Although inflation is easing, consumers will maintain some level of price scrutiny in the UK facial skincare market. This will place pressure on prestige brands to prove the value in trading up, particularly as private label and mass-market innovation is increasingly sophisticated and dupe NPD has become commonplace. To respond, prestige brands can highlight the value in trading up with patented technologies, high quality ingredients or the promise of superior results.
- UK facial skincare market size: The facial skincare market in the UK reached an estimated £1.782 billion in 2023, and is forecast to surpass £2 billion in 2028.
UK Facial Care Market Trends and Growth Opportunities
Skin streaming trends pose a threat to facial skincare brands, with these behaviours likely to deplete volume sales in future. To overcome this, prestige brands can highlight that whilst the trend involves just three formats, results hinge on using three superior products that ensure transformative results.
Tailoring product assortments and marketing to the next generation of consumers is an emerging opportunity in the category, as the media has drawn attention to a rise in teens using products that are unsuitable for their skin. Alongside launching products specifically for this age group, brands can highlight which products are suitable/unsuitable within existing ranges to instil trust, while also tapping into a new wave of highly engaged consumers.
Key Issues Covered in this Report:
- The impact of streamlined facial skincare routines on value sales
- How anti-ageing priorities are shaping daily routines, demand and NPD
- The rise of teen skincare – including opportunities, risks and parental concerns
- Morning vs evening skincare routines – including products used and goals
- How innovation and advertising activity is evolving within facial skincare
- Market definition: for the purposes of this report, Mintel’s definition of facial skincare includes: moisturisers, cleansers, including scrubs, washes, wipes, makeup remover and facial soaps, toners, masks and treatments, specialised products, such as lip salves, eyecare and anti-ageing products, medicated skincare.
Meet The Expert
This report is written by Maddie Malone, Beauty and Personal Care Analyst at Mintel. Maddie joined Mintel in 2021, writing reports and articles across various Beauty and Personal Care categories. She has over four years’ experience in insight roles at other research agencies, across food, personal care and retail property.
Facial skincare value growth has outpaced inflation, with opportunities to drive further growth by better targeting men.
Maddie Malone
Beauty and Personal Care Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the facial skincare market
- Accelerate growth by targeting men
- Embrace new usage occasions
- Respond to hype around teen skincare
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Market size and forecast
- Market predictions
- Rising consumer confidence spotlights room for prestige innovation
- What consumers want and why
- Convert non-users to users
- Graph 1: usage of facial skincare products, 2024
- Consumers adopt a NIMBY approach to wrinkles
- Graph 2: concerns around facial skin ageing, 2024
- Skin health goes beyond aesthetics
- Graph 3: I would consider my facial skin to be healthy if it was…, 2024
- Current routines are causing challenges
- Graph 4: facial skincare behaviours, 2024
- Social media has its benefits, but also its drawbacks
- Pressure to spend persists
- Parental concerns heighten
- Graph 5: parental facial skincare behaviours, 2024
- Innovation and marketing
- Brands hone in on efficacy
- A focus on anti-ageing and skin longevity
- Maximise on the men’s skincare opportunity
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Market Dynamics
- Market size
- The facial skincare market continues to grow
- Encourage men to trade up
- Graph 6: retail value sales of men’s facial skincare products, 2019-23
- Ramp up innovation for men
- Women’s facial skincare outperforms men’s
- Graph 7: retail value sales of women’s facial skincare products, 2019-23
- Market forecast
- Rising consumers confidence will boost spend
- Facial skincare continues to resist headwinds
- Drive spend by adding value
- Drive spend in men’s facial skincare through NPD
- Keep it simple to drive spend in the men’s segment
- Continued concerns with aesthetics to support the women’s segment
- Evolve the anti-ageing conversation to engage women
- Market segmentation
- Prestige battles with savvy shopping behaviours amongst men
- Treat mentalities support the prestige segment in women’s facial skincare
- Serums see a significant boost in women’s facial skincare
- Concerns about hydration increase spending on mists and sprays
