Mass cosmetics sales on Amazon hit $140 million, Maybelline proves most popular brand

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Dec 7, 2018

Mass cosmetics sales on Amazon have reached an estimated $140 million in 2018, a 20 percent increase compared to the previous year, according to new data from  Edge by Ascential. Maybelline has earned the title of top-selling cosmetics brand on the platform for the second year in a row, 

Edge's Market Share solution saw Maybelline take an 11 percent market share for the period, with L'Oréal in second place with nine percent, Neutrogena at seven percent, Wunderbrow at five percent, and Covergirl at three percent. 

According to Edge, Neutrogena has made major progress this year, thanks to a shift in cosmetic consumer interest toward products that take makeup off. Data shows that year-over-year sales for makeup removers on Amazon nearly tripled to an estimated $17 million year to date, with Neutrogena's makeup removing products becoming a hot item for Amazon shoppers. As a result, the brand's sales shot up by more than 50 percent, pushing the company from twelfth place in 2017 to third this year. 

While not making a top five spot, NYX also performed well this year, increasing sales by 11 percent and moving from tenth place to a sixth place spot for 2018. 

In contrast, Burt's Bees sank from being the fifth top-selling brand with 4 percent share in 2017 to seventh place, after an 18 percent decrease in estimated year-over-year sales.  
 
In addition to makeup removers, eye and lip products rounded out the top three subcategories this year, with eye makeup earning an estimated $52 million and lips achieving over $16 million in sales so far. The growth of eye and lip subcategories served as a boost to Maybelline and L'Oréal, helping them to earn their top spots and garner 10 and 11 percent year-over-year sales increases, respectively. 

According to representatives at Edge, these numbers are just the beginning when it comes to the relationship between the cosmetics world and the e-commerce giant. 

"Amazon's share of the cosmetics market is growing rapidly, and the online retailer is quickly becoming one of the most important retail channels for cosmetics brands," said Pete Andrews, director of insights at Edge by Ascential, in a release. "The brand manufacturers that learn how to market on Amazon will surely have the most to gain in the future."