TikTok Shop has cemented its position as the UK’s fourth-largest beauty retailer, driven by a 60% year-on-year increase in beauty sales, underlining how discovery-led, content-driven commerce is reshaping consumer purchasing behaviour in one of the UK’s most competitive retail categories.
The platform was the fastest-growing online retailer in the UK in 2024, with beauty products selling at an average rate of one per second, peaking at five products every two seconds in November. Growth has been fuelled by TikTok Shop’s ‘discovery-first’ model, which enables shoppers to move seamlessly from inspiration and education to purchase – often beginning their search without a specific product or brand in mind.
Discovery commerce redefines beauty shopping
Rather than searching by brand, TikTok Shop users are increasingly shopping via a “search–learn–buy” flow, focusing on skin concern, routine and ingredient, reflecting a broader shift in consumer behaviour. In Q4 2025 alone, posts tagged #matureskincare increased by 75% and #dryskin rose by 20% quarter-on-quarter.
Emily Caine, head of beauty at TikTok Shop UK, said: “What’s different about TikTok Shop is that users don’t necessarily know what product they want to buy yet. They come to discover, learn and be inspired by brands and creators, who help them find the right routines and products for their specific skin concerns.”
This education-led approach is translating into rapid adoption of interactive formats. Beauty-focused LIVE shopping sessions grew 90% in 2025, with TikTok Shop now hosting more than 6,000 LIVE shopping sessions every day in the UK, enabling real-time dialogue between brands, creators and consumers.
British brands, including The Beauty Crop and The Ordinary, are using LIVE sessions to gather instant feedback on skin concerns and product pairings, directly informing curated bundles sold on the platform.
Ning Cheah, founder of The Beauty Crop, said: “TikTok Shop is like a real-time beauty counter. It gives us a one-to-one presence at scale, allowing us to listen to customers and respond instantly.”
It demonstrates how content, commerce and consumer insight are converging, allowing brands to iterate faster and reduce the distance between product education and purchase.
K-Beauty emerges as a high-value growth engine
One of the clearest examples of TikTok Shop’s growing retail influence is the rapid rise of K-Beauty in the UK. Searches for Korean skincare on the platform increased 125% in the second half of 2025, while the average K-Beauty basket value is nearly 35% higher than the overall skincare average, signalling both heightened demand and higher consumer spend.
That growth is being matched by cultural scale. #kbeauty is now the third most-used beauty hashtag in the UK on TikTok, highlighting how a once-niche category has moved firmly into the mainstream and how attention on the platform increasingly translates into commercial opportunity.
K-beauty brands including Medicube, Mixsoon, Beauty of Joseon, Dr Melaxin, Colorgram and BIOHEAL BOH have launched on TikTok Shop UK in recent months, tapping into a highly engaged audience seeking ingredient-led, results-driven skincare. Searches for Medicube’s Zero Pore Pads, for example, surged 400% as ‘glass skin’ routines gained traction.
Lexy Shim, team lead for TikTok Shop marketing at Medicube, said: “UK consumers are increasingly seeking skincare that delivers real results. On TikTok Shop, education and engagement directly influence purchase decisions.”
From TikTok Shop to the High Street
Success on TikTok Shop is increasingly translating into wider retail impact, acting as a trend incubator for the UK high street. Viral performance on the platform has led directly to bricks-and-mortar listings, with The Beauty Crop citing its subsequent launch in Boots in 2024 as a result of sustained demand driven by TikTok Shop, where searches for The Beauty Crop rose over 270% quarter-on-quarter.
Similarly, The Ordinary’s exclusive TikTok Shop launch of its Volufiline serum generated significant traffic across other retail channels once the exclusivity period ended.
For international brands, TikTok Shop is emerging as a low-risk entry point into the UK market. In Korea, popular beauty labels such as Colorgram and BIOHEAL BOH – developed by OLIVE YOUNG – are using the platform to introduce and trial products with UK consumers.
Creator economy delivers real income at ccale
Alongside brand growth, TikTok Shop is generating meaningful economic opportunity for creators. The number of active TikTok Shop creators in the UK has increased by 72% year-on-year, with hundreds now earning more than the average UK salary (£39,000) in commission alone.
Greise Astrauskaite @griese_a , Content Creator said: “TikTok Shop has allowed me to earn a meaningful income from doing something I am incredibly passionate about. I love that I have been able to build a community of people who are as excited about beauty as I am, and who can ask me any questions they may have.”
Frances Leonard, social commerce manager at The Ordinary, adds: “It’s really important for brands to properly brief creators on the science behind their products to effectively educate shoppers on the right products for their skin and routine. This Creator knowledge then translates to helping consumers find the right products for their skin type and concern and takes the guesswork out of discovery.”
Insights were shared at an exclusive TikTok Shop industry preview and creator matchmaking event in London on 23 January, attended by 18 of TikTok Shop’s much-loved beauty brands including e.l.f., Mixsoon, The Ordinary, Medicube and Beauty of Joseon.
The event marked the launch of the platform’s upcoming Beauty Crush week (9–14 February) – an in-app beauty takeover, spotlightlighting new product launches, exclusive LIVE shopping moments and limited-time offers, giving beauty lovers the chance to discover and shop the best of beauty on TikTok Shop directly from brands or their favourite creators.
