Accelerated digitalisation and expected sustainability in beauty retail

A study by Essec/Cosmetic Valley (January 2026) shows that social commerce, which has reached maturity in Asia, is being held back in France due to fears of fraud. Although 60% of global consumers are attracted to AI, the French still favour human expertise. Finally, sustainability (refillable products, eco-friendly delivery) is a strong consumer expectation, hindered only by limited in-store availability.