Find our overview of the findings here.
Key findings for UK beauty
The UK is the world’s sixth-largest market for beauty and personal care, worth around £10.2bn in 2017, according to the new report on the market.
Per capita spend on beauty and personal care products in the UK was £155 in 2017, the fifth highest in the world.
The beauty industry is split into four market categories; Beauty Products and Personal Care Products, which each command a 20% share, Spa, Salon and In-store Treatment Services, which commands a 30% share of total spend and Hairdressing and Barbershop Services, which also commands a 30% share.
Consumer expenditure on spa, salon and in-store beauty treatments is estimated to reach £7.57bn in 2017.
Consumer spending: trends and premium
The total value of the UK Fragrance market was £1.8bn in 2017, while £1.98bn was the total value of the UK Colour Cosmetics market for that year.
Airports are key retail hubs: 24% of UK consumers, who visited an airport in the last year, bought products while they were there, spending £650m on Tax Free Beauty.
Consumer expenditure on in-salon hair services increased by 3% in 2017, to £7.4bn, and consumer expenditure on spa, salon and in-store beauty treatments reached £7.57bn in 2017.
Employment, business and brands
Almost 1,700 companies operated in the UK beauty and personal care market from 2015-17, launching around 40,000 unique products, under 1,800 different brands.
In April-June 2017, total employment in ‘Beauticians and related occupations’ saw a massive 40% increase from the same period in 2016. This is partly driven by the technology allowing at home beauty treatments and a growth in spa and hair salons.
The UK has over 50,000 locations offering beauty services; 35,704 hair salons, 2,967 specialist barbershops, 302 specialist hair salons, 13,107 beauty salons and 1,512 specialist nail bars/technicians.
Following the Brexit vote, sales of beauty and personal care products continue to rise. CEW suggests this offers further evidence of ‘The Lipstick Effect’ – during periods of economic downturn, consumers tend to purchase more ‘little luxuries’, such as lipstick, treatments and cosmetics.
