The British Beauty Council’s Value of Beauty (link to new Value of Beauty report page) proves that the UK beauty industry is a certified-growth sector, with a GDP of £28.4bn.

New data tracking the UK’s prestige beauty performance in comparison to other EU countries paints an even stronger picture – the UK is outpacing the EU 5 in terms of value sales.

Despite a decline in average price percentage change, demand has increased which has driven a 7.3% increase in market value.

What’s more, the UK is the 2nd fastest growing market when it comes to prestige beauty, coming in behind Spain. In comparison, France recorded the most challenged performance amongst the EU5 over the last year.

Jacqui Burchell, CCO of the British Beauty Council said: ‘This is another strong showing for the UK beauty market, proving that the British consumer is still spending on beauty despite tough economic headwinds. This is undoubtedly due to the small luxury that comes with investing in a beauty buy – it’s clear the age-old “lipstick effect” is here to stay.’

Interestingly, the data shows the French prestige market to be facing the toughest challenges. According to Premium Beauty News, this is down to the way that the French consumers shop. Many make cheaper beauty buys in pharmacies – in 2024, pharmacies saw a 10% increase in value and 7% in volume, making this channel the most successful in the region.

When it comes to the Spanish market, the growth doesn’t come as a surprise with recent data from STANPA uncovering that people spend an average of EUR 221.60 per person on beauty each year. What’s more, men use an average of 5.7 cosmetic products daily, compared to 8.5 for women – coming in above the UK average of 6 products.

Despite Spain being hot on its heels in terms of prestige, there’s no doubt that the UK beauty market is booming.