British women have increased their spending on make-up by 40 percent over the last five years and now top Europe's per capita consumption. According to the latest issue of the report Fragrances and Cosmetics in Europe released by Mintel, British women are “very keen users of make-up” now overtaking French women.

According to Mintel's forecasts a British woman aged 15 and above will spend 36 pounds (53.8 euro) this year on make-up products, against 32 pounds (47.8 euro) in France and 22 pounds (32.89 euro) in Germany and Spain. Spend-up in make-up in Britain should therefore exceeds 1 billion pounds (1.49 euro) this year.

Senior market analyst Michelle Strutton said the growth was due to a change in attitudes in the British public: “The British make-up market suffered in the 1990s as a result of the marked trend towards a 'natural' style and away from the 'made up' look, especially by younger women. But since the Millennium, glitz and glamour have made a comeback and colour once more reigns supreme, a development that has undoubtedly helped boost the industry.”

However, as far as perfumes and fragrances are concerned, Spanish women top the list, while French women remain those with the highest per capita consumption of beauty products as a whole. Also, France remains the biggest European market for cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries, followed by the UK and Germany, the report says.