There’s a new contender in the beauty shopping landscape: Global livestreaming is slowly becoming a notable sales channel for cosmetics and skin-care brands, according to McKinsey’s State of Beauty 2026 report, released on Thursday.Shoppable, real-time videos are attracting consumers thanks to their merging of entertainment, product discovery and commerce. This format is of course most popular on TikTok, the fastest-growing beauty retailer in the U.S. market (sales on the platform have risen approximately 260% annually since 2023). Livestreaming alone represents roughly 22% of its U.S. sales, with signs of continued growth.”On TikTok, discovery at scale is becoming as much of a focus for brands as productreplenishment,” the reports reads. “Creator-led storytelling, viral hero products, and shoppable content are influencing which brands consumers encounter and try for the first time.”Per McKinsey, livestream beauty shoppers are drawn to the format because they discover new brands, find discounts, can watch products be used in real time and witness the visible outcomes. Consumers also like to see a behind-the-scenes look at the beauty development and manufacturing process and, if applicable, watch celebrities and influencers.Related: ShopMy’s New Personal Shopping Service Is Powered by Actual HumansThough TikTok leads the way in livestream beauty sales, Amazon and Twitch are also competing in the space. The decision is a strategic one: “Roughly one in five livestream viewers in our 2025 beauty survey report making a purchase in every or nearly every session, highlighting the channel’s ability to compress discovery and purchase into a single interaction,” per the McKinsey report.Globally, livestream shopping is most popular in India and China, followed by lower participation in Europe, Brazil and the U.S. That said, 61% of surveyed Brazilian consumers and 35% of U.S. consumers expressed they are interested in trying out the format.E-commerce still accounts for the highest beauty sales driver, but social commerce (i.e., digital storefronts, livestreaming and shoppable posts) is gaining more ground quickly. Overall, the subtle shift in shopping preferences highlights how much social media has become a credible commerce destination, and that the players who refuse to acclimate will be left behind. Read the full report here. Do you have an emerging brand you want to share with Fashionista readers? Jumpstart your business with our affordable digital offerings.
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