The Beauty Index 2022

As a follow up from money.co.uk’s Beauty Index 2021, our credit card spending experts reveal the UK’s most searched for beauty products for 2022. The index uses Google search data from more than 8,500 products from both luxury and high street retailers to reveal the most sought after beauty products in the UK this year. 

Popularity: Most searched for beauty products in the UK

The #1 most searched for beauty product

Topping the charts for search popularity is luxury perfume, Gucci Guilty. Launched in 2010, the fragrance has risen in popularity and is a firm favourite of the Italian fashion house. At £76, the full sized bottle (90ml) received 10% of the overall search volume from nearly 400 perfumes researched in 2021.

If you are looking to add some Gucci Guilty to your fragrance collection alongside an overhaul of your makeup collection, then prepare for a big spend. The cost of the ultimate makeup bag totals £651. 

The most highly contested beauty product – Highlighter 

With just 3,700 searches between them, Charlotte Tilbury's Hollywood Flawless Filter and Mac’s strobe cream was the most contested top spot. The cream highlight bases are both fan favourites with a combined search volume of 98,900 and both sit on the mid to lux end of the scale when it comes to the price at £34 and £25 respectively.

Social favourites

Social trends often impact a product's popularity with videos tagged “Tiktok made me buy it” racking up more than 8 billion views. Some social favourites made it to our most searched list, noted as ‘holy grails’ all over the internet, we saw products such as Bobbi Brown’s Vitamin Enriched Face Base top the charts in the primer category. The brand has more than 100 million tags on Tiktok alone with the most-liked video including Face Base racking up 1.8 million views.

Another fan favourite, Hollywood Flawless Filter from Charlotte Tilbury was the most searched for highlighter this year solidifying its success on Tiktok, where #chralottetilburyflawlessfilter has nearly 1 million views (919k).  

And of course, one of the hottest products from last year's index and a huge internet star with 3.2 million views on Tiktok, Nars Radiant creamy concealer was the most searched for in its category. 

Price: Most searched for budget beauty products

It can be hard to keep up with the ever changing beauty trends and latest products on a budget. But mixing your kit with luxury and budget items is a great way to get the most out of your money and that's why we have revealed the most searched for beauty products for £10 or less.

The winner when it comes to budget beauty, for a second year in a row is, The Ordinary. The cult skincare brand is a Zillennial favourite both in-store and online, with their simple no-nonsense approach to trending skincare. The brand was the most popular value product in a variety of categories including, serums, makeup remover, toner, face oil, face masks and even foundation. 

Second spot goes to American makeup brand NYX, with its low cost but highly coveted products. Often sold out at beauty stands, NYX holds the low cost top spot for eyeliner, brow products, setting spray, highlighter and primer.

Cruelty-free: The most searched for beauty products not tested on animals

Year on year there is more expectation from consumers for brands to be up to standard when it comes to animal testing. Here are the most searched for beauty products classed as cruelty-free by  PETA.

So whether you are looking to expand your collection, find the most loved affordable products or make sure your purchases are cruelty-free, you have a variety of options and an industry working to provide more each year.