facial hair, 2025
    • Take inspiration from facial skincare devices
    • Graph 11: methods used to remove facial hair, by gender, 2025
    • Create facial hair removal regimens
    • Remove taboos around female facial hair removal
    • Target facial hair waxers with prep and recovery products
    • Graph 12: usage of facial skincare products, by facial hair removal method, 2025
    • Factors thought to have a negative impact on skin
    • Address the impact of lifestyle factors on skin
    • Graph 13: top three factors thought to have a negative impact on skin, 2025
    • Help consumers combat stress
    • Get skincare routines in sync with cycles
    • Provide a holistic approach to skin
    • Emphasise the importance of hydration
    • Market post-gym products to young consumers
    • Graph 14: % ranking sweat as a negative impact on skin, by gender and age, 2025
    • Propel anti-pollution solutions
    • Take cues from haircare for hard water solutions
    • Address irregular routines
    • Graph 15: % ranking an irregular skincare routine as a negative impact on skin, by generation, 2025
    • Prepare for the impact of rapid weight loss
    • Claims sought in facial skincare product
    • Familiarity will resonate with consumers
    • Graph 16: claims sought in facial skincare products, 2024
    • Take inspiration from international natural launches
    • Collaborate with male influencers
    • Make anti-ageing claims clear on-pack
    • Inform consumers that, sometimes, less is more
    • Free-from claims continue to resonate
    • Graph 17: interest in select skincare claims, by skin type, 2025
    • Behaviours relating to facial skincare
    • Embrace sensorial trends in skincare
    • Graph 18: behaviours relating to facial skincare, 2024
    • Enhance the user experience of universal products
    • Encourage patience among consumers with problem skin
    • Give an unfiltered look at skincare journeys
    • Fast acting claims will hold appeal
    • Conbat young consumers’ anxieties around ageing
    • Align with the preventative ageing trend
    • Meet consumers in the undetectable era
    • Bold packaging can capture audiences
    • Address young men’s ‘problem skin’
    • Empower young men to feel comfortable in their skin
    • The impact of social media on facial skincare
    • Ease social-media-driven anxieties
    • Diversify advertising and marketing campaigns to build trust
    • Dispel skincare myths
    • Give guidance on skincare regimens
    • Take a stand against filters and photo editing
  4. INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS

    • Launch activity and innovation: women’s and unisex facial skincare
    • Continue to participate in lip care trends
    • Graph 19: new product development in the women’s* facial skincare category, by sub-category, 2021-25
    • Provide a lip care users with sensorial experience
    • Private label can align with consumers interests
    • Graph 20: new product development in the women’s* facial skincare category, by private label, 2021-25
    • BPC brands leverage their reputation
    • Reinvent hero products to meet consumer needs
    • Graph 21: new product development in the women’s* facial skincare category, by top 10 claims (based on 2024), 2023-24
    • Graph 22: new product development in the women’s* facial skincare category, by launch type, 2021-2025
    • Use relaunches to boast brand expertise
    • Keep the environment top of mind
    • Remain competitive with unique claims, technologies and ingredients
    • K-Beauty trends influence launch activity
    • Take inspiration from K-Beauty innovation
    • How the food industry will have an impact
    • Launch activity and innovation: men’s facial skincare
    • Extend men’s skincare routine with lip launches
    • Graph 23: new product development in the men’s facial skincare category, by sub-category, 2021-25
    • Continue to engage men with new product launches
    • Graph 24: new product development in the men’s facial skincare category, by top 10 claims (based on 2024), 2023-24
    • Graph 25: new product development in the men’s facial skincare category, by launch type, 2021-25
    • Simplify men’s skincare routines
    • Offer speed and convenience for time-poor men
    • Provide room for men to practice self-care
    • Graph 26: new product development in the men’s facial skincare category, by top 10 brands, 2024
    • Advertising and marketing activity
    • Utilise the power of social media advertising
    • Leverage positive user reviews
    • Science-forward advertising will prove expertise
    • Graph 27: total above-the-line, online display, social media and direct mail advertising expenditure on facial skincare, by top 10 advertisers and others, 2023-24
    • Embrace the power of pop-ups
    • Expand brand reach with sports partnerships
    • Spokespeople can appeal to all ages
    • Take an honest approach to advertising
    • Slow ageing trends extend to men’s facial skincare
  5. APPENDIX

    • Supplementary data
    • Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2020-30
    • Market forecast data and methodology
    • Market size and forecast at constant and current prices (value)
    • Market size and forecast and prediction intervals (value)
    • Forecast methodology
    • Report scope and definitions
    • Market definition
    • Abbreviations and terms
    • Generations
    • Consumer research methodology
    • Nielsen Ad Intel coverage

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