The news: TikTok Shop is the fourth-largest health and beauty ecommerce retailer in the US, with sales surpassing $4.4 billion, according to NIQ.

While TikTok’s 1.8% share of the beauty and personal care segment is small against Amazon’s 23%, the social commerce marketplace is growing far faster. TikTok Shop’s category dollar sales jumped 107.7% YoY in the 52 weeks ended December 27, 2025, while unit sales rose 45.3% in the same period. By comparison, Amazon’s dollar and unit sales increased by 23.9% and 25.2%, respectively.

Why it matters: TikTok Shop is shaking up the beauty landscape in several ways.

Besides becoming a new channel for beauty brands to master, the marketplace serves as an important incubator for emerging brands, which are using their newfound influence to challenge big names like Estée Lauder and L’Oréal.

• The majority of the top 10 best-selling beauty brands on TikTok Shop are newcomers, with K-beauty favorites Medicube and Dr. Melaxin beating out more familiar names like Tarte and Color Wow by a healthy margin, according to data from TikTok analytics firm Kalodata shared with Business of Fashion.
• Medicube has sold 6.2 million units since launching on TikTok Shop, compared with just 213,000 for Rhode, which has roughly four times the number of followers.

More evidence of TikTok Shop’s influence is that beauty retailers like Ulta and Sally Beauty are establishing a presence on the platform. EMARKETER principal analyst Sky Canaves said, “it’s almost unheard of in the US for a multibrand retailer to sell via a marketplace.” While these launches remain experimental, they “really speak to the power of TikTok Shop and its halo effect,” she added.

Recommendations for brands and retailers: For the second year in a row, TikTok Shop will be the fastest-growing retailer we track. We expect it to generate $23.41 billion in sales this year, giving it a larger ecommerce business than Target, Kroger, Shein, and Best Buy. While the opportunity is sizable, succeeding on the platform requires constant experimentation and speed.

Avoid strict guidelines on influencer content. Performance on TikTok Shop increasingly depends on the strength of a brand’s affiliate network. Larger networks provide more content for potential shoppers, but forcing creators to adhere strictly to brand guidelines risks creating bottlenecks and inhibiting authenticity.

Grab viewers’ attention fast. The best-performing material on TikTok Shop uses compelling imagery or promotions to seize attention in the first few seconds, Gio Valentini, CEO of Amorepacific North America, told Beauty Independent. Brands and retailers may benefit from limiting their TikTok Shop assortments to products that are visually strong and don’t require too much explanation or education.

Be nimble. Flexibility is key on TikTok Shop as brands navigate unpredictable demand and an opaque algorithm. Companies need to be willing to experiment with their content, influencer partnerships, and messaging—and pivot once momentum shifts. At the same time, brands need to ensure their supply chains are elastic enough to manage sudden demand spikes or risk missing their viral moment.

Go further: Read our report on What Brands Need to Know About TikTok Shop in 2026.