Amazon Prime sales reward beauty brands building demand before discounting

Beauty and Cosmetics was the most-purchased category on Amazon during Prime Big Deal Days 2026, held earlier this month from October 6–7. During the shopping event, skin care brands claimed nine of the top ten bestselling spots, but according to a report by Market Defense, prior demand drew shoppers in more than the lure of a discount. 

The report shows shoppers discovering products through influencers, brand affiliates, and social media platforms, before arriving on Amazon with a specific item or ingredient on their mind. According to Market Defense, brands should prioritize “capturing demand rather than manufacturing it through aggressive promotions” as they head into the final months of 2026.

The commerce media agency says that the Amazon event lifted online shopping for all US retailers. Consumers spent US$9.86 billion on online purchases, up 8.5% from last year. The report notes that over half of that spending came from phones.

Social media drove 7% of online sales, marking a 40% jump from 2025 and the fastest growth of any traffic source. Following the event, personal care sales ran 73% above September’s daily average.

“Five years in, Prime Big Deal Days keeps getting bigger, and beauty is making quite the impression,” says Vanessa Kuykendall, chief engagement officer at Market Defense.

The Beauty Dealmakers: Amazon Prime Big Deal Days October 2026 report shows 32% of shoppers bought beauty products and cosmetics during the event. The figure marks a 22% rise from 2025, lifting the category from its then third-place ranking to the top of the charts.

“Influencers fueled discovery, while established brands found fresh fans through the tried-and-true magic of a great product. And with most holiday gifting still ahead, there’s more momentum to make the most of,” Kuykendall tells beauty brands. 

Recognition driving intent

Market Defense’s report shows that beauty was the most-featured category on Amazon’s main deals page, covering 19% of all deals with an average of 30.6% discounted. However, rather than buying based on bargain, shoppers came to Amazon with a plan.

Beauty searches for a specific product or ingredient converted at 18%, up from 11.6% last year. All non-branded beauty searches converted at 14.7%, up from 10.6%.

Meanwhile, the typical price paid for beauty products dipped less than 1% during the event, compared to almost 6% at June’s Prime Day. The figures indicate that shoppers were buying at close to full price rather than waiting for markdowns.

Social media and influencers are increasingly shaping beauty shoppers’ purchasing decisions.The observation aligns with a broader shift in beauty shopping, where consumers research ingredients and outcomes before they buy. Derma-backed brands captured this intent.

La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, EltaMD, Vanicream, and Differin together made up 20.8% of beauty sales, up from 17.1% last year. La Roche-Posay rose to the top brand in all of beauty, recording 8.9% of the category’s sales.

In skin care, acne care stood out as a category consumers were focused on. Mighty Patch Original pimple patches were the number one bestselling beauty product on Amazon, and four of the ten bestselling skin care products were breakout and pore treatments. Hydrocolloid, AHA plus BHA, benzoyl peroxide, and glycolic acid were spotlighted ingredients.

K-beauty also stayed in demand, with Medicube, Biodance, Anua, and Dr.Althea making up 12.8% of beauty sales. The four K-brands also make up seven of the ten most-clicked beauty products during the week.

Social spend

According to the Market Defense report, social media content creators drove 21.9% of US online sales during the event, and converted purchases 11 times faster than overall social media platforms.

Meanwhile, the agency found that companies advertising on Amazon spent 83% of their advertising budgets before the event opened. The sequencing shows brands that built awareness ahead of October saw the payoff when the deals went live.

“Standing out in November will take more than a discount: you’ll need strong creative, branded search, and a clear gift message. Build engagement before the event, and your deals show up on those pages without needing to buy the placements during the event,” says Jonathan Wilner, senior VP of Commerce Media, at Market Defense.

AI differentiates

The report shows that beauty brands that waited for the Prime discount to hit competed in a crowded market.

Beauty was the most-purchased category during Amazon Prime Big Deal Days 2026.“Beauty deals clustered tightly this year. More than half sat in the 30–39% off band, and only about 1 in 9 cleared 40%,” says Marty Borotsik, senior VP of Tech and AI at Market Defense.

According to the agency, Amazon’s AI shopping assistant contributed US$12 billion in annual sales, and its monthly users more than doubled in a year. With 300 million customers using it in 2025, Borotsik says that explainability could be a brand’s best edge in capturing consumer attention.

“When every offer looks the same, the win goes to the brand whose listing Alexa for Shopping can understand well enough to recommend when a shopper asks what to buy,” he says.

Men’s care expands

Categorically, men’s care and fragrance gained ground during the 2026 shopping event. Just For Men ranked fourth among bestselling hair care products on Amazon, and the brand’s hair care share grew sevenfold from the same time last year.

Hair thinning brand Rogaine’s share grew around 57%, ranking it the seventh best-selling hair brand, while “minoxidil for men” was the number one branded hair search.

Men’s scents also doubled their presence. Armaf, Nautica, Rasasi, and Afnan men’s fragrances held four of the top ten fragrance spots on the e-commerce site during the event, double last year’s spots.

Beauty brands should prepare for the holiday shopping season by building consumer demand ahead of sales events.The numbers suggest men’s grooming is growing from a quiet e-commerce corner into a search-driven one. Shoppers are naming ingredients and brands rather than browsing generally, aligning with Pinterest’s findings that men are picking up more forms of personal care.

Gift-hunting holiday strategies

The October shopping event saw beauty as the top category across “gifts,” “Christmas gifts,” and “stocking stuffers,” outpacing toys and home goods.

According to the report, the number of gift-related beauty searches grew from 14 to 121 since June’s Prime Day. However, only 20% of shoppers converted those searches into purchases, marking a 23% decrease since last year. 

The gap between browsing and buying suggests that October functions as a research moment rather than a checkout. 

“October is not a lesser Prime Day. It is a different event: shorter, more planned, less price-driven, and the first real moment of holiday gifting. Beauty brands that treat it as an early holiday launch, with gift-ready offers, seasonal heroes, and brand demand built in advance, carry that momentum straight into Black Friday,” says Dave Karlsven, senior VP of Partnerships and Growth, at Market Defense.

Market Defense says 56% of shoppers were still unsure what they wanted before Christmas, while 83% plan to shop on Amazon for the holiday season in the next three months. A further 43% say they expect to spend more on holiday shopping this year.

“My advice to beauty CEOs heading into the final months of 2026 is to prioritize capturing demand rather than manufacturing it through aggressive promotions. The brands that outperform this holiday season won’t simply be those driving the most revenue, but those converting consumer demand into profitable growth,” Karan Raturi, chief operating officer at Market Defense, concludes.