by Megan Moyer, corporate marketing manager, as appeared in Inside Beauty for Drug Store News
There is a positive outlook for the beauty industry and it’s being driven by online
shoppers. While TikTok Shops have gained popularity, some surprising categories are having the greatest success.
In a recent CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) webinar, “Global Trends Report, Part 2,” Nielsen IQ shared that beauty continues to grow globally, up +10% worldwide. In a deeper dive, their data showed that spend per shopper had increased and units purchased per shopper increased, as did the frequency of shopping trips.
Additionally, they showed that online beauty sales were driving growth more so than in-store sales with online sales up +19% compared to in-store sales +2%.
Data from Nielsen IQ indicated that Amazon is the number one online merchant for beauty sales. Pyxis, the consumer analytics division of Bain & Company, in a review of top beauty retailers of their eReceipt panel data* (excluding Walmart), found after Amazon, the next three top online U.S. beauty retailers are Ulta Beauty, TikTok, and Target when looking at year-over-year growth comparing March — August 2025 to the same period in 2024.
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Diving into category growth for that same time period, Pyxis saw that the following categories had double-digit growth:
- “Everyday hair care” (men’s hair care, women’s shampoo & conditioner, styling products, dry shampoo, and scalp care & regrowth)
- Beauty accessories (cosmetic bags, fragrances, nail care, beauty accessories)
- Seasonal beauty (sun care, beauty bath, trial & travel)
- Skin care (face and acne)
- Cosmetics (cheek, eye, face, lip, tools & implements)
- Hair tools, accessories, other (gift sets, hair color, hair tools & accessories)
Per Pyxis, Amazon’s “subscribe & save” sales
have shown notably faster growth versus non-subscription sales across most categories, subcategories, and product types, including:
- trial & travel,
- scalp care & regrowth,
- women’s shampoo,
- fragrances,
- cosmetic bags,
- beauty accessories,
- cosmetics – face, and
- cosmetics – eye.
In the CEW webinar, Nielsen IQ also described the continued expansion of TikTok Shop. They noted that it’s currently available in 14 markets, has had 4 expansions in 2025 so far (as of July 2024) and is expected to launch in Japan and Brazil by the end of 2025. Pyxis data showed year-over-year TikTok Shop sales growth in top beauty categories in the chart that follows.
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Insights regarding a few of the top-selling beauty categories on TikTok:
- The growth in men’s grooming categories was extensively explained in a March 2025 Drug Store News article which stated, ”Men’s grooming sales last year grew 6% over the year before to topple $57 billion, according to Euromonitor. The rise in interest in men’s personal care, according to Calvin Quallis, founder and CEO of Scotch Porter, is having an impact on how brands think about serving the consumer, especially because social media has a significant effect.”
- Persistence Market Research explained how scalp health has become a focal point, with products like scalp exfoliators, treatments, and serums gaining popularity for addressing dandruff, oiliness, and dryness. HRG had noted the popularity of new products with a focus on scalp health in an Inside Beauty article for Drug Store News earlier this year.
- As noted in another HRG Inside Beauty article earlier this year, the global nail care products market was estimated at USD 23.6 billion in 2024, according to Global Market Insights. The market is expected to grow from USD 24.7 billion in 2025 to USD 38.9 billion in 2034, at a CAGR of 5.2%.
- The surge in fragrance sales was also noted earlier in 2025 in a Drug Store News article addressing the surge in product sales as a result of GLP-1 use. Mintel’s fragrance trend report from July 2025 details more specifics about fragrance trends, including movements driving the growth, the scents that are popular on TikTok, and how fragrance brands are positioning themselves to attract multiple generations.
The importance and influence of brands’ online presence is demonstrated by the sales growth occurring in online channels. Across platforms, beauty brands need to protect their source of truth and brand integrity and constantly create content that attracts attention and inspires trial. Based on current categories surging in sales, never underestimate how quickly a trend can catch on and propel a category to the forefront. And TikTok Shop cannot be overlooked. Brands who haven’t already established their own TikTok Shop need to address it sooner rather than later. The influence and conversions in this newer shopping channel are significant and can help brands accelerate awareness and growth.
*Pyxis eReceipt panel data used in analysis includes Amazon, Ulta Beauty, Sephora, TikTok, BeautyCounter, Target, Nordstrom, Sam’s Club, Bath & Body Works, Macy’s, Costco, JCPenney, FragranceNet.com, Instacart, Mary Kay, Neiman Marcus, Temu, HEB, and Kohl’s. Walmart was not included in this analysis; however, Pyxis has broad coverage for US merchants and can add new logos by request. While the data presented doesn’t represent a “full market” view of the beauty sector given offline channels and certain retailers are not included, it provides a directional view of growth and category trends.