Nina Jobst
Research expert covering South Korea
Skin care market in the United Kingdom (UK) - statistics & facts
In recent years, the skin care market has seen a boom across the world and the United Kingdom is no different. Since 2020, the market has grown by over half a billion U.S. dollars and the increase is forecast to continue over the next five years.
The skin care industry is still rapidly changing and product development that keeps with ever involving trends will be crucial for the success of companies in this market. In the UK Korean beauty, often referred to as K-beauty, is becoming increasingly sought after by consumers and something that retailers should be investing in in the coming years.
Skin care shoppers
Skin care is especially popular among Gen Z with people spending an average of 20 minutes on their skin care routine each day. This was longer than any other generation. Brands offer numerous products for consumers to choose from such as moisturizers, retinoids, eye creams, and hyaluronic serums just to name a few. When it came to which specific facial products were the most popular among shoppers moisturizers, facial cleansers, and anti-aging products came out on top. Social media in particular has helped people to educate themselves on skin care and the types of products they need to use on their skin. Different skin types require different products and therefore it can take time to find the perfect combination of products. There are, however, some steps that most dermatologists can agree are essential to a skin care routine such as applying SPF and moisturizing. Applying SPF every day can help to prevent visible signs of aging such as fine lines and wrinkles as well as reduce the risk of skin cancer. Despite the clear benefits to using sunscreen over a third of people in the UK admitted to not applying SPF.Ethical skin care
As is the case across almost every industry, within skincare as well there is a demand for ethical products and manufacturing. While in the United Kingdom, there is a substantial number of skincare brands that trade as “ethical” companies, there are also other retailers on the mainstream spectrum that adhere to ethical policies. Lush and The Body Shop are two of them, the former of which is among the leading 20 ethical skincare brands, as found by Ethical Company Organisation in 2024. In any case, both companies renounce animal-testing on their products, and the majority of Lush products (at 77 percent) are vegan.The skin care industry is still rapidly changing and product development that keeps with ever involving trends will be crucial for the success of companies in this market. In the UK Korean beauty, often referred to as K-beauty, is becoming increasingly sought after by consumers and something that retailers should be investing in in the coming years.
