Space NK's Big Beauty Roundup For 2023

Lip products dominated makeup

This time last year we predicted that lip oils were going to be big for 2023 and we weren’t wrong. Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Lip Oil has become a bestseller for Selena Gomez’s makeup line since it launched in March, likewise both the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Blur and Kosas Wet Lip Oil Gloss have become firm favourites with Space NK customers.

It wasn’t just lip oils that buoyed the category. This year, we’ve turned our attention towards multitasking lip products that contain ingredients we’re accustomed to seeing in our skincare formulas (hyaluronic acid, glycerin et cetera) and promise to soothe and smooth our lips. Unsurprisingly, when Laneige launched at Space NK this year, the iconic Sleeping Lip Mask rocketed to the top selling product for the brand. Roll forward to December 2023 and we’ve sold the equivalent of the weight of a car in Laneige lip products.

Will lip formulas reign for 2024? We’re not sure, there are a lot of incredibly exciting complexion products coming your way, so only time will tell.

Sol de Janeiro stole the show

Sol de Janeiro might have been founded over eight years ago, but 2023 was the year for the Brazilian-inspired beauty brand. Not only did the brand add to its body cream line-up with a limited-edition Rio Radiance Body Glow Cream and a matching fragrance mist, this autumn Sol de Janeiro unveiled another perfume. The Limited-Edition After-Hours Perfume Mist is a more grown up take with elegant navy packaging and a heady white floral scent.

It’s safe to say, Space NK customers can’t get enough of the brand, and we sold a Sol de Janeiro product every two minutes with the perfume mists proving incredibly popular. If you could buy British Airways plane tickets with litres of Sol de Janeiro perfume mists, we’d be able to fly from London to Rio de Janeiro at least 100 times next year. Fans of the brand won’t be surprised to learn that we sold almost as many Sol de Janeiro Bum Bum Creams over the course of 2023.

Without giving too much away, there are several very exciting Sol de Janeiro products launching in early 2024, so keep your eyes peeled.

Byredo Gypsy Water was the scent of 2023

While the Sol de Janeiro mists collectively dominated the fragrance category, Byredo’s Gypsy Water was the bestselling single scent with over 250 pints worth sold by mid-November this year. Considering this is before most of us have even thought about starting our Christmas shopping, we very confident that this number is much higher now.

Gypsy Water also saw a 22% rise in Google searches throughout 2023, which nods to the trend for fresher, woody scents that offer immediate escapism from the daily grind. For those who haven’t smelt Byredo’s Gypsy Water before, it’s a woody fragrance with bursts of uplifting citrus notes and a warm vanilla and sandalwood base.

Visit your local Space NK store to try it for yourself and explore our full fragrance offering, which includes brands such as Diptyque, Tom Ford, Jo Loves, Maison Margiela Replica and many more…

We’re all showering with Naturium Body Washes

Naturium’s bodycare line finally landed in the UK earlier this year and it's safe to say Space NK customers love the supersize body washes. To date, we have sold more than 25,000 litres of Naturium Body Wash which is enough to fill over 100 baths. In case you’re yet to join the party, The Perfector Salicylic Acid Body Wash is the current the top seller with The Glow Getter Multi-Oil Hydrating Body Wash coming in as a very close second.

“I think a big part of Naturium’s body wash success is around using ingredients like glycolic and salicylic acids that we’re familiar with and use in our skincare routines,” says our assistant skincare buyers Yasmin Ali. “Plus, they’re great value for money and the pump makes it easy to dispense the right amount easily.”

Rare Beauty Liquid Blush is still the bestselling blush

Since Rare Beauty launched at Space NK in February 2021, the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush has been high in demand and occasionally it’s been very hard to get your hands on your favourite shade. Throughout 2023, we’ve sold of lot of Selena Gomez’s liquid blush. In fact, we’ve sold the equivalent of over 166,000 tubs of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream – fans of Selena’s earlier music will get the reference.

“The shade range is broad and inclusive, the formula is highly pigmented and blends in super easily, and it lasts all day without fading,” Space NK’s makeup buyer Samantha Timson said when we asked why Rare Beauty’s cream blush is so popular.

While the liquid blush might be Rare Beauty’s bestselling product, we highly recommend exploring the full range, if you haven’t already. From the glow-giving cream bronzer to the non-crispy brow gel, Rare Beauty has plenty of incredible formulas.

Hair masks officially outsell conditioner

Shampoo and conditioner are haircare staples, but in 2023 our allegiances were divided and some of us ditched the latter in favour of a mask. Hair masks have outsold conditioners by 12% this year, which correlates with the 23% rise in searches for hair masks on Google. For those desperate to know, K18’s Molecular Repair Mask is the current bestseller in this mask category. The formula has a cult-like following because of the smoother, glossier results it offers without leaving your hair feeling weighed down or greasy.

Why have more of us been embracing hair masks? “The slugging and glass hair trends might not be for everyone, but they’ve made us more conscious of our haircare routine. Hair masks are supercharged hydrators that leave our hair feeling super soft and glossy,” says Georgina Milner, our senior seasonal buyer. “Plus, the new-gen formulas, like Color Wow’s Money Masque, only take a few minutes.”

The 2024 beauty trends our buyers predict will be big

Personalised skincare – “Over the past couple of years, we’ve slowly moved away from lots of single ingredient serums and fallen back in love with expertly blended formulas,” says Shannon Monteith, our Head of Skincare. “In 2024, I think we’re going to see a demand for more personalised skincare – both in terms of formulations and advice.”

Heatless styling – The skinification of hair trend coupled with a lack of disposable time has encouraged some of us to consider forgoing our heated appliances, but the versatile styling products launching in 2024 will make heatless styling the norm.

Seamless suncare – “Customers are really switched on with their skincare and we’re starting to see a shift in how SPF is viewed. Rather than being seen as an extra step, it’s a fundamental part of your skincare and makeup routines with the new glow-giving formulas and super light textures,” says Sophie Wayman, Space NK’s Head of Seasonal.

Complexion sticks – Bases have become weightless yet long-lasting over the past few years and brands have taken strides to ensure the shade ranges are inclusive. Next year, you can expect the same hard-working formulas in portable sticks to make achieving that real-skin base effortlessly possible wherever you are.