D. Petruzzi
Research expert covering Cosmetics, Personal Care, Health & Hygiene industries.
Cosmetics market in Italy - statistics & facts
Despite its relatively smaller size, Italy is one of the largest cosmetics markets worldwide. In 2023, the country was the fourth leading market for cosmetics products in Europe, while the first three largest players worldwide were the United States, China, and Japan. In the same year, the value of Italy's cosmetics industry in the domestic market reached a peak of over eight billion euros. Meanwhile, the country's export of beauty products worldwide has been increasing in the last few years in terms of value, and added up to more than seven billion euros annually as of 2023.
Considering the growing revenues in Italy's domestic market, as well as the strong interest of its consumers, and the impressive export performance, the Italian beauty & personal care sector is poised to maintain its success in the coming years.
A closer look at the Italian consumer
Some of the main brands chosen by Italians include Garnier, Nivea, Dove, and Lines. According to a survey conducted in 2024, the leading factors that influence their choice of personal care products are quality, brand, and scent. The results of the survey also revealed that the most used kinds of personal care products by Italian consumers belong to the bath and shower, oral and dental care, and perfume categories. In that same year, over 50 percent of skincare users in Italy stated that they used such products on a weekly basis.Most popular product categories
In the domestic market, body care, facial care, and perfumes are the most valuable products. And the face care products that generated the largest consumption value were anti-aging, anti-wrinkle, moisturizing, and nourishing creams. In recent years, the consumption value of cosmetics products in Italy increased overall, peaking at more than 12.5 billion euros in 2023. In terms of consumption value, the largest share of face care products was sold in pharmacies, while perfume shops and mass market channels ranked second and third, respectively.Main distribution channels
Another important retail channel in the cosmetics market is e-commerce. Indeed, the number of online purchasers of cosmetics grew significantly over time. Increasingly, people are also making these purchases on their phones: according to the results of a survey, the share of consumers that purchase cosmetics and make-up online by smartphone has steadily increased since 2013. Some of the leading personal care online stores among consumers in Italy include amazon.it, notino.it, and sephora.it.Considering the growing revenues in Italy's domestic market, as well as the strong interest of its consumers, and the impressive export performance, the Italian beauty & personal care sector is poised to maintain its success in the coming years.
