In its latest report, the Nielsen IQ forecasting agency estimates that the cosmetics sector is approaching 2026 with its usual resilience, but also with “an unprecedented level of complexity.” Between budgetary trade-offs, the quest for efficiency, and the transformation of purchasing journeys, consumer expectations are changing.
Globally, the market grew by 10% in value. Momentum continues to be driven mainly by emerging markets, while Europe is slowing down.
Latin America (+14%), Africa, the Middle East (+16%) and Asia-Pacific (+14%) are driving growth, ahead of North America (+10%).
Western Europe is showing more moderate growth (+4%). “Developing markets are driving global growth, while European momentum is slowing,” summarizes Nielsen IQ.
The power of digital
E-commerce growth is outpacing that of physical stores in all regions of the world. “Regardless of market maturity, digital channels are outperforming physical points of sale,” says NielsenIQ.
Globally, online sales are up 18%, compared to 3% for offline sales.
In the United States, Amazon is capturing growth in both value (+23.9%) and units (+25.2%). TikTok Shop has seen a surge of +107.7% in value.
More broadly, 22% of global consumers say they have already purchased a product directly through TikTok Shop.
In China, sales of hair care and skincare products via livestream on Douyin (the local version of TikTok) reached $26 billion over 12 months (up 47%).
In addition, nearly one in two consumers (49%) say they have already received beauty recommendations via artificial intelligence. By 2026, Nielsen …
