Beauty brands across the United Kingdom are using everything from artificial intelligence (AI) to augmented reality (AR) to keep their customers engaged in a fiercely competitive market. For instance, L'Oreal subsidiary Lancome has come up with a custom-made foundation machine called Le Teint Particulier, which promises to find the "exact match" for the skin using AI.

Moreover, online beauty brands are increasingly using augmented reality (AR) to enhance the experience and increase their share in the market. For example, Sephora's Virtual Artist, which lets customers virtually try on thousands of shades of lipstick and eyeshadow through their smartphones or at kiosks in stores. SAs per Sephora, more than 200 million shades have been tried on through Virtual Artist since it was launched in 2016, and a host of other brands, from Garnier to Germany's DM, have launched "try on" apps, too.

The UK has seen an increase in the opening of mono-brand and pop-up shops, using technology, games and immersive designs to engage customers and give a story to the brand. The Estée Lauder brand, Too Faced, opened three new shops offering interactive “playgrounds” for its shoppers, whilst Morphe opened its first UK retail store in 2018.

Also, grocery retailers and apparel and footwear shops are making their mark on the cosmetics products market the United Kingdom. In 2018 Sainsbury’s relaunched its own color cosmetics brand Boutique, making most products vegan friendly, whilst Superdrug has seen continued success from its brand Revolution.