The New Face of Ireland’s Beauty Market: Convenience, Confidence, and Care
Ireland’s beauty market is undergoing a transformation.
Once defined by high-street counters and weekend shopping trips, it is now increasingly shaped by online carts, doorstep deliveries, and digital platforms that promise not just products but a lifestyle.
Convenience, confidence, and care have emerged as the guiding principles of this shift. Online stores such as Millies exemplify the trend, offering curated selections of skincare, haircare, and wellness products that cater to changing consumer needs.
More than a question of vanity, the Irish beauty scene is becoming a reflection of cultural priorities—faster access, self-expression, and wellbeing in equal measure.
Convenience and the Digital Shift
The digital turn in Ireland’s beauty market has been swift.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated trends already underway, moving shoppers from physical counters to online carts almost overnight.
What began as a necessity has settled into a preference: consumers now demand quick access, reliable delivery, and streamlined browsing. From serums to styling tools, beauty is increasingly just a few clicks away.
Research shows that 40% of Irish online purchases are beauty products, highlighting the strength of e-commerce in this sector.
The appeal lies not just in speed but also in breadth: online shopping brings international brands and local Irish makers together in one space.
For younger demographics, online beauty shopping feels as natural as scrolling social feeds. In this landscape, convenience is not a luxury—it is an expectation.
Confidence in Beauty as Self-Expression
Beyond convenience, confidence has become a defining feature of Ireland’s beauty market.
Beauty today is not just about appearance; it is about identity.
Skincare routines, bold make-up looks, and carefully chosen grooming products are tools through which consumers project self-confidence and individuality.
Social media has amplified this trend. TikTok and Instagram “get ready with me” videos have turned personal routines into cultural performances, especially for younger consumers.
For them, beauty is creative expression, a way to experiment with identity and align with global communities.
Older demographics often approach beauty through the lens of wellness and assurance, favouring routines that reinforce comfort and maturity.
The common thread is confidence—less about meeting rigid ideals, more about feeling secure in one’s chosen form of expression.
Care and the Wellness Economy
The rise of self-care has brought beauty and wellbeing into the same conversation.
In Ireland, consumers are increasingly drawn to products that promise relaxation, restoration, and balance, not just improved appearances.
Natural skincare, aromatherapy oils, and spa-style treatments designed for home use are seeing strong demand.
Industry insights confirm that Irish consumers increasingly view beauty purchases through a lens of wellness and emotional wellbeing.
Beauty routines are framed as rituals that help slow down, carve out personal time, and prioritise “feeling good” alongside “looking good.”
Care, in this sense, has become currency in the beauty market: products that promise calm, balance, or renewal resonate as strongly as those that promise radiance.
This shift mirrors a broader global wellness economy, which has grown into a multitrillion-dollar sector encompassing everything from mindfulness apps to yoga retreats.
According to the Global Wellness Institute, the wellness economy hit a new peak of US$6.3 trillion in 2023, with projections to reach nearly US$9.0 trillion by 2028, growing at about 7.3% annually.
In Ireland, these influences are evident in the rising popularity of wellness tourism, stress-reduction products, and digital wellbeing tools that blur the line between beauty and lifestyle.
Increasingly, beauty brands are positioning themselves as lifestyle partners—helping consumers not only look better but also live better, by offering products and services that align with holistic health priorities.
Handmade, Sustainable, and Local Choices
Another emerging pillar in beauty is sustainability.
Shoppers in Ireland are gravitating towards products that are handmade and sustainably produced, with the environment at the forefront of their minds.
The “slow beauty” movement may best capture this development, where consumers invest in fewer, timeless, big-ticket items that last.
The stats are clear. According to ESW’s Global Voices poll, 92% of Gen Z and 88% of Millennials buy sustainable goods where possible.
Similarly, Attest’s 2025 analysis shows that in 2025, 67.7% of Gen Z purchase cosmetics and beauty items with an environmental impact, and TikTok is the leading platform by which Gen Z discovers new beauty brands.
It would seem that sustainable beauty options resonate with these consumers, who have now started to consider it a part of their identity and tell their own stories online.
Brands need to respond to this feature, not because they want to, but because they must in order to survive.
What It Means for the Future of Ireland’s Beauty Market
In the future, traditional and avant-garde approaches to beauty will coexist in terms of innovation and convenience.
It is expected that hybrid retail that combines both the digital store and physical stores will be prevalent, with customers using one channel to purchase and the other to test.
AI-operated beauty assistants and app and diagnosis-led personalised skincare are expected to grow in popularity.
However, sustainability and inclusivity will remain key. Inclusivity will mean more than simply a diversity in product offering but also a representation of customers across all ranges of skin types, ages, and lifestyles.
These key growth drivers will continue strengthening one central truth: beauty in Ireland is no longer just about the product but about the convenience, confidence, and consciousness of how customers live and express themselves.