The health and beauty market in South Africa is expected to reach R116.8 billion in 2026, rising 6.7% annually as the industry is reshaped by shifting consumer behaviour, heightened competition, and pressure on household finances.
Shoppers are reshaping South Africa’s R116.8bn health and beauty market across channels and categories. Image supplied
According to Trade Intelligence (Ti), the market is becoming increasingly fragmented across retail channels, with consumers moving between specialist health and beauty retailers, supermarkets, e-commerce platforms and informal trade depending on their needs, budgets and shopping missions.
The findings are outlined in Ti’s latest Health and Beauty Report, which examines the retail dynamics, category trends and consumer expectations influencing growth in the market.
Retailers compete for a place in the shopper’s repertoire
Health and beauty shoppers are no longer tied to a single retail destination. Instead, they use multiple store formats to compare prices, access product ranges and meet different purchasing needs.
“True retailer exclusivity is rare,” says Andrea Slabber, insights lead at Trade Intelligence. “Health care shoppers use an average of 2.4 different store types, while personal care shoppers use an average of 2.2, splitting visits across specialist chains, supermarkets, e-commerce and informal channels.”
Clicks and Dis-Chem remain important destinations for shoppers seeking product range, new launches and advice. Supermarkets, meanwhile, compete on price and convenience, with Shoprite leading perceptions of price in personal care.
This creates distinct roles for retailers within the same shopper journey. Specialist chains offer category depth, product credibility and innovation, while supermarkets benefit from broader household shopping missions and accessible pricing.
Although physical stores remain dominant, digital platforms are increasingly influencing purchase decisions. Online reviews, product research and recommendations form part of the path to purchase, even when the final transaction takes place in-store.
Nearly half of personal care shoppers surveyed by Ti say online reviews often or very often influence them. Health care shoppers also rely heavily on reviews, alongside recommendations from friends and family.
Township shoppers remain connected to formal retail
Channel preferences are also challenging assumptions about how health and beauty products reach township consumers.
Among personal care shoppers living in townships, 81% shop at pharmacies or specialist health and beauty retailers, while 63% use supermarkets or hypermarkets.
“The reality is that most township shoppers prefer to purchase health and personal care products through larger retail chains,” says Slabber. “Specialist health and beauty retailers are particularly important, while supermarkets also play a strong role in personal care.”
Retailers are responding by adapting their formats and product offerings to reach more consumers.
Boxer has invested in its health, baby and personal care sections, while Usave maintains a strong personal care focus. Clicks has also introduced its smaller-format KwaMakhi concept, which offers a curated range, everyday low prices and smaller, more affordable packs.
Informal trade nevertheless provides an indirect route into these communities. Ti is observing informal traders, salon owners and practitioners buying higher-end health and beauty products through multi-buy promotions at retailers such as Clicks and Dis-Chem, and reselling them in local markets.
This creates an additional route to market for products that may not have dedicated distribution into informal retail, while illustrating how promotions at corporate retailers can influence product availability beyond their own stores.
Personal care leads, while health care records fastest growth
Changing shopping patterns are accompanied by shifts in category demand.
Health care, the smallest of the three major market segments, is forecast to record the fastest growth in 2026. Personal care remains the largest, accounting for just over half of total health and beauty spending.
Within personal care, newer formats such as body scrubs, face masks, serums and body oils are gaining ground. Their expansion is increasing competition for shelf space and, in some cases, putting pressure on established products such as tissue oils and glycerine.
In beauty, fragrance has become the largest sub-category, narrowly overtaking cosmetics. Mass-market fragrance accounts for 84% of the fragrance category, highlighting the importance of accessible price points in a market where consumers remain cautious about discretionary spending.
However, budget pressure has not removed demand for non-essential purchases. Instead, shoppers are looking for smaller, affordable luxuries, while private-label products are providing another route to value.
Two-thirds of health care and personal care shoppers surveyed by Ti say they are maintaining or increasing their purchases of private brands, largely because of perceptions of value for money and quality.
Wellness broadens the category opportunity
The definition of health and beauty is also expanding beyond functional product benefits.
Beauty routines are increasingly being positioned as sensory self-care experiences, with mood-enhancing products, nostalgic fragrances, sensorial textures and colour cosmetics appealing to consumers’ emotional as well as practical needs.
This creates opportunities for brands and retailers to connect product development and marketing with changing consumer expectations, while competing for attention in increasingly crowded categories.
“Products, promotions and messaging need to reflect the shopper mindset in each retail environment, bearing in mind that shopper repertoires now incorporate a combination of channels, retail formats and retail brands,” says Slabber.
For manufacturers and retailers, the growth opportunity in South Africa’s R116.8bn health and beauty market will depend on more than identifying the fastest-growing categories. It will require a clearer understanding of how consumers navigate different retail environments – and how product selection, pricing, pack sizes and promotions can respond to those distinct shopping missions.
