Deep Dive: Why Beauty Brands Thrive on TikTok Shop

Few industries have embraced TikTok like beauty.
From spontaneous GRWMs to viral ingredient breakdowns, beauty dominates the app’s discovery culture — and on TikTok Shop, it’s turning that influence into real revenue.

At Somerce, we’ve helped skincare, haircare, and cosmetics brands scale to six- and seven-figure monthly sales through creator-led campaigns, Live Shopping, and native TikTok Shop ads.

This deep dive explains why beauty brands perform so strongly on TikTok — and what new and established players can do to replicate their success.

1. Beauty Is Built for Discovery

TikTok is the most powerful discovery engine ever built for beauty.

Unlike traditional search, TikTok surfaces products before intent exists — introducing users to new routines, textures, and results long before they’re ready to buy.

The Data:

• Over 60% of UK TikTok users have discovered a new beauty product on the platform.
• #BeautyTok now exceeds 200 billion views globally.
• TikTok Shop’s Beauty & Personal Care category saw 230% year-on-year GMV growth in 2024.

Every scroll brings a new “must-try” product — and that emotional, visual discovery is what drives impulse purchase behaviour.

Somerce insight: TikTok’s short-form video format naturally mirrors the “demo culture” of beauty — show, don’t tell.

2. The Power of Creator Authenticity

Beauty consumers are driven by trust. They want to see real results, textures, and transformations — not ad campaigns.

TikTok creators excel at this because they combine entertainment with authenticity.

When Glow For It launched its hydrating mist, Somerce partnered with micro-creators across skincare, fashion, and student niches. Each produced raw, self-shot tutorials using trending sounds.

The result:

• 5× uplift in affiliate GMV within 90 days
• 4.9× average ROAS from creator Spark Ads
• 60% of total revenue coming directly from TikTok Shop

Authenticity performs because it feels native — not branded.

3. Live Shopping: Beauty’s Perfect Format

Live shopping is the natural extension of the in-store beauty counter — real people demonstrating products in real time.

Why It Works:

• Viewers can ask questions and get instant answers.
• Hosts can demo textures, colours, and application techniques.
• Brands can bundle offers and run flash discounts natively.

Somerce data: Beauty Lives deliver 10–12% conversion rates, double that of static video ads.

When P.Louise partnered with Somerce for a marathon 14-hour TikTok Live, the campaign generated £2 million in one day, fuelled by limited bundles, creator co-hosts, and entertainment-led segments.

The lesson?
Live commerce isn’t a side channel — it’s the new flagship counter.

4. Educational Content Converts

TikTok audiences love learning why a product works.
That’s why scientific, dermatology-inspired storytelling drives higher trust and higher basket value.

CeraVe, The Ordinary, and La Roche-Posay built entire Gen Z followings by translating complex ingredients into simple, relatable content.

Best-performing content types:

• Ingredient explainers (“Why Niacinamide works”)
• Before-and-after series (“7-day challenge”)
• Dermatologist or founder insights (“My skincare routine simplified”)
• Myth-busting videos (“You don’t need 10 steps — here’s why”)

Somerce insight: Beauty brands with consistent educational storytelling see average order values 25–35% higher than purely aesthetic-driven accounts.

5. TikTok Shop’s Ecosystem Rewards Beauty Sellers

TikTok’s commerce tools were practically designed around the beauty category.

These features align perfectly with beauty’s habitual nature — multiple SKUs, replenishment cycles, and social proof.

6. Community Is the New Loyalty

TikTok’s comment sections double as focus groups.
Brands that reply, engage, and repost customer content build deeper emotional connection than those relying on static loyalty programmes.

Encourage customers to post their own experiences using branded hashtags (e.g., #MyGlowMoment or #BaskResults).

Every authentic review extends shelf life — and fuels the algorithm with fresh social proof.

Example: Icy Bear’s “#SmileWithIcyBear” campaign generated 40% higher GMV purely through UGC reposting and creator amplification.

7. How to Replicate Beauty’s Success Formula

Somerce recommendation: Treat TikTok as your primary sales channel, not a discovery add-on. Integrate Shop, fulfilment, and creator relationships into one performance ecosystem.

8. Somerce Perspective

Beauty thrives on TikTok because it blends emotion, education, and entertainment.
It’s personal, visual, and habit-forming — the three pillars of social commerce success.

“TikTok didn’t just change beauty marketing — it changed beauty behaviour.
People don’t ‘see ads’ anymore; they discover new rituals.”
— Joe Yates, Co-Founder, Somerce

The brands that treat TikTok as both mirror and marketplace — where culture drives commerce — will define the next era of beauty retail.

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