Health and beauty products lead volume growth in Greek supermarkets in 2026
Health and beauty products recorded the strongest volume growth among Greek supermarket categories in the first seven months of 2026, rising 3.5% year on year, according to Circana. Online sales value increased 10%, while NielsenIQ put eight-month supermarket sales for the category at €710 million.
Health and beauty volumes outperform
Health and beauty products posted the largest increase in sales volume among categories sold by Greek supermarkets during the first seven months of 2026, according to data reported by Cretaone. Circana measured year-on-year volume growth of 3.5% for the overall category, indicating that personal-care spending continued to expand despite pressure on household budgets and the dominant position of food in the grocery basket.
Within the wider category, personal health and beauty products increased by 4.3% in volume. Cretaone said this subcategory followed frozen food and dairy products, which were leading consumption growth. The figures place everyday personal-care goods among the stronger-performing parts of grocery retail and show that supermarkets are gaining relevance for purchases traditionally shared with pharmacies and specialist beauty stores.
Online sales rise faster than the wider category
Growth was stronger at online supermarkets, where health and beauty sales increased by 10% in value during the first seven months of 2026. The category still represented a small share of the total online basket, but its pace of expansion was substantially above the 3.5% volume increase recorded across supermarket channels. June delivered the largest gain, which Cretaone linked to seasonal demand for sunscreen products before summer.
NielsenIQ data cited by the publication valued supermarket sales in the broader health and beauty category, including cosmetics, at €710 million over the first eight months of 2026, compared with €677 million. The source describes both figures as referring to the corresponding period of 2026, leaving the comparison year unclear. The increase between the stated values is €33 million, but the reporting does not provide a reliable year-on-year rate for this measure.
Channel mix creates different opportunities for brands
Circana estimated that cosmetics sales through physical and online supermarkets reached €596 million in 2025, up 1.7% from 2024. Beauty and sunscreen products held the largest share at 28.8%, followed by hair care and styling at 28.2%. Skin care accounted for 27.7% and grew 3%, while oral-care products represented 15.2% and increased by 3.2%.
Online pharmacies generated €114 million in cosmetics sales in 2025, a 4.6% increase from 2024. Their category mix differed sharply from supermarkets: skin care represented 57.5% of sales and grew 2.3%; beauty and sunscreen products held 23.4%; hair care and styling accounted for 10.1% and rose 12.4%; and oral care held 9.1%. For manufacturers and retailers, the data point to distinct channel roles. Supermarkets offer broad reach and accessible pricing across several large segments, while online pharmacies remain more concentrated in skin care and are producing faster growth in selected categories such as hair care.
