Consumers spending more on beauty than ever before

UK beauty consumers are spending big on sheet masks, superfood skincare, premium fragrances and anything in millennial pink, according to a report from John Lewis.

The retailer released its report on the nation’s shopping habits over the past year, highlighting the biggest beauty shopping trends via its best-selling products.

Sheet masks took off massively in 2017, and John Lewis reported that the Powerfoil mask from consumer brand Estée Lauder experienced a 123% increase in sales on 2016.

The other big skincare trend, which has been gaining traction in the professional sector for some time now, was products containing clever superfood extracts to feed the skin, like the latest iteration of Clarins’s popular Double Serum, which launched in September and harnesses anti-ageing turmeric. Meanwhile Elemis’s Superfood Facial Oil, with broccoli and daikon radish extracts among a cocktail of others, was John Lewis’s best-selling seasonal launch earlier in the year.

Lips proved to be the nation’s make-up focus, with millennial pink firmly taking first place as the most popular shade of the year. The retailer’s best-selling lipstick was MAC’s Velvet Teddy, a dusky, muted pink.

Looking ahead the retailer predicts two-tone lips will take hold, with consumers wearing clashing colours on the upper and lower lips for a next-level bold look in contrast to current nude-pink climate.