Makeup demand soars as shoppers move from “Zoom to groom”

Demand for colour cosmetics in England, Wales and Scotland bloomed in March as shoppers started to prep themselves for the easing of lockdown restrictions and a return to offices and socialising.

Online searches for red lipstick rose by 30% according to retail technology start-up NearSt, while searches for foundation grew by 22%, eyeliner by 242%, highlighter by 266% and primer by 120%.

Search data from NearSt, which connects the live inventories of local shops to the web so that stock shows up in Google search results, also revealed a boom in demand for hair removal products.

Paired with rising temperatures, searches for razors rose by 66% while searches for hair removal cream spung up by 400% and waxing strips by 300%.

Searches for perfume meanwhile, grew by 480%.

Commenting on the findings NearSt co-founder, Nick Brackenbury said: “The pandemic has evolved many of our habits - from how we work, to what we wear, to how we shop.” 

“Loungewear replaced formalwear, slippers overtook heels and with minimal real-life interactions, make-up increasingly made its way to the back of the bathroom cabinet.

“With many discovering untouched items have seen better days, this snapshot reveals a burst of activity as the loosening of lockdown started to take effect.

“Whether it was sharpening up our look for the school run or a return to the office, the data paints a picture of Zoom to groom.”

The recent boom in demand for local goods and services also looked set to stay, as lockdown restrictions continued to be eased, Brackenbury added.

 "We all know about the boom in e-commerce sales, but what’s been largely overlooked is the even bigger surge in shoppers going online to hunt out products in nearby high streets. 

"We saw a seven-fold jump in local product searches in places like Google last year, with 2021 settling on four times the volume of pre-pandemic levels. 

“Google also reported an 8,000% increase in searches for “who has ___ in stock” last year. 

 "This emerging consumer behaviour of searching and discovering products online to buy in nearby physical stores presents an exciting new opportunity for small and large retailers alike,” he added.