Beauty’s GDP Contribution Rose by 9% in 2024, Reaching £30.4 Billion

New figures released in the Value of Beauty 2025 report show that the UK beauty industry’s economic contribution outpaced the national economy last year, with the sector generating £30.4 billion in GDP in 2024. That marks a 9 percent increase year on year, or 5 percent once adjusted for inflation, firmly establishing beauty as one of the UK’s most resilient and fast-moving consumer sectors.

Compiled by Oxford Economics and commissioned by the British Beauty Council, the report reveals that beauty now accounts for 1.1 percent of total UK GDP. This rate of growth was nearly four times faster than the overall economy’s 1.1 percent expansion, underlining the sector’s strength in an otherwise mixed economic landscape.

Consumer spending across the personal care industry also climbed, reaching £32.4 billion in 2024. Professional services saw the strongest gains, up 15 percent to £10.1 billion, while goods rose by 5 percent to £22.3 billion. Even after accounting for inflation, both categories delivered real growth, particularly services, which increased by 10 percent in real terms.

The workforce followed suit. The sector employed 496,000 people directly last year, up 11 percent from 2023. That includes a surge in personal care services, which added 36,000 jobs, bringing its total to 266,000. Beauty now supports more jobs than the publishing or utilities sectors, and its total employment footprint, including indirect roles, reached nearly 700,000.

However, forecasts suggest the pace of expansion may ease in 2025. GDP contribution is expected to rise more modestly by 3 percent, while total employment could dip slightly, with projected job losses of around 2 percent across the wider industry. Slower household spending is expected to be a contributing factor.

Millie Kendall OBE, CEO of the British Beauty Council, said the findings confirm beauty’s growing role in the national economy. “While export challenges remain, brands are clearly investing in the UK market. This data helps us make the case for better support, clearer regulation and strategic growth,” she said.

Tax revenues linked to beauty remain strong. In 2024, the industry delivered £8.6 billion to the Treasury. That figure is forecast to grow to £9.4 billion in 2025, driven by wage increases and higher employer contributions.

But despite domestic strength, the UK beauty sector continues to face headwinds in global trade. Exports of personal care products fell to £4.3 billion in 2024. Since Brexit, exports to the EU have dropped nearly 6 percent annually, and there’s been little sign that markets outside Europe are making up the difference. With 70 percent of all beauty exports still going to the EU, the report calls on policymakers to ease post-Brexit trade barriers if the UK is to maintain its international presence.

You can find out more information and download the full report here.