Boots reveal biggest beauty trends of 2024

K-beauty, blusher, hyaluronic acid and bespoke haircare are among the most in-demand products across beauty and wellness in 2024, according to British retailer Boots.

As the UK’s leading health and beauty retailer, Boots stocks more than 600 healthcare brands and over 500 beauty brands, and it has analysed search and sales data from across the year to reveal customers’ most-wanted purchases.

Grace Vernon, head of global trends and cultural insights at Boots and No7 Beauty Company, said in a statement: “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. 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.”

Top five beauty trends for 2024

K-Beauty

In 2024, Boots saw an uplift in demand for Korean skincare, known for its cutting-edge techniques and unique natural ingredients, with formulas enriched with superfoods from ginseng to green tea and fermented beans.

With more than 769,000 #KBeauty posts on TikTok this year, according to Exolyt Global Data from January 1 to December 3, 2024, Boots brought the best of Korean skincare to the UK, introducing 10 new 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 (15.50 pounds) taking the top spot for best-selling K Beauty products. The powerful SPF is packed with rice extract and fermented probiotic complex promises to brighten and calm the skin.

Blushes and balms

In makeup and cosmetics, blush reigned supreme throughout 2024, said Boots, helped by Sabrina Carpenter's rosy cheeks to the natural flush of the ‘boyfriend blush’ and the summer-inspired ‘sunset blush’ trend. As a result, searches for ‘blush’ on boots.com increased by 155 percent this year, while the total number of TikTok views for the hashtag #blush hit 8.6 billion.

In addition, this year saw lip balm cemented as a handbag essential, with Google searches for the hydrating salve averaging 240,000 a month, up +38 percent in the past year, according to data taken from Glimpse. Boots met this demand with the launch of its viral Glossy Lip Balm (3 pounds), which is available in three flavours - Mint, Coconut, and Cherry. At launch, one lip balm flew off the shelf every 30 seconds.

Bespoke haircare

Hair became more personal in 2024 as customers sought products catering to their unique hair types and concerns. ‘Shampoo’ emerged as the most searched term on boots.com in 2024, with the best-selling premium shampoo lines being Ouai’s Detox Shampoo (28 pounds) and Redken's Acidic Bonding Concentrate Shampoo (25.70 pounds) and its All Soft Shampoo for Dry Hair with Argan Oil (21.75 pounds).

Boots also adds that there was a significant focus on scalp health this year, with Google searches for scalp serums averaging 30,000 a month, up +99 percent in the past year. The Ouai Scalp Serum (48 pounds) 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.

Hydration

2024 also saw a renewed focus on hydration in skincare as viral trends such as ‘skin flooding’ took centre stage. The technique, which involves layering skincare products to achieve deeper and long-lasting hydration, has more than 216 million views for the hashtag on TikTok this year.

Hyaluronic Acid, a holy grail ingredient for hydration, was the most searched skincare ingredient on boots.com in 2024, with The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (8.80 pounds) being amongst Boots' top-selling premium skincare products.

Skin longevity

There was also a shift towards skin longevity in 2024, with customers looking to make 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’. No7's Future Renew Day Cream SPF40 (34.95 pounds) was the brand’s best-selling product of the year. The day cream forms part of the Future Renew range, powered by No7’s world-first patent-pending super peptide blend, including a serum clinically proven to reverse visible signs of skin damage.