L. Yltävä
Research expert
Beauty shopping on social media - statistics & facts
Beauty lovers worldwide are flocking to social media apps for the latest trends like lip oils, red light therapy tech, and faux freckle tints. While magazines and word-of-mouth once guided purchasing decisions, social media now plays a pivotal role in the beauty industry as product recommendations from influencers and fellow users catapult brands and items to viral success. Consumers can purchase products through shoppable links, referrals to online stores, or in-app purchases directly on social platforms.
When taking a closer look at what is trending on TikTok globally, Huda Beauty stands out as the most followed cosmetics brand with 8.7 million fans. Rare Beauty dominates in hashtag views, with a staggering 7.7 billion views, while CeraVe leads the skincare category with a follower count of 1.3 million.
Social commerce is a booming industry that is estimated to reach one trillion U.S. dollars in revenue by 2028. As health and wellness products are one of the most purchased categories, the future of beauty shopping is not only digital but deeply interconnected with social media.
Social sites spark purchase ideas
In 2023, social sites ranked as the third most popular online channel worldwide to get beauty product inspiration. Especially user-generated content on these apps is highly valued among consumers, who want to see authentic reviews by fellow collectors, rather than the perfected images brands and retailers post. On average, nearly 30 percent of global users watched reviews of makeup products on social media in 2023, with the highest viewership in Indonesia, India, and Mexico at 43 percent.All-in-one shopping destinations
Social platforms have evolved from being purely discovery channels to becoming the likes of marketplaces. Nowadays, shoppers can complete beauty purchases directly within the apps, eliminating the need for third-party online stores. TikTok leads this trend with its e-commerce feature, TikTok Shop. In 2023, TikTok Shops worldwide achieved a GMV of roughly 2.5 billion U.S. dollars from beauty sales, making it the merchandise with the highest amount of total sales made on the platform. That same year, around 370 million beauty and personal care products were sold on TikTok Shops worldwide.When taking a closer look at what is trending on TikTok globally, Huda Beauty stands out as the most followed cosmetics brand with 8.7 million fans. Rare Beauty dominates in hashtag views, with a staggering 7.7 billion views, while CeraVe leads the skincare category with a follower count of 1.3 million.
Social commerce is a booming industry that is estimated to reach one trillion U.S. dollars in revenue by 2028. As health and wellness products are one of the most purchased categories, the future of beauty shopping is not only digital but deeply interconnected with social media.
