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London leads as Europe’s style and wellness capital, new study finds
A new pan-European analysis from beauty brand Catrice has cast a data-driven spotlight on the shifting intersection of fashion, beauty, and wellness across the continent — with London emerging as Europe’s definitive style capital, combining a high density of beauty services, wellness interest, and social media clout. The study, which evaluated 30 European and 20 UK cities across key indicators — including the number of shopping locations, spas, beauty salons, event frequency, search interest in yoga and pilates, and Instagram popularity — offers fresh insight for retailers and beauty players eyeing growth across wellness-aligned urban hubs. London top in scale and sophistication London secured the top spot by a considerable margin, buoyed by its sheer scale and depth of offering. The UK capital boasts more than 2,000 shopping locations and 4,559 beauty salons — the highest in the study — alongside 857 spas and over 484,000 annual searches for yoga and pilates. With 4,200 annual beauty and fashion events and more than five million Instagram hashtags linked to style and fashion, London’s ecosystem is as culturally resonant as it is commercially potent. London’s performance underscores a maturing convergence between wellness, fashion, and experiential retail. It’s not just about beauty consumption anymore, but holistic lifestyle positioning. Zurich and Paris: premium precision and heritage influence Zurich, ranked second, offers a markedly different but no less compelling value proposition. Despite its smaller population, the Swiss financial centre ranks high due to a strong per capita showing in spa density, wellness-related search interest, and premium retail spaces. The city hosts 160 spas and 549 beauty salons — a concentration that mirrors its reputation for quality and precision — while benefiting from steady search demand in yoga and pilates. Paris rounds out the top three, bolstered by its iconic retail footprint (2,022 shopping venues) and a robust network of over 1,800 salons and nearly 1,000 spas. With 1,124 annual fashion and beauty events and 2.5 million related Instagram hashtags, the French capital remains a global leader in aesthetic influence and brand desirability. Beyond London, Manchester ranks as the UK’s second most glamour-forward city, home to over 1,800 beauty businesses and a rising presence in fashion-led social media. Edinburgh and Dublin also score highly, reflecting increased interest in wellness-oriented consumption in smaller cities. Dublin, for example, logs over 60,000 annual searches for yoga and pilates — the highest per capita figure in the ranking. Elsewhere in Europe, cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Milan continue to punch above their weight in blending lifestyle retail with experiential engagement. Notably, Milan — with 1,044 salons and nearly 18,000 yoga-related searches annually — illustrates the Italian fashion capital’s evolving interest in holistic luxury, merging beauty with physical wellness. Implications for retail strategy The findings from Catrice offer timely intelligence for retailers and brand operators looking to refine localisation strategies. As consumer interest increasingly leans toward wellness-integrated lifestyles, cities that combine density of service offerings with cultural resonance and digital relevance are likely to outpace traditional benchmarks. For investors and operators, the study also reinforces the need for cross-sector alignment — with fashion, wellness, and beauty increasingly coexisting in shared commercial spaces. Hybridised event formats, influencer-led pop-ups, and health-anchored luxury concepts are expected to proliferate, particularly in top-ranking cities. With wellness now a key axis of value in the fashion and beauty economy, cities like London, Zurich, and Paris are defining a new urban glamour — one where shopping, self-care, and social identity intersect. For retailers and professionals in the space, understanding these evolving urban dynamics will be critical to long-term relevance and growth. Oxford Circus Credits: New West End Company
A new pan-European analysis from beauty brand Catrice has cast a data-driven spotlight on the shifting intersection of fashion, beauty, and wellness across the continent — with London emerging as Europe’s definitive style capital, combining a high density of beauty services, wellness interest, and social media clout.
The study, which evaluated 30 European and 20 UK cities across key indicators — including the number of shopping locations, spas, beauty salons, event frequency, search interest in yoga and pilates, and Instagram popularity — offers fresh insight for retailers and beauty players eyeing growth across wellness-aligned urban hubs.
London top in scale and sophistication
London secured the top spot by a considerable margin, buoyed by its sheer scale and depth of offering. The UK capital boasts more than 2,000 shopping locations and 4,559 beauty salons — the highest in the study — alongside 857 spas and over 484,000 annual searches for yoga and pilates. With 4,200 annual beauty and fashion events and more than five million Instagram hashtags linked to style and fashion, London’s ecosystem is as culturally resonant as it is commercially potent.
London’s performance underscores a maturing convergence between wellness, fashion, and experiential retail. It’s not just about beauty consumption anymore, but holistic lifestyle positioning.
Zurich and Paris: premium precision and heritage influence
Zurich, ranked second, offers a markedly different but no less compelling value proposition. Despite its smaller population, the Swiss financial centre ranks high due to a strong per capita showing in spa density, wellness-related search interest, and premium retail spaces. The city hosts 160 spas and 549 beauty salons — a concentration that mirrors its reputation for quality and precision — while benefiting from steady search demand in yoga and pilates.
Paris rounds out the top three, bolstered by its iconic retail footprint (2,022 shopping venues) and a robust network of over 1,800 salons and nearly 1,000 spas. With 1,124 annual fashion and beauty events and 2.5 million related Instagram hashtags, the French capital remains a global leader in aesthetic influence and brand desirability.
Beyond London, Manchester ranks as the UK’s second most glamour-forward city, home to over 1,800 beauty businesses and a rising presence in fashion-led social media. Edinburgh and Dublin also score highly, reflecting increased interest in wellness-oriented consumption in smaller cities. Dublin, for example, logs over 60,000 annual searches for yoga and pilates — the highest per capita figure in the ranking.
Elsewhere in Europe, cities like Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Milan continue to punch above their weight in blending lifestyle retail with experiential engagement. Notably, Milan — with 1,044 salons and nearly 18,000 yoga-related searches annually — illustrates the Italian fashion capital’s evolving interest in holistic luxury, merging beauty with physical wellness.
Implications for retail strategy
The findings from Catrice offer timely intelligence for retailers and brand operators looking to refine localisation strategies. As consumer interest increasingly leans toward wellness-integrated lifestyles, cities that combine density of service offerings with cultural resonance and digital relevance are likely to outpace traditional benchmarks.
For investors and operators, the study also reinforces the need for cross-sector alignment — with fashion, wellness, and beauty increasingly coexisting in shared commercial spaces. Hybridised event formats, influencer-led pop-ups, and health-anchored luxury concepts are expected to proliferate, particularly in top-ranking cities.
With wellness now a key axis of value in the fashion and beauty economy, cities like London, Zurich, and Paris are defining a new urban glamour — one where shopping, self-care, and social identity intersect. For retailers and professionals in the space, understanding these evolving urban dynamics will be critical to long-term relevance and growth.
