Share of shoppers buying beauty products online worldwide 2023, by gender

A survey conducted in the second quarter of 2023 revealed that globally, women purchased beauty products online more than men. An average of 38 percent of women worldwide purchased beauty products online on a monthly basis from April to June of 2023. In comparison, around a quarter of men did the same.

Leading beauty markets

Worldwide, the United States ranks as the leading e-commerce market for beauty, with an industry worth around 14 billion U.S. dollars as of 2022. China follows closely with a market generating roughly 12 billion dollars in revenue. Cosmetics are the leading online segment of all beauty categories, worth around 40 billion U.S. dollars worldwide in 2023. Fragrances are the second-largest beauty segment, valued at around 19 billion U.S. dollars.

A hub of beauty

Global health, personal, and beauty care shoppers seem to favor online marketplaces for their shopping needs, with Alibaba leading the ranking. In 2022, Alibaba’s beauty segment achieved net sales of roughly 58 billion U.S. dollars, followed by Amazon, at 44 billion dollars. On online marketplaces such as Alibaba and Amazon, consumers have the option to choose from countless different brands and third-party vendors. On these sites, prices tend to be on the affordable side. In recent years, Amazon has focused on expanding their catalog to include more skincare and cosmetics items, which has proved to be a successful strategy. In fact, beauty sales make up 6.4 percent of total sales, a share expected to grow in the coming years.