UK sales of colour cosmetics predicted to reach £2.5bn by 2021

Sales of colour cosmetics in the UK is set to reach £2.5bn by 2021, according to new research by market analyst Mintel.

Researchers predict the market will grow by 36% from now until 2021, based on figures which saw sales reach £1.8bn in 2016, and is set to reach £2bn by the end of 2017 – a 7.2% increase in the space of a year.

The data also showed that the face and lip colour sectors saw the biggest rise in sales, driven by the “no make-up make-up” trend – face colour products rose by 10% to £580m in 2016, while sales of lip colour also grew by 11% to £304m in the same period.

“The colour cosmetics category continues to show strong year-on-year growth, particularly driven by the ‘no make-up make-up’ look, which requires more products, time and skill than the name might suggest,” said Roshida Khanom, associate director for beauty and personal care at Mintel.

However, not all trends have taken off, including the ombre lip – with 55% not knowing what this is, and only a mere 6% of women having tried out strobing. Two in three respondents (69%) said that make-up trends are too time consuming.