Beauty purchasing becomes increasingly fragmented in Australia

Online marketplaces, social media and artificial intelligence are reshaping Australia’s online beauty market, according to Pattern’s 2026 State of Beauty & Personal Care in Australian Ecommerce report. Pattern is a global ecommerce accelerator specialising in helping brands grow across online marketplaces. The market is forecast to grow by 47% to US$2.2 bn by 2030, equivalent to approximately €1.96 bn. In the fourth quarter of 2025, marketplaces generated an estimated A$200 m, or around €123 m, in online beauty sales, almost matching the A$199.3 m, or approximately €122.8 m, generated collectively by Mecca, Sephora, Adore Beauty and Chemist Warehouse.

Social media is playing an increasingly important role in product discovery: 47% of beauty shoppers say they are more likely to make a purchase following a content creator’s recommendation. Instagram and Facebook each influence 47% of these consumers, followed by YouTube (45%) and TikTok (38%). Yet discovery does not necessarily lead to a purchase through the same channel: after finding a product on social media, 39% would prefer to buy from a brand or retailer website, while 32% would turn to Amazon. The platform now accounts for 19.9% of Australia’s online beauty market, after recording a year-on-year increase of A$66.7 m in the fourth quarter of 2025, equivalent to around €41.1 m. Availability can also affect brand choice: 43% of consumers say they would consider buying a similar product from a competing brand if their first choice were unavailable on Amazon, while 71% of online beauty shoppers intend to purchase through the platform over the next 12 months.

Artificial intelligence is also becoming a new entry point in the purchasing journey: 38% of beauty shoppers say they are relying more on AI to discover products than they did a year ago, 27% have already used ChatGPT or a similar AI assistant when researching or purchasing products, and 55% say they trust AI-generated product recommendations.