Today, there is a subtle but noticeable change when you walk down any major skincare aisle in South Africa. The customer in front of them is no longer staring at the front of the bottle, they are turning them around.
Instead of searching for words like “luminous” or “youthful”, today’s shopper is scanning for glycolic acid, niacinamide or retinol. They have watched the tutorials, read the ingredient breakdowns and spent time researching what actually works for their skin.
If it is not backed by science, it is increasingly not making it into their basket.
"The shift we are seeing is not just about product preference. It’s about a fundamentally different relationship between the consumer and the category. South Africans have become genuinely ingredient-literate. They are approaching skincare the way they approach health; with questions, with scepticism, and with high expectations," says Nick Hunt, GM at Retail Therapy Strategic Consulting.
The numbers back it up
This change is not anecdotal.
Globally, the dermocosmetics market (where beauty meets clinical science) was valued at $47.91bn in 2025 and is projected to reach $117bn by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 10.51%.
McKinsey forecasts that skincare will account for around 40% of the global beauty industry’s value by 2030, making it the single largest category in the sector.
At the same time, 68% of consumers worldwide now actively seek skincare formulated with clinically active ingredients.
Search data tells a similar story, with ingredients such as salicylic acid, retinol and niacinamide ranking among the most frequently searched skincare terms on Google; not because of advertising, but because consumers are actively educating themselves.
Closer to home, South Africa’s beauty market grew 7% year-on-year to reach $3.9bn in 2024, significantly outpacing GDP growth of just 0.6% over the same period.
The local skincare segment is forecast to grow from $832.76m in 2025 to $1.25bn by 2031. The anti-ageing category, a key driver of clinical skincare adoption, is expected to nearly double to $1.79bn by 2030.
Retail performance reflects the same momentum. At Clicks, South Africa’s largest pharmacy retailer, beauty and personal care grew 7.4% in FY2025 and now contributes more revenue than pharmaceuticals.
“What the data confirms is what we are seeing on the ground every day,” says Hunt. “This category is growing because consumers are demanding more from it, not because of clever marketing, but because the products are delivering visible results.”
A new consumer has arrived
Much of this momentum is being driven by a younger, digitally fluent consumer who has grown up with dermatological information readily available online.
A survey of 7,000 South African Gen Z consumers found that skincare dominates as the leading beauty category, with 94% purchasing products within the category and 57% buying beauty items directly via social media platforms.
They are not scrolling past glossy campaigns. Instead, they are watching ingredient explainers, before-and-after reviews, and dermatologist-led content that breaks down formulations in plain language.
Nicole Sherwin 2 Mar 2026 “Social media has become a powerful democratiser of skincare knowledge,” says Hunt. “A 22-year-old in Johannesburg now has access to the same information as a dermatologist’s patient in London. That has fundamentally changed the conversation and raised the bar for every brand operating in this space.”
The result is a consumer who is building intentional routines rather than simply buying products. Today’s more informed shopper targets specific concerns; whether acne, pigmentation, barrier repair or sun damage, and expects brands and retailers to understand those distinctions.
What this means for retail
For retailers, the implications are significant.
The traditional beauty aisle (organised primarily by brand, packaging, and fragrance) no longer aligns with how consumers are choosing products. Increasingly, shoppers are navigating the category by concern, ingredient and expected outcome.
Brands that lead with clinically active formulations and speak directly to specific skin concerns, are gaining real traction in the South African market for precisely this reason. They are not selling a feeling. They are selling a result, and today’s consumer understands the difference.
“Retailers need to start thinking less like beauty merchants and more like skin health advisors,” says Hunt. “That means organising shelves around concerns rather than brands, investing in clearer on-shelf education, and curating ranges that offer genuine clinical credibility. The brands that combine strong science with honest communication are the ones that will define this category over the next decade.”
The opportunity is real, it is growing, and it is already here.
The only question is whether the industry is moving quickly enough to meet the consumer where they already are.
