Beauty may have an ever-growing list of retail destinations, but when it comes to filling digital shopping baskets, Amazon is proving difficult to beat. If October's Prime Big Deal Days results are any indication, consumers are as interested in replenishing their skincare routines as they are in securing a bargain.
According to Market Defense's The Beauty Dealmakers report, beauty and cosmetics became Amazon's most-shopped category during the October 6-7 event, attracting 32% of shoppers, compared to 22% in 2025. The category overtook apparel and shoes (27%) and health and wellness (23%), with skincare and bodycare brands accounting for nine of Amazon's 10 best-selling beauty brands.
The findings come at a time of growing promotional competition. Across all US online retailers, sales during the two-day event reached $9.86 billion, an 8.5% year-over-year (YoY) increase, according to figures cited in the report. Amazon shoppers also spent more, with average household spending up 9% to $114.01 and average order values up 7% to $48.74.
But beyond the bigger baskets, the results reveal a changing beauty hierarchy. Dermatologist-backed skincare is gaining ground, K-beauty continues to convert viral popularity into commercial success, and bodycare is challenging more established beauty categories for consumer attention.
The era of skincare supremacy is showing little sign of slowing down, although the brands leading the charge are changing.
La Roche-Posay claimed the number one position across Amazon's beauty category, increasing its share of sales from 6.2% in 2025 to 8.9%. EltaMD nearly quadrupled its share from 1% to 3.9%, while CeraVe experienced the largest decline of any beauty brand, falling from 8.5% to 4.9%.
Collectively, dermatologist-backed brands La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, EltaMD, Vanicream, and Differin increased their combined share of beauty sales to 20.8%, up from 17.1% a year earlier.
The results suggest that consumers' appetite for clinically positioned skincare remains strong, even as competition within the segment intensifies. Products promising recognizable, targeted benefits are increasingly competing for the same consumer spending.
This was reflected in the best-selling products. Mighty Patch Original Nighttime Acne Pimple Patches claimed the top position, followed by Medicube's Zero Pore Pads and Clean Skin Club's disposable face towels. La Roche-Posay's Toleriane Double Repair Face Moisturizer and PanOxyl's Acne Foaming Wash also featured among the top 10.
Meanwhile, bodycare continued its ascent. Eos, Native, and Dove collectively increased their share of beauty sales from 7.7% to 11.1%. Native more than doubled its share to 3.6%, entering the top 10 beauty brands, while eos climbed to fourth place overall.
For brands, the results reinforce the commercial value of products that offer consumers everyday use, recognizable ingredients, and affordable indulgence.
If K-beauty needed further evidence of its influence on American beauty shopping habits, Amazon's October event provided plenty.
Medicube, Biodance, Anua, and Dr. Althea collectively captured 12.8% of beauty sales, compared to 10.6% in 2025. Medicube ranked second among beauty brands, while Dr. Althea entered the top 25 for the first time.
Korean skincare also dominated product discovery, accounting for seven of the 10 most-clicked beauty products during the event week.
Medicube's Zero Pore Pads attracted approximately 197,000 clicks, followed by Biodance's Bio-Collagen Real Deep Mask with 142,000 and Anua's PDRN Hyaluronic Acid 100 Moisturizing Cream with 101,000.
The momentum extended beyond Amazon. On TikTok Shop, Medicube generated $6.52 million in revenue during the October 4-10 week, an 18.2% increase over its average weekly performance in the surrounding 30-day period. Its newly launched PDRN Silky Sunscreen Stick generated $2.71 million on TikTok Shop, while its established Zero Pore Pads led beauty product clicks on Amazon.
The contrast shows how brands can use different platforms for distinct commercial purposes: TikTok Shop to build excitement around newness and Amazon to capitalize on product demand.
While skincare dominated the broader beauty rankings, makeup's performance revealed a growing preference for affordable, familiar products alongside social-media-driven discoveries.
L'Oréal Paris became Amazon's best-selling makeup brand, increasing its category share by 26% YoY. Maybelline followed in second place, while e.l.f. Cosmetics ranked third, with its share rising 31%.
Notably, all 10 best-selling makeup products were mass-market offerings, compared to June's Prime Day event, which featured prestige products from Tarte, Urban Decay, and Laneige.
That did not mean consumers had abandoned experimentation. Color-changing foundation emerged as a breakout trend, with searches for the product category climbing from number 19,528 during June's Prime Day to number 381 in October.
Luxe and Smooche both entered Amazon's top 10 makeup brands, having ranked outside the top 100 a year earlier.
Lash products also performed strongly, occupying five of the 10 best-selling makeup positions. Goddvenus' Lash Clusters Kit entered the top 10, while the brand's makeup sales share grew 2.7 times compared to October 2025.
The data suggests that affordability and novelty are not mutually exclusive. Consumers remain willing to experiment with products gaining momentum online, particularly when the price point makes the purchase relatively low-risk.
Fragrance's position was less straightforward. Despite the category's broader cultural momentum, no fragrance brand appeared among Amazon's top 10 beauty brands, compared with Sol de Janeiro's presence in the top 10 last year.
Within fragrance itself, however, new competitive dynamics were emerging. Eos secured the top two best-selling fragrance product positions with its Pumpkin Chai and Cashmere Vanilla Body Mists, pushing Sol de Janeiro's Cheirosa Mist into third place by bestseller rank.
The performance is particularly noteworthy given that eos first entered the fragrance mist category in December 2025, demonstrating opportunities for established personal care brands to expand into adjacent categories.
Middle Eastern fragrance brands also continued to build their presence, with Armaf, Rasasi, Afnan, and Al-Rehab accounting for four of the 10 best-selling fragrance products.
Meanwhile, four of the top 10 fragrances were marketed toward men, compared with two during October's event last year.
Perhaps the most significant takeaway for beauty businesses is what the event reveals about consumer purchasing behavior.
Despite ongoing inflationary pressures, shoppers were not necessarily waiting for the deepest discounts. Market Defense estimates that beauty searches during October's event week were approximately 13% lower than during June's Prime Day week, while purchases declined by just 9%.
The typical price paid also fell by less than 1% during the October event, compared with nearly 6% during June's Prime Day, suggesting stronger purchase intent and less reliance on discounts to drive transactions.
Holiday shopping is also beginning to influence beauty discovery. Beauty was Amazon's most-clicked category for broad searches, with keywords including "gifts," "Christmas gifts," and "stocking stuffers," ranking ahead of toys and home.
However, only 20% of shoppers purchased holiday gifts during the event, down from 23% in 2025, suggesting much of the seasonal spending opportunity remains ahead.
For beauty brands preparing for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the findings highlight the importance of investing in established hero products, creating gift-ready assortments, and converting consumer interest into purchases across platforms.
The message is increasingly clear: Promotional events may attract shoppers with the promise of a bargain, but recognizable products, established demand, and compelling value propositions are what keep them adding to the cart.
