High St beauty boost

MAKE up and skincare fanatics splashed out £25bn on beauty products last year as the sector defied the High Street slump.

Demand for treatments, spa visits and products such as eyebrow pencils and highlighters has boosted the industry with sales forecast to hit nearly £27bn by 2020, a report by industry body Cosmetic Executive Women reveals. While a third now shop online for beauty products, sales at specialist retailers such as Boots and Superdrug jumped 9pc to £3.7bn between 2015 and 2017.

During the same period, sales at department stores rose 18pc to £2bn, boosting the coffers of struggling retailers such as House of Fraser and Debenhams.