Blush Is a $59 Million Business on Amazon. Who’s Winning It?

The blush boom is real.

Not only is the category a viral mainstay and a steady driver of makeup growth since 2023, per Circana, but it also raked in $58.9 million in revenue on Amazon during the last 12 months, growing at a rate of 39 percent year-over-year.

This outpaces not just makeup’s growth of 25 percent during the same period, but also beauty and personal care’s overall sales growth of 30 percent on the platform.

“Blush is leading the growth of makeup, with brands who play in the blush category trending higher than those in other areas,” said Vanessa Kuykendall, chief engagement officer at Market Defense.

The category’s drivers on Amazon vary. There are the dupes, for instance — the most prevalent among them being for Milk Makeup’s viral Cooling Water Jelly Tints, which launched in February and, according to Milk, have been the brand’s most successful launch to date.

“Milk blush dupes are a huge business on Amazon,” said Kuykendall, noting that while the brand sells roughly 1,600 of its Jelly Tints on the platform monthly — which is substantial — “there are roughly 15,000 units of dupes being sold monthly of that product,” by comparison.

The top 5 search terms which lead to blush purchases on Amazon:

The late model Cindy Joseph’s “pro-aging” cosmetics brand, Boom! by Cindy Joseph takes the top spot by blush sales, with its Boomstick cream blush trio, $79, netting $367,666 in monthly revenue and capturing 12 percent of the platform’s total blush share.

That the brand isn’t widely available in retail is likely one factor propelling its Amazon business, said Kuykendall, though the platform is also simply seeing surging interest for makeup brands targeting mature skin. Case in point: Laura Geller is the third-biggest makeup brand on Amazon by monthly revenue, trailing only behind Boom! and E.l.f. Beauty.

The average price of a blush sold on Amazon, meanwhile, hovers around $18, which “speaks to the amount of prestige brands that have entered the platform.” The Estée Lauder Cos.’ debut Amazon foray in March with Clinique is among those prestige gambits which appear to be paying off thus far: the brand’s Cheek Pop Blush and its Quickliner for Lips pencil, for instance, both rank among the top 1,000 beauty and personal care products sold on the platform during the last month.

Clinique’s Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm, meanwhile, ranks as the 16th highest-selling blush.

Though brands like Rare Beauty and Nars Cosmetics are not intentionally selling on Amazon, their products — including potential counterfeits — are doing numbers on the platform, with sellers bringing in $19,000 monthly selling Rare Beauty liquid blushes.

The top 10 blushes on Amazon by estimated monthly revenue, per Market Defense.

1. Boom! by Cindy Joseph Boomstick Trio

2. E.l.f. Cosmetics Halo Glow Blush Beauty Wand

3. Milani Baked Blush in shade Luminoso

4. Sheglam Color Bloom Liquid Blush

5. Bayfree Multi Glow Balm

6. Physicians Formula Powder Palette Multicolored Blush

7. Youthforia BYO Blush

8. Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush

9. Honest Beauty 2-in-1 Creme Cheek Blush + Lip Color

10. Maybelline Fit Me Powder Blush