Executive Summary

This report explores the scale, growth and shape of beauty e- commerce, with an emphasis on the market’s diversity and the role the Internet plays in product research and advice.

• In 2015, global consumers spent some $24 billion online on beauty and personal care products, according to Euromonitor International. This is equivalent to 6.5% of the total market, double the 3.3% online share seen back in 2010.
• Among major economies, China is by far the leader in terms of e-commerce’s share of beauty sales. In 2015, some 18.1% of all beauty and personal care product sales in China were made online. This compares to 10.6% in the UK and just 7.7% in the
• These top-line figures conceal the fact that there is no single “online beauty market,” as product subcategories see varying levels of online penetration and the channel is a collection of distinct subchannels, including subscriptions, luxury and grocery/mass market.
• Moreover, the online channel is disproportionately about research, advice and browsing. Brands and retailers are offering a growing suite of science-based advice that is available to consumers through their smartphones. Complementing this is the human element of social media, especially video—although brands generate relatively little of the beauty video content consumed