Beauty Bay to Barry M: why the UK’s biggest makeup brands are faltering

As loyal Beauty Bay customers pray the brand can ‘hang in there’ as it seeks to avoid collapse, its struggles are being replicated across a creaking sector. For decades, the UK beauty industry has been considered recession-proof — a ‘steady Eddie’ kind of safe haven for homegrown makeup brands. It used to be a place where the 'lipstick effect' ensured that, even when wallets were tight, a £10 mascara remained a non-negotiable luxury. That immunity has vanished. In a brutal change of fortunes, we’ve seen the squeezed middle of the market begin to buckle.

From the online powerhouse that is Beauty Bay* filing a notice of intent to appoint administrators, to the iconic Barry M being sold, the landscape is unrecognisable. This isn't just a streak of bad luck; it is a fundamental shakeout. And I don’t like it.

The brands currently sliding into administration are victims of a perfect storm: a combination of 46% higher-than-average energy costs for UK manufacturers, a pivot towards science-led skin products over heavy makeup, and a consumer base that has traded brand loyalty for TikTok-driven value. While giants like Boots and Sephora report surging profits, the independent and mid-tier brands that once defined the British high street or trends are finding that, in 2026, being well-known is no longer enough to stay solvent.

Market analysts say mid-tier brands are being crushed between high-end luxury, which remains resilient, and ultra-value retailers like Superdrug, which saw a 28% traffic surge in 2025.

Tracing the decline - from Ciaté and Lottie London to Beauty Bay

How did we get here? As Beauty Bay fights for a well-deserved place in the cosmetics market, the strain of rising costs and a shift in buying trends can be traced back to early 2025. That’s when Ciaté and Lottie London went dark on the web. Their parent company, Brand Agency London, collapsed in early 2025, leaving some customers’ orders unfulfilled. For me, personally, these weren’t brands I was going to mourn. I’d only ever owned their products through purchases of subscription boxes. 

Bodycare, a discount retailer, entered administration later the same year, shuttering 32 stores and slashing 450 jobs. This is a brand I’d never even heard of. Likewise when it comes to Malin + Goetz (UK), a premium brand which filed for UK administration in January 2026. It has closed all of its physical stores, seven in total, in London and smartly pivoted to a capital-light digital and wholesale-only model.

Then came the real ‘shockers’. First up, Barry M, a family business with a proud 40-year history, collapsed. It too filed for administration - only to be snapped up, minus its UK manufacturing operations, by Technic and W7 owner Warpaint for £1.4m. I wonder how many of Barry M’s customers realised its products were ‘Made in the UK’? That was a unique selling point that I don’t think it ever fully captialised on.

This is a UK makeup brand that started life on a market stall and led the charge when the counter-culture in the 1980s was all about ‘bold’. At its core was colour - something predicted to re-trend this year, too late to keep the company in the control of its founder’s son. It will still have a presence in the market but, let’s be honest, it’s probably never going to be the same.

The most gut-wrenching victim of the times, so far, has to be Beauty Bay. Honest, reliable and innovative, it does not deserve to disappear. As well as being the only ‘official’ UK outlet for some of the world's most exciting cosmetic brands, its own line of makeup and skincare products deliver high quality at an affordable price. Its eyeshadow palettes, in particular, offer unrivalled pigmentation and staying power. The shimmers are, quite literally, to die for. Not many other UK brands come close.

Unlike most of the brands I’ve mentioned above, Beauty Bay is a business I’ve regularly shopped with. As well as collecting its eyeshadows, I’ve bought into its skincare products. Even my trusty Revlon hairdryer is from Beauty Bay! Always on time with deliveries, always competitively priced, this is a brand that I and many others trust - something potential investors should note. It’s trendy, with grown-up branding and has a loyal following. 

Why are so many UK makeup brands struggling?

While most makeup brands outsource manufacturing to factories abroad, that wasn’t the case with Barry M. It suffered as the cost of ‘Made in Britain’ spiralled. Electricity prices in the UK are well above the global average, making homegrown production uncompetitive against overseas rivals. Add to that rising costs of raw materials, staffing and other overheads and you will understand there is little wriggle room for growth. Staying afloat is a real challenge.

Perhaps the biggest threat to the market, other than rising costs, is the ‘search shift’. General searches for ‘makeup’ and ‘lipstick’ are falling (down by 18-20% year-on-year), while hyper-specific TikTok-driven terms like ‘serum foundation’ or ‘under eye brightener’ are exploding. Brands that can't pivot to these rapid micro-trends are losing visibility.

Importantly, there is also fierce competition in an overcrowded beauty sector at a time when inflation has been a huge burden.

You can gauge the state of the market from your inbox. More emails, more sales events and, increasingly, almost desperate pleas for custom. Another ‘test’ is to see how many people are tuning into individual brand’s ‘lives’ on TikTok. When you compare brands like Beauty Bay to the likes of P.Louise, you can almost smell the problem. Add to that international brands increasing their UK audiences on live platforms and you will see the bigger picture. 

Having said that, the cost of living (or doing business) crisis isn’t confined to the UK. I subscribe to brands from around the world. I can tell that several are struggling. One, in particular, stands out. It is a founder-led niche brand based in America. Up until a few months ago, I only ever heard from the company when it was launching new products or about to start its annual Black Friday sale. Now? Well, I’m receiving up to three emails a day - all for sales events. The low prices are insane.

Some makeup brands have veered off into skincare territory, which can be very lucrative. It’s a sector of the beauty market that encourages repeat purchases - but, to reap any rewards, it’s got to be done right. As well as having to overcome consumers’ perception of a brand as makeup-led, you have to get everything absolutely spot on to make it work. That includes formulations, packaging and marketing. While Beauty Bay’s own-brand skincare delivered on results, I personally wasn’t a fan of the chemist shop-like packaging. We’re in an era when consumers want things to look pretty on their dressing tables. 

As for those holding their own right now? Watch your back. Shoppers aren't stopping their spending, but they are becoming hyper-cynical, moving away from celebrity-backed (or any type of) hype and towards scientific proof and absolute value. That means careful management of pricing, limiting launches to what the market shows consumers actually want and matching marketing messages to the correct audience. I was scrolling through TikTok a few days ago when I came across a video of P.Louise staff, one by one, saying “Fuck off”. Excuse me! Are you telling customers to ‘fuck off', or did I miss something’? Quite a few of those customers are under the age of 10, by the way.

Going forward, I hope and pray Beauty Bay makes it through. From its Metamorphic duochrome wonder to its soon-to-be ‘in demand’ Brights, it has passed the test of innovation and gone beyond the norm to sparkle as a UK makeup brand its founders should be proud of. Money, for everyone, has been tight but, if it can hold on for a little bit longer, loyal customers will be back. In the meantime, a message for beauty lovers: Love a brand? Make sure you support it - or you could lose it.

*UPDATE: It is being reported today (March 9, 2026) that Beauty Bay has been rescued by an investment group. The brand's website is currently still only showing a 'We'll be back soon' holding page. Let's hope it roars back to life very soon and reclaims its place in a market it belongs in.

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