Cosmetic products market value in Italy 2018, by channel

With a sales value of over 2 two billion euros, perfume shops represented the preferred sale channels by Italian consumers to purchase cosmetics in 2018. Pharmacies followed suit with a sales value of approximately 1.9 billion euros. Body care and facial care were the leading two market segments, representing 16.6 percent and 15.8 percent of the cosmetic products consumed in Italy respectively.

Appearance matters

Italy’s cosmetics market is one of the largest in Europe both in terms turnover and consumption. When compared to other European countries, Italy ranks fourth in terms of total consumption, and when considering the size of the population, even higher when it comes to per capita consumption. Moreover, the worldwide turnover of the Italian cosmetics and personal care industry reached a value of 11.2 billion euros in 2018.

Key player in the sector worldwide

Italy is also a key player in the export of cosmetics, with products being purchased all over the world. The sector’s exports reached a value of 4.6 billion euros in 2017, growing significantly since 2013 when the value was equal to 3.2 billion euros. France and Germany were the leading importers of Italian cosmetics. The two countries together imported approximately 1.1 billion euros of cosmetics from Italy in 2018.