The UK cosmetics market is now worth almost £1 billion, driven in part by a rise in 'selfie' culture, according to the latest figures from retail analysis company IRI.
The research firm found that the Cosmetics category is out-performing other categories within the area of health and beauty in the UK retail market. It is currently worth £893 million, which marks an increase of £55 million over the previous 12 months, and £100 million since 2015.
'Selfie Generation'
“Consumers are heavily influenced by social media and by their peers, and this has led them to be more experimental in their choices and prepared to try new things with cosmetics," said Chloe Humphreys-Page, retail insight director at IRI.
"The result is that there is a lot more new product development among brands in this space, for both female and increasingly male cosmetics, leading to a wider and often more interesting choice of items within stores and online," she added
“The impact of the so-called ‘selfie generation’ – where people are spending disproportionately long periods of time studying their faces and making sure they are camera-ready – is not just driving sales for certain cosmetics, but also boosting demand for ancillary products, like eyebrow kits, sponges, pencils and brushes.”
IRI's figures also revealed an increase in sales of contouring products, bronzers, concealers, and eyebrow products.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
