What’s driving beauty searches on Amazon?
Data from marketing consultancy Market Defense shows DIY-minded consumers are increasingly turning to the e-commerce giant for press-on nail and gel polish offerings, in line with the broader, post-pandemic growth of at-home nails.
Another nascent phenomenon: Sol de Janeiro has emerged as a top-searched beauty keyword on Amazon, making it the sole brand search to crack the top 10 beauty keywords by average monthly volume.
The Dyson Airwrap and “CeraVe face wash” are the next-most popular brand searches on the platform; however, those differ in that they reference specific products. “That Sol de Janeiro has captured so much of the consumer attention that people are just looking to see what the brand has — regardless of whether it’s the fragrance mists or the Bum Bum Cream — that’s impressive,” said Vanessa Kuykendall, chief operations officer at Market Defense.
Pimple patches, meanwhile, have maintained a top spot by search volume for roughly the past two years, with originator Hero Cosmetics holding most of the share of sales, though the space has become increasingly competitive. “The longevity of pimple patches indicates they’ve gone beyond a trend and become more like a pantry item — people just need pimple patches, like they need moisturizer or mascara,” Kuykendall said.
In other cases, top beauty searches vary by season.
“Sunscreen pops up in the summer, bronzer starts kicking up around April — makeup and skin care are there all the time, but with something [as specific] as a Sol de Janeiro, for example, that’s when you know a trend is kicking in,” Kuykendall said.
While skin care is the largest category on Amazon by share of sales, hair and scalp care are also seeing growth by the metric, with products like the iRestore Laser Hair Growth System and Nutrafol offerings reigning among the platform’s top-purchased beauty products. “It’s hair removal and hair regrowth, specifically, [driving increases in hair],” Kuykendall said, adding that the Ulike IPL Hair Removal Handset, $329, is another top-performer.
The top 10 beauty and personal care keywords on Amazon by average monthly search volume.
- Sol de Janeiro: 1.5 million searches
- Press-on nails: 1.4 million searches
- Makeup: 1.4 million searches
- Pimple patches: 1.3 million searches
- Gel nail polish: 1.2 million searches
- Mascara: 1.2 million searches
- Hand soap: 1.1 million searches
- Body wash: 1.1 million searches
- Dry shampoo: 967,080 searches
- Skin care: 927,021 searches