The pandemic brought about a huge growth in the UK beauty industry. Although growing both online and in person prior to the pandemic, the obsession and focus on self-care that took place during the pandemic as everyone was locked in their homes helped the UK beauty industry to boom in the past 18 months.
The UK beauty industry skincare market is now worth over £3 billion and the organic cosmetics market is expected to grow by another £400 million in the next few years, with investment now starting to return to the industry (source: OMBA). The beauty industry in the UK is certainly growing right now.
There are a few reasons for this growth, a few of these reasons include:
Focus on Self-Care
There was a true focus on self-care during the lockdowns in the pandemic; people were encouraged to look after themselves and their bodies whilst they were stuck at home not able to see others or do anything.
This self-care often took the form of beauty products such as creams, moisturisers, face masks and other items that could be used to help you relax and unwind after a stressful day working from home.
This helped the UK beauty industry grow massively as 38% of British consumers have done more beauty personal care activities since the start of lockdown to reduce stress and anxiety. The focus on self-care is a long-term trend that has been accelerated by the pandemic and has led to the rapid growth of the beauty industry in the UK.
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End of Restrictions
The end of restrictions in the UK helped grow the beauty industry; as restrictions ended many people rushed back to the salons for treatments. Whether for a haircut of many months of cutting it at home or going to have laser hair removal at their local salon, many people are going back to the shops for their beauty.
Bigger brands such as Harrods and Selfridges have invested heavily in their beauty stock over the last few years and this has encouraged many more to look to the beauty industry as a way to get customers back in stores and purchasing goods again.
Whether purchasing beauty goods or having beauty treatments, the end of restrictions in the UK and the rush back to shops and salons has helped the beauty industry to grow in the UK.
Organic and Sustainable Products
Over the last 5 years we have seen many industries move towards both organic and sustainable products. That is true also for the beauty industry; with many customers refusing to buy beauty products if they are not organic or have not been ethically sourced.
The move towards organic and sustainable products has attracted many new customers to the UK beauty market and has helped it to grow. Over 40% of the UK’s beauty shopping clientele would only buy natural and organic products.
The organic beauty market in the UK is now worth over £3 billion and has had a marked impact on the growth of the beauty industry in the UK.
Shift to Online
Another trend of the beauty industry accelerated by the pandemic was the shift and popularity of buying beauty products online. Many people used to think they had to go to the shops to try different beauty products before purchasing.
The pandemic increased the need to buy beauty products online and the UK beauty industry benefited from this with more products sold online than ever before.
