UK Prestige Makeup First Half 2021: NPD

Makeup sales in the United Kingdom decreased during the first half of 2021, despite online sales increasing 15%, according to The NPD Group.
Makeup sales in the United Kingdom decreased during the first half of 2021, despite online sales increasing 15%, according to The NPD Group.

The total U.K. prestige makeup market was valued at £200 million in the first half of 2021, a decline of 4% compared to the same period in 2020, and a decrease of 48% compared to the same period in 2019, according to The NPD Group.

Related: UK Prestige Beauty First Half 2021: NPD

Makeup sales were affected the most in prestige beauty during the pandemic, with brick-and-mortar sales declining 66% in the first half of 2021 compared to 2019. Online sales increased 15%, but that did not offset the losses in physical stores.

Despite overall makeup sales decreasing, sales of prestige mascara, brow products, tinted moisturizer and setting spray reported double-digit growth in the first half of 2021.

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Prestige mascara sales increased 20% in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020. In the first half of 2021, mascara accounted for 43% of all eye make-up volume sales compared to 36% of make-up volume sales in the first half of 2019.

Tinted moisturizer sales increased 19% in the first half of 2021, compared to the same period in 2020.

Emma Fishwick, account manager, NPD UK Beauty, says, “The makeup market has changed dramatically since the pandemic. How and how often people wear makeup has also changed. Many people continue to work from home (or in a hybrid model) people are socializing less and as a result, the natural look has become more popular. Combine this with continued mask-wearing, the absence of defined trends like strobing and contouring and consumer reluctance to spend (compared to pre-pandemic) make-up sales have naturally been affected.”

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