Body Care Sales Hit €523m in Europe as Face-Grade Actives Move South

European prestige body care grew 11% in value to €523 million for the year ending September 2026, with units up 8%, according to Circana data provided exclusively to Cosmetics Business. US body care sales rose 16% in the first half of 2026. The category, long treated as a functional purchase, is being remade in the image of facial skin care.

Product launches increased 62% year-on-year in 2026. Circana's own figures confirm the shift is structural rather than cosmetic.

Who is driving the shift?

Consumers educated by facial routines now apply the same vocabulary — actives, efficacy, sensoriality — to the body. Grace Vernon, Director of International Retail Partnerships at Boots Ignite and Trends, said: "For years, facial skin care has dominated the beauty conversation, with consumers becoming increasingly knowledgeable about ingredients, investing in their routines and prioritising skin health."

"What we're now seeing is that same level of interest extending beyond the face, helping to fuel a real boom in body care," Vernon said. Familiar ingredients — acids, peptides and barrier-supporting actives — top the demand list.

Mathilde Lion, Industry Analyst and Executive Director of Beauty in Europe at Circana, frames it historically: consumers once reserved prestige spending for facial care and fragrance, while body care remained functional. Today they seek products combining efficacy, sensorial pleasure and self care.

Which brands entered in 2026?

New entrants span fragrance, colour cosmetics and dedicated start-ups:

• Kayali entered body care through its scent-layering ritual with the Yum collection.
• NYX Professional Makeup moved from colour cosmetics to body care for the first time in its 27-year history with the Fat Oil Body Collection.
• e.l.f. Cosmetics launched e.l.f. POP, inspired by holiday destinations.
• US brand Dewsy was built to close the gap between facial and body care.

Dewsy is led by CEO and co-founder Kathy Widmer, previously head of Johnson & Johnson's Americas division. "The biggest change is that body care is now being held to the same standard as facial skin care," Widmer said.

What actives and formulations are leading?

Dewsy's Bounce Back Body Cream delivers 0.1% retinol, copper peptides and five ceramides, targeting collagen stimulation and cell renewal. The brand positions itself as "face-grade actives, clinically tested formulas and advanced delivery, all at masstige prices" — a marketing claim that independent trial data have yet to confirm.

Body serums present harder numbers. Serum sales rose 16% in Europe this year and 27% in the UK, per Circana. Vaseline's Gluta Hya Smoothing Serum Burst Lotion — a triple-acid complex, 4D hyaluronic acid and niacinamide — claims clinical proof of refined texture in seven days and improved radiance in 14. The manufacturer has not published the trial protocol.

Dove's Body + Mind Serum Body Wash adds serum-infused cleansing with mood-boosting fragrances. Matt Maxwell, Business Unit Director, Health and Beauty, at Worldpanel by Numerator, said: "This range has now made £2 million worth of sales since launch, and is ranking number ten in the total health and beauty NPDs for this year already."

What are the five trends for 2027?

Body contouring and the GLP-1 era. Spate's US data for the year ended August 2026 shows 'body firming cream' searches up 45% year-on-year and 'firming body lotion' up 31%. The report links this to GLP-1 drug use and concerns over rapid weight loss effects on skin quality — a correlation, not an established mechanism.

Skinification of nail care. Nail search popularity declined 3.9% year-on-year globally across Google, TikTok and Instagram, with salon-treatment interest down 2.2%. Interest shifts toward 'naked', healthy-looking nails and skin care-derived ingredients.

Glass skin body glow. Vernon notes the trend is "increasingly about achieving healthy-looking, hydrated skin from head to toe, rather than simply adding shimmer."

Body milks. Lightweight, fluid milk textures aim to make moisturising a daily indulgence rather than a functional step.

Vitamin C body care. Nilofer Vahora, Chief Marketing Officer at Amika, said: "Body care is moving beyond basic cleansing and moisturisation into a more targeted, treatment-led category." Vitamin C, a recognisable antioxidant, is central to the brightening push.

What wins in 2027?

Barry Bruno, CCO and co-founder of Dewsy, predicts layered routines — serum, then lotion — with "actives at levels that actually work." Discovery is no longer controlled by a handful of large brands, he argues: "The winners will be the brands that solve real problems, prove it on the skin and earn a place in consumers' everyday routines."

Whether 'prove it on the skin' translates into published clinical data, rather than in-house claims, will determine whether body care's premiumisation endures past 2027.