- Some segments outperformed…
- …whilst others struggled to keep pace
- Market share
- A mixed performance amongst the leading men’s facial skincare brands
- Innovation boosts demand for select men’s brands
- Smaller brands intensify competition in women’s facial skincare
- Simple aligns its products with skinimalist trends
- Leading brands can learn from retail innovation
- Channels to market
- Range expansion can support the grocers
- Boots spotlights skincare
- Online-only shopping facilitates research behaviours
- Take learnings from Sainsbury’s Serum Bars
- Discounters and others struggle
- Macroeconomic factors
- Economic output has stagnated since the cost of living crisis began
- Graph 8: GDP, 2021-23
- Tap into an increasing number of 15-24s
- Graph 9: trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2018-28
- Help consumers to accurately self-identify their skin type
- Graph 10: self-diagnosed skin types, by gender, 2023
- Boost usage of skincare diagnostic apps
- Dryness leads skin concerns
- Graph 11: facial skincare concerns, 2023
- Skin conditions spark engagement
- Graph 12: behaviours in managing skin conditions, 2023
- Offer support amid economic nervousness
- Maximise on self-care priorities
- Graph 13: usage of and interest in professional facial treatments, 2023
- Look for ways to maintain loyalty
- Graph 14: brand loyalty in facial skincare*, 2023
- Help consumers achieve their morning and evening skincare goals
- Graph 15: morning vs evening skincare goals*, 2024
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Usage of facial skincare products
- Highlight the health benefits of facial skincare routines
- Graph 16: usage of facial skincare products, by format, 2024
- Drive usage of moisturisers amongst city dwellers
- Graph 17: usage of moisturiser, by area, 2024
- Innovate in female-to-male referral systems
- Graph 18: usage of facial skincare products, by gender, 2024
- Target men with skin streaming trends
- Graph 19: repertoire of facial skincare products used, by gender, 2024
- Consider scent innovation in lip balms
- Support consumers amid ban on face wipes
- Take inspiration from haircare to boost cleanser usage
- Graph 20: usage of select cleansing formats, by gender, 2024
- Usage of facial skincare brands
- Limited branded repertoires poses challenges for newer brands
- Graph 21: number of brands used on average as part of daily facial skincare routines, 2024
- Look for opportunities to reach women
- Newer brands can reach those with broad product repertoires
- Graph 22: repertoire of facial skincare products used, by number of brands used within daily routines, 2024
- Time of facial skincare usage
- Provide education on daily cleansing routines
- Graph 23: what time of day do you typically use…, 2024
- Support users navigating complex routines
- Consider the bedside table opportunity
- Seek out suitable collaborations
- Reach men with on-the-go products for afternoon application
- Graph 24: afternoon application of facial skincare products, by gender, 2024
- Perceptions of healthy facial skin
- Skin health goes beyond aesthetics
- Hydration is key
- Graph 25: I would consider my facial skin to be healthy if it was…, 2024
- Align exfoliation products with soft skin benefits
- Graph 26: I would consider my facial skin to be healthy if it was…, by ethnic group, 2024
- Serums and oils can maximise on skin glow trends
- Men are confused as to what constitutes skin health
- Graph 27: I would consider my facial skin to be healthy if it was…, by gender, 2024
- Shake up the narrative around wrinkles
- Inject newness into ‘plumping’ messaging
- Keep it simple to reach men
- Graph 28: repertoire of skin health associations, by gender, 2024
- Facial skin ageing concerns
- Wrinkles still underpin skin ageing concerns
- Eye wrinkles drive facial skin ageing concerns
- Graph 29: concerns around facial skin ageing, by gender, 2024
- Tap into longevity and makeup trends to reach women
- Prevent consumers turning to cosmetic procedures
- Leverage massage trends to cater for women
- Tap into skin inflammageing trends
- Graph 30: volume of social media posts about skin inflammation*, 2022-24
- L’Oréal addresses pigmentation concerns
- Lack of fullness concerns women
- Facial skincare behaviours
- Take learnings from hygienists
- Graph 31: facial skincare behaviours, 2024
- Keep formats suited to face and décolletage
- Support those with multi-brand routines
- Graph 32: agreement with ‘I find it difficult to maintain a consistent skincare routine’, by number of brands used as part of daily facial skincare routine, 2024
- Experimentation hinders eco behaviours
- Look to MUA collaborations
- Combat concerns around lip balm efficacy
- Graph 33: agreement with ‘I have found using a lip balm can make my lips more dry’, by age, 2024
