Boots has revealed that superfoods, blusher, magnesium and hyaluronic acid have been some of the most in-demand products across beauty and wellness in 2024.
“The lines between beauty and wellness certainly blurred this year, as we saw more product trends that spanned holistically across skincare, haircare, wellness and health,” said Grace Vernon, the retailer’s Head of Global Trends & Cultural Insights.
“From supplements to skincare, shoppers are more conscious than ever with their purchases as consumers increasingly recognised that beauty is more than skin deep.
“With 175 years of expertise behind us, Boots is uniquely placed to deliver on this trend. As we look to the year ahead, we are continuing to pack our shelves with exciting new products and brands, allowing us to stay ahead of the curve, cater to evolving consumer demands, and offer a diverse and dynamic selection of beauty and wellness.”
Beauty and wellness bestsellers based on search and sales data analysed by Boots:
Superfood ingredients
In 2024, customers looked to powerhouse ingredients from the natural world for a beauty and wellness boost. Both mushrooms and super-greens emerged as breakout wellness categories at Boots this year, with bestsellers including DIRTEA Lions Mane Focus Functional Mushroom and Rheal Superfoods Gut Feel. Overall searches for ‘beauty supplements’ on boots.com saw a 15% increase YOY.
The demand for superfood ingredients translated to beauty shopping baskets too. Boots saw an uplift in demand for Korean skincare, known for its cutting-edge techniques and unique ingredients from nature, with formulas enriched with superfoods from ginseng to green tea and fermented beans. With over 769k #KBeauty posts on TikTok this year, Boots introduced 10 new Korean brands, including Laneige, Beauty of Joseon, Anua, Skin1004, and Haru Haru Wonder.
The best-selling K Beauty brands (by volume) at Boots were Beauty of Joseon and Anua, with Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics taking the top spot.
Magnesium
With over a billion views for #magnesium on TikTok this year alone, Boots noted that magnesium continues to be the mineral of the moment. As well as supporting bone health and teeth, magnesium can help turn food into energy, whilst supporting muscle function and energy levels. Volume growth within the category, which currently ranges from supplements to lotions and spray formats, has seen a 50% increase YOY.
Blushes and balms
In makeup and cosmetics, blush reigned supreme throughout 2024, whilst lip balm was cemented as an essential. Searches for ‘blush’ on boots.com increased by 155% this year, whilst the total number of TikTok views for the hashtag #blush hit 8.6bn.
This year saw lip balm become a beauty necessity too, with Google searches for the hydrating salve averaging 240k a month, up 38% in the past year. Boots met this demand with the launch of its viral Glossy Lip Balm.
Hydration
2024 saw a renewed focus on hydration in skincare, with the emergence of viral trends like ‘skin flooding’ taking centre stage. This technique, with over 216m views for the hashtag on TikTok this year, involves layering skincare products to achieve deeper and long-lasting hydration. Hyaluronic Acid was the most searched skincare ingredient on boots.com in 2024. The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 was also amongst Boots top-selling premium skincare products (by volume).
Boots brought one of the biggest skincare brands of the year, Bubble, to over 380 stores across the UK in 2024. At launch, one Bubble product sold every minute at Boots. Bubble Slam Dunk Hydrating Cream Moisturiser was the best-selling product from the brand this year.
Skin longevity
There was a shift towards skin longevity this year, with consumers making smarter choices for the future health of their skin. The most searched skincare products on boots.com included ‘sun cream’, ‘lip balm’ and ‘eye cream’. Shoppers were looking for products to support skin’s natural self-repair with No7 Future Renew Day Cream SPF40 cementing its place as the brand’s best-selling product of the year. Boots expects maintaining skin health and repairing past damage to remain a key focus in 2025, as customers prioritise their skin’s wellbeing.
Honing in on haircare
Hair got a lot more personal in 2024 as people sought out products that catered to their unique hair types and concerns. ‘Shampoo’ emerged as the most searched term on boots.com in 2024, with its best-selling premium shampoo lines being OUAI Detox Shampoo, REDKEN Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo, and REDKEN All Soft Shampoo for Dry Hair with Argan Oil. There was a significant focus on scalp health this year too, with Google searches for scalp serums averaging 30k a month, up +99% in the past year. The OUAI Scalp Serum was one of the best-selling premium scalp care products at Boots as shoppers looked for a product that helped balance and hydrate the scalp.
Gut health
Trends around nurturing the internal to boost elements of the external, with a growing recognition that what’s going on below the surface is just as important were outlined in the Boots 2024 Beauty Trends Report. Sales of gut-health supplements rose by 15% YOY with bestsellers including Boots Good Gut Live Friendly Bacteria and Optibac Adult Gummies.
NAM Implications:
- Always good to have a basis for comparison with rivals.
- And 2024 actual results being no exception…
- …these Boots’ stats are worth a category-by-category comparison with how you see the opportunities for the New Year.
