As the world of global beauty retail continues to fragment, TikTok Shop, one of the most viable proponents developed by TikTok, is quietly and successfully staging one of the most significant channel disruptions since the rise of DTC. The platform, which first kicked off as a social entertainment app, is rapidly growing into a powerful e-commerce engine, and one of its latest plays—expanding TikTok Shop across the European Union—signals a bold new chapter, not just for TikTok, but for the beauty industry at large.Since its official launch in the UK in 2023, TikTok Shop has garnered attention as both a platform and a marketplace, blending content, influence, and instant commerce in a way that feels native to Gen Z and millennial consumers. With the EU rollout already in motion, and targeting key beauty markets such as France, Italy, Germany, the Republic of Ireland, and Spain, TikTok is eyeing a continent with over 449 million consumers with a projected $129 billion beauty market by 2029, according to Statista.For beauty brands, especially indie ones, the promise of TikTok Shop in the EU is potent, including direct access to a digital-native customer base, lower barriers to entry in traditionally hard-to-penetrate markets, and algorithmic discovery that goes beyond the limitations of shelf space or SEO. “TikTok Shop has definitely lowered the barriers to entry, especially for mobile-native, content-driven indie brands that are able to generate authentic engagement,” said Jill Krakowski, CMO of Cosnova Inc., to BeautyMatter.