Consumers shopped beauty retail across price points in H1

Consumers were shopping across price points at beauty retailers in the first half of the year, according to new Circana data.

Prestige and mass beauty retail sales both grew 7% in the first six months of the 2026, with prestige sales totalling $17.1 billion and mass $39.2 billion, Circana reported, as both sectors saw strong unit demand. The two segments’ dynamics have shifted over the past year—in Q1 2025, mass outpaced prestige for the first time in several years.

Larissa Jensen, global beauty industry advisor at Circana, said in a statement that the industry is benefiting from “consumers’ willingness to shop across price tiers, selectively investing in products that deliver the strongest emotional and functional value.”

Fragrance continued to shine in mass retail, with demand and pricing driving growth. Sales rose 15%, while units were up 7%. Prestige fragrance’s 6% sales growth largely came from higher prices, as units were flat, but luxury fragrance benefitted from positive dollar and unit sales.

Hair saw the largest sales uptick for prestige, with sales climbing 11% and units rising 8%, amid high demand for hair treatments and serums. For mass, sales increased 7%, but unit sales dropped, though combo packs of shampoo and conditioner were strong as consumers seek value, Circana said.

Skin care was prestige’s fastest growing category, notching a 9% sales jump and a double-digit rise in unit sales, headlined by soaring sales in body care (16%) and sun care (19%). Makeup delivered a softer performance: Sales gains for prestige (3%) and mass (5%) were offset by lackluster unit demand, with blush, bronzer, and lip liner highlights across both segments.

What the CPGs are saying: Unilever continued its streak of volume-led growth, reporting last month its beauty and wellbeing segment notched 5.9% sales and 4.5% volume increases in H1, with success across its prestige beauty brand and mass brands like Dove and Vaseline. L’Oréal in July also reported positive Q2 performance across all divisions, naming its professional products (premium hair care brands like Redken and Matrix) and dermatological beauty (skin care brands including CeraVe and La Roche-Posay) as standouts.

“The grimmer the economic and geopolitical headline, the more consumers crave an affordable feel-good treat, or as I like to call it, the dopamine effect of beauty,” L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said on its earnings call.

Coty and Estée Lauder are both set to report earnings on August 19.