The event welcomed parliamentarians to discover the Value of Beauty 2026  findings and celebrate the significant socioeconomic impact of the UK’s beauty sector. With a chance for attendees to experience beauty first-hand, with activations from L’Oréal Groupe brands, including makeup application with Armani Beauty, hair styling with the L’Oréal Professionnel SteamPod, Kérastase K-Scan scalp and hair assessments and skin analysis using the La-Roche Posay Spotscan+.

The event attended by a quarter of parliamentarians’ offices across all parties, alongside Members of the House of Lords, and the highest attended event to date, demonstrates the Council’s objective to ensure the beauty industry is seen and heard in the halls of Westminster is resonating.

Report findings and industry insights highlighted at the parliamentary event include:

• Economic Contribution: The industry contributed £28.3 billion to the UK economy in 2025 , representing a marginal 0.2% cash-terms decrease on revised year-on-year figures. More than 51% of this total was generated directly by the industry, with beauty services (hairdressing and beauty therapies) leading the direct share at £5.7 billion.
• Employment: Successive budgets have made it increasingly difficult for beauty businesses to create and sustain jobs. Total employment declined by 2.8% (and 2.1% in direct employment) compared to 2024, aligning with predictions from the previous year’s report. Even so, the sector supported more than 595,000 jobs in 2025, making the workforce number comparable to those of the UK construction sector.
• Global Trade and Exports: The UK exported £4.2 billion of beauty and personal care products, making up 1.25% of total UK goods exports. However, reflecting geopolitical shifts, 70% of exports were destined for the EU Single Market, marking a four percentage point increase since 2019. Conversely, exports to the United States fell 19% lower in Q4 2025 compared to Q1 2025, a direct result of newly introduced tariffs and the suspension of the “de minimis” threshold on commercial shipments.
• Social Mobility and Diversity: As a highly labour-intensive sector, beauty plays a vital role in providing employment opportunities for young people. It acts as a powerful engine for female entrepreneurship, supporting an 80%+ female workforce, with 86% of beauty businesses being female-owned.
• Wellbeing and Community: For the last decade, beauty has been the top business industry across UK high streets, acting as a crucial anchor for local economies by generating essential footfall for nearby retail, leisure, and arts businesses. But beyond economics, beauty services and products offer vital moments of self-care, boost confidence, tackle loneliness, and build strong local communities.