Beauty products consumption in the UK and France: how do they compare?

Last year, French women bought on average 1.6 high-end beauty products, compared to 2.6 bought by their British neighbours. The difference is especially marked in make-up, a category in which UK women buy twice as many products as the French: 1.2 units per person compared to 0.5 in France. Also, French women buy fewer perfumes: 0.7 units per person per year, compared to 0.8 in the UK.

"Besides looking at the overall figures, it is interesting to dig within the segments to understand each market's preferences and purchasing habits. Though French women spend less overall, they invest more willingly in certain types of products, such as anti-aging creams," stated Mathilde Lion, Europe beauty expert at the NPD group.

According to NPD, anti-aging creams account for 44% of the value of all skincare sales in France, compared to 32% in the UK. As for face skincare, British consumers actually appear to be keener on make-up removers and cleansers, which represent 10% of the skincare segment's sales, double the French share.

Make-up products represent 29% of the total high-end beauty segment's sales in the UK, but this category is less important in France, where it only accounts for 15%. Make-up is in fact the smallest category in France, while in the UK it ranks second behind fragrance. In detail, mascara accounts for 14% of make-up sales in France compared to 9% in the UK, while lipstick sales are twice as large in France compared to the UK. Instead, complexion make-up is more popular with British women, for whom it represents half of total make-up purchases, compared to 42% in France.

Mathilde Lion explained: "The long-established consumption differences between Great Britain and France remain constant in the classic segments. If however we focus on the most recent trends, it is clear that the digital explosion, which knows no borders, and the influence of brands and celebrities have turned the high-end beauty sector into an open, responsive market, capable of driving global trends."

The NPD survey also shows how the two markets share a willingness to embrace the sector's latest trends, such as the craze for eyebrow products, beauty masks and haircare treatments.

Beauty products consumption in the UK and France: how do they compare?

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