TikTok reveals beauty industry impact as part of £10 billion contribution to UK economy

By Lynsey Barber | Published: 14-Jul-2026

In a new report, TikTok has outlined how the social media platform is ‘a window into the real world’, driving footfall to independent shops, as well as showcasing beauty brands

TikTok has revealed its impact on the beauty industry in a new report that shows the social media platform contributed £10bn to the UK economy.

TikTok Shop’s 60% year-on-year growth has propelled the platform to become the UK’s fourth-largest beauty retailer, the report claims.

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An estimated 1.8 million young adults say TikTok is their main source of beauty and fashion recommendations, according to the research conducted by consultancy Public First for TikTok.

Plus, 21% of TikTok creators post about fashion, beauty and skin care.

Brands are also using the platform to showcase products and reach new audiences via their own content, paid advertising and creator collaborations.

TikTok’s research found that 80% of fashion and beauty businesses say that being featured on TikTok would help them improve sales and revenue.

The platform was also found to drive footfall to bricks and mortar stores on the UK’s high street.

An estimated 4.3 million people visited an independent shop in their local area after discovering it on TikTok.

“[TikTok] is not just a place where people watch content,” said Cynthia Sanfilippo, TikTok President for Europe, in the report’s foreword.

“It is a window into the real world: a place where culture moves, businesses grow, people connect, and ideas become reality.

“This report puts a number on that.

“Activity supported by TikTok now adds [more than] £10bn to the UK economy and supports more than 150,000 jobs.

“Behind each of those jobs is a story: a creator who has turned a hobby into a business, a small business hiring to keep up with a surge in TikTok-driven sales, an advertising brand taking on new creatives, or a local restaurant that has never posted a video but whose bookings surged because their customers did.”