Department stores try to distinguish themselves as beauty lovers turn to TikTok and Amazon

"The 38-year-old Denver resident gets makeup ideas from TikTok videos and other social media content, not salespeople at beauty counters. She uses an AI chatbot to get product recommendations that fit her budget and to see how a certain foundation or lipstick would look on her. When she buys, it's usually from Amazon. I use Chat GPT as my personal beauty consultant, Kelsey said."

"Once the ultimate beauty destination, department stores lost sales and their authority as skincare and makeup trendsetters starting in the late 1990s. That was when the growth of Sephora and Ulta Beauty made shopping for cosmetics more of a playful, self-service experience. But fast-changing consumer preferences have all types of retailers racing to outdo each other for a slice of the $129 billion U.S. beauty and personal care market."

"Amazon, which has slowly added premium beauty brands to its massive selection, is the nation's largest online seller of beauty and personal care products, according to market research company Euromonitor International. Social media also has provided new sources of beauty guidance. Instead of store advisers, many consumers look to videos by influencers, beauty brand founders or dermatologists for advice. Shoppers also turn to TikTok and Instagram for information about dupes drugstore versions of more expensive products."

Consumers now rely on social media, influencers, and AI chatbots for beauty ideas, product comparisons, and virtual try-ons instead of department store beauty counters. Department stores lost authority as skincare and makeup trendsetters since the late 1990s as Sephora and Ulta popularized self-service cosmetic shopping. E-commerce and Amazon's growth have intensified competition across retailers. Social platforms drive discovery of trends and dupes, turning stores into showrooms while the initial product inspiration and research happen online. Retailers and beauty brands are racing to replicate the online product-research experience in physical stores to regain customers.

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