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NEWS > 24 August 2026

BEAUTY CARE: THE TRENDS RESHAPING PERSONAL WELL-BEING, ACCORDING TO NIQ

To understand the evolution of the beauty and personal care market, it is essential to start with consumers. Today, Italians are paying increasing attention to their appearance and overall well-being, embracing a more holistic approach to self-care.

According to NIQ data, 21 million Italians say they are highly attentive to their personal image, and beauty ranks sixth among their spending priorities. This interest is reflected in more frequent purchases and a broader shopping basket that increasingly includes beauty and personal care products.

The analysis also highlights a strong generational divide. Younger consumers, particularly Gen Z, report higher spending on personal care products, driven by both the quantity of products purchased and different purchasing behaviors. Gen Z primarily bases its purchasing decisions on packaging, advertising, and recommendations from other users, confirming the central role of digital influence. Conversely, older generations, such as Gen X, take a more rational approach. Their decisions are driven by practical factors such as product texture, promotions, and price. Product preferences also vary by age group: younger generations are more attracted to beauty products and experimentation, while consumers over 50 tend to favor routine products and functional treatments.

image 2 BEAUTY CARE: THE TRENDS RESHAPING PERSONAL WELL-BEING, ACCORDING TO NIQ

Market Growth and Channel Dynamics

The personal care market continues to show moderate growth, increasing by 1.2% in value and reaching approximately €5.8 billion, accounting for 47.9% of the overall Personal Care sector. Growth within the segment is primarily driven by beauty and cleansing products. From a channel perspective, e-commerce is growing across all categories (beauty, cleansing, and absorbent products), although offline retail remains the dominant channel. Pharmacies, meanwhile, are losing market share across all categories. Beauty stands out as the most balanced category, with a stronger digital presence than other personal care segments.

Beauty Focus: Different Performances Across Categories

A closer look at the beauty sector (Cosmetics, Fragrance, Hair Care, Hair Removal, and Skin Care) reveals varying dynamics.
The fragrance category is experiencing significant growth, driven mainly by offline retail and e-commerce, while declining in the pharmacy channel. A similar trend is visible in Hair Care, which continues to perform well, particularly within traditional retail. Hair Removal is showing a shift in purchasing behavior, progressively moving online, with e-commerce becoming its primary growth driver. Overall, e-commerce continues to strengthen its strategic importance:
  • It represents a significant share of sales in Fragrance (42%) and Cosmetics (37.9%).
  • It is the primary growth engine for emerging categories.
At the same time, the pharmacy channel continues to lose relevance, with one important exception: Skin Care, where it still maintains a significant market share.

The Role of Drugstores and the Evolution of Assortments

Drugstores play an increasingly central role, especially within the beauty segment, where their market weight is higher than in other personal care categories. Both beauty and cleansing products are experiencing strong growth in this channel.
As consumer demand becomes increasingly sophisticated, both branded manufacturers and private-label brands are being called upon to respond with targeted assortments.
Product offerings are expanding across all categories.
At the same time, traditional cosmetics are declining, while new segments are emerging that bring professional treatments and beauty routines directly into consumers' homes, including:
  • Facial treatments
  • Anti-aging products
  • Capsule skincare
  • Eyelash care products

The Claims Driving the Market

Product claims are becoming increasingly influential in purchasing decisions.
The Protect & Repair claim remains the most important, accounting for 24.8% of total market value and showing strong growth (+5.9% in value and +2.2% in volume). By contrast, the Hydrate & Renew claim (10.5%) is declining (-1.5% in value and -7.0% in volume), indicating lower consumer appeal. The Free-from segment (12.2%) is showing signs of slowdown, with a reduction in assortment (-4.5%) and a decline in claims such as “paraben-free” and “dye-free.” However, the allergen-free claim stands out with strong growth (+10.8% in value). Meanwhile, the Rich-in segment (7.3%) continues to be driven by specific ingredients:
  • Vitamins: moderate growth
  • Hyaluronic acid: strong performance
  • Collagen: very positive value growth
image BEAUTY CARE: THE TRENDS RESHAPING PERSONAL WELL-BEING, ACCORDING TO NIQ

Tech & Beauty: The Role of Small Domestic Appliances

The Beauty Small Domestic Appliances (SDA) segment is expected to grow by 6.7% in 2025, confirming the increasingly close relationship between technology and personal care.

The market is mainly composed of:
  • Shavers: 28.3% (€159.6 million, +9%)
  • Dental Care: 26.6% (€150.1 million, +11.1%)
  • Hairstylers: 24.6% (€138.6 million, +5.9%)
  • Hair Dryers: 14.4% (€81 million, +0.1%)
  • Others: 6.1% (€34.5 million, -1.6%)
In 2025, online sales surpassed traditional retail in value, accounting for 50% of all new product launch sales.

The Key Drivers of the SDA Beauty Market

Pragmatism Consumers are increasingly pragmatic, prioritizing value for money and essential purchases.
Brand Landscape
  • The SDA Beauty market features emerging brands gaining market share through digital-first strategies and strong social media and e-commerce presence, particularly in personal care products.
  • Brand loyalty remains low, and switching between brands is common in the current market environment.
Smart Utility
  • Innovation is shifting away from eye-catching “smart” features toward meaningful and functional upgrades.
  • Multifunctionality is a key driver of premiumization within SDA Beauty.
Price & Promotions
  • Prices have stabilized over the past two years, but premium categories continue to drive growth.
  • Consumers are willing to purchase high-quality products during promotions, seeking value rather than simply lower-priced items.
Themes Driving Demand
  • Innovation and portability continue to drive demand in personal care.
  • Consumers remain pragmatic, prioritizing value and essential purchases.
Technological Innovations in the SDA Beauty Market
Smart Haircare Expansion
AI-powered haircare devices are transforming the category, including hair dryers and stylers equipped with intelligent heat control, red-light stimulation, and real-time feedback systems.
In addition, high-speed hair dryers and multi-stylers now feature oil infusion technology, continuous temperature monitoring, and app-based personalization.
Shavers & Dental Tech Upgrade
New AI-powered personal care devices are delivering enhanced precision, portability, and smart display features.
Interest in these innovations is also reflected in consumer demand. While SDA Beauty devices increasingly attract younger consumers thanks to advanced functionality and innovative design, the market continues to be primarily driven by older generations, who represent the largest share of buyers and seek products that combine technology, ease of use, and long-term value.
Within the SDA Beauty segment, mature generations still account for the largest share:
  • Gen X: 34.2%
  • Gen Y (Millennials): 24.28%
  • Baby Boomers: 22.97%
  • Gen Z: 18.23%

A More Integrated Vision of Beauty

The beauty and personal care market is undergoing a transformation that goes far beyond the simple purchase of products. Well-being, self-care, technology, and personalization are converging into an increasingly integrated ecosystem where consumers seek solutions tailored to their evolving and highly specific needs.
The growth of innovative categories, the expansion of e-commerce, and the adoption of technology-driven personal care devices all demonstrate how beauty is becoming increasingly linked to experience, performance, and convenience.
For brands, success will depend on their ability to understand these shifts and develop offerings that are relevant, distinctive, and closely aligned with consumers’ evolving expectations.
 

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