- Reasons for streamlined facial skincare routines
- Combat reduced repertoires in facial skincare
- Prevent slimmed down repertoires amongst men
- Combat perceptions that minimalist behaviours support skin health
- Price freezes can discourage reduced routines
- Graph 34: reasons for using fewer facial skincare products, 2024
- Time strapped office workers cut back routines
- Graph 35: using fewer facial skincare products to save time, by work location, 2024
- Younger women fear skin irritation
- Results-driven users cut back
- Renew spend repertoires with AI
- Women look to cut costs on their routines
- Graph 36: rationale for reducing the number of products within facial skincare routines, by gender, 2024
- Prestige brands can maximise on skin streaming trends
- Combat eco hypocriticism in facial skincare
- Parental facial skincare behaviours
- Heritage brands can maximise on familiarity
- Graph 37: parental facial skincare behaviours, 2024
- Act responsibly to gain trust
- Ease pressure on parents
- Tackle misinformation in facial skincare
- Indirectly reach fathers through social media
- Graph 38: exchange of advice in facial skincare, by gender, 2024
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Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
- Look beyond face/neck care
- Graph 39: new product development in the facial skincare category, by sub-category, 2021-24
- Showcase efficacy with NPD suited to specific areas of the face
- Range extensions dominate NPD in women’s
- Graph 40: NPD in men’s facial skincare products, by launch type, 2021-24
- Graph 41: NPD in women’s facial skincare products, by launch type, 2021-24
- Creams are a mainstay
- Graph 42: top 10 formats in the facial skincare category (based on leading formats in 2023), 2022-24
- NPD hones in on barrier support
- Anti-ageing claims pick up in men’s facial skincare
- Graph 43: top 5 claims in the male facial skincare category (based on leading claims in 2023), 2022-23
- Target men with multifunctionality
- Ethical claims ramp up in the women’s segment
- Graph 44: top five claims in the female facial skincare* category (based on leading claims in 2023), 2022-24
- Private label innovation sees a boost
- Smaller companies dominate NPD in women’s facial skincare
- Graph 45: new product development in men’s facial skincare category, by ultimate company, 2023
- Graph 46: new product development in women’s facial skincare category, by ultimate company, 2023
- Estée Lauder keeps longevity in mind
- Beiersdorf targets sugar-induced ageing
- Dior targets men through simplicity
- Bulldog taps into night time usage occasions
- Celebrity effect makes inroads in facial skincare
- Advertising and marketing activity
- Recorded advertising expenditure picks up in 2023
- No7 highlights real life stories behind skin
- Total spend ramps up in men’s facial skincare
- Particle showcases the science behind its Face Cream
- NIVEA Men raises awareness around mental health
- CeraVe asserts its relevance for men
- Kiehl’s invests in responsible advertising
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Brand Research
- NIVEA benefits from high awareness
- Graph 47: key metrics for selected facial skincare brands, 2024
- Social media marketing narrows the gap in awareness between men and women
- Graph 48: awareness of select facial skincare brands, by gender, 2024
- Cult favourites benefit from frequent usage
- Graph 49: frequency of usage of select facial skincare brands, 2024
- ‘Sephora Kids’ effect drives usage of Drunk Elephant
- Graph 50: usage of Drunk Elephant, by age, 2024
- Byoma is well rated by its users
- Graph 51: satisfaction with selected facial skincare brands, 2024
- Skin + Me can better target male consumers
- Graph 52: current intentions towards Skin + Me, by gender, 2024
- Graph 53: recommendation of Skin + Me, 2024
- A willingness to trade up for quality persists in facial skincare
- Graph 54: perceptions of selected facial skincare brands, 2024
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Appendix
- Supplementary data
- Trends in the age structure of the UK population
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Market size and forecast: facial skincare
- Market size and forecast: men’s facial skincare
- Market size and forecast: women’s facial skincare
- Market forecast and prediction intervals: facial skincare
- Market forecast and prediction intervals: men’s facial skincare
- Market forecast and prediction intervals: women’s facial skincare
- Forecast methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Methodology
- Consumer research methodology
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
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