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 keeping with the broader, post-pandemic growth of at-home nails.

One other nascent phenomenon: Sol de Janeiro has emerged as a top-searched beauty keyword on Amazon, making it the only brand search to crack the highest 10 beauty keywords by average monthly volume.

The Dyson Airwrap and “CeraVe face wash” are the next-most popular brand searches on the platform; nonetheless, those differ in that they reference specific products. “That Sol de Janeiro has captured a lot of the buyer attention that individuals are only trying to see what the brand has — no matter 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 many of the share of sales, though the space has turn out to be increasingly competitive. “The longevity of pimple patches indicates they’ve gone beyond a trend and turn out to be 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 summertime, bronzer starts kicking up around April — makeup and skincare are there on a regular basis, but with something [as specific] as a Sol de Janeiro, for instance, that’s when you realize a trend is kicking in,” Kuykendall said.

While skincare is the most important category on Amazon by share of sales, hair and scalp care are also seeing growth by the metric, with products just like the iRestore Laser Hair Growth System and Nutrafol offerings reigning among the many 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 one other top-performer.

The highest 10 beauty and private care keywords on Amazon by average monthly search volume.