September 24, 2026
Medicube, an Amazon beauty leader known for its skincare devices, pore pads and PDRN serums, took the No. 1 spot with nearly $19.4 million in livestream revenue on TikTok Shop from January through the end of June, a period in which its publicly traded parent company APR saw beauty sales skyrocket 181% to roughly $805 million. Dr. Melaxin followed with $13.3 million.
Ranked third, Tarte Cosmetics generated $10.2 million. Men’s grooming brand Based Bodyworks and online fragrance retailer FragranceNet rounded out the top five at $8.7 million and $5.8 million, respectively. Together, the top five livestream sellers were responsible for $57.4 million of the roughly $83 million total.
The top livestream sellers are a diverse group, but several operate in some of beauty’s biggest growth areas, including K-Beauty, men’s grooming, haircare and fragrance. They’re also among TikTok Shop’s biggest advertisers. Medicube, Dr. Melaxin, Tarte and Based Bodyworks ranked first through fourth, respectively, in advertising spend by beauty and personal care storefronts in the first half of the year, according to Charm.io. Medicube spent $23.7 million on advertising, followed by Dr. Melaxin at $19.6 million, Tarte at $10.4 million and Based Bodyworks at $5.1 million.
Charm.io only tracks advertising spend for pre-recorded or short-form videos, not livestreams or product card sales. Product card sales are generated from purchases made through TikTok’s shopping mall, search bar or other avenues on TikTok outside of livestreams and pre-recorded videos.
Beauty brands aren’t alone in leveraging livestreaming on TikTok Shop. Major beauty retailers Ulta Beauty and Sephora are getting in on the action, too. Ulta, which joined TikTok Shop in March, has incorporated livestreaming into major promotional moments like its 21 Days of Beauty event and turned its Chelsea location in New York City into a TikTok Shop studio.
During the retailer’s recent second-quarter earnings call, CEO Kecia Steelman said Ulta’s TikTok storefront had generated more than 100 million impressions since launch. The retailer also hosted what Steelman described as TikTok’s first live celebrity fragrance launch with rapper Ice Spice. According to Charm.io, Ulta ranked 334th among beauty’s livestream sellers, generating $152,029 in sales in the first half of the year.
Sephora officially launched on TikTok Shop this month with a livestream hosted by mega beauty influencer and POV Beauty founder Mikayla Nogueira. According to the publication Glossy, it sold nearly 2,300 products through its TikTok Shop storefront as of Sept. 23, with its initial assortment limited to POV Beauty and Sephora Collection. Its Sephora Drop Shop strategy centers on exclusive monthly product launches teased throughout the month before they’re revealed in a livestream featuring celebrity hosts, brand founders and creators.
Livestream shopping has considerable momentum in the United States. EMARKETER forecasts U.S. livestream retail e-commerce sales will climb 35% this year to $19.8 billion, with more than 58 million consumers making a purchase through a livestream. In beauty, livestreaming accounts for roughly 22% of U.S. sales on TikTok, according to McKinsey & Co. Beauty is TikTok Shop’s largest category, with U.S. sales totaling $3.6 billion in the 12 months through June, according to Charm.io.
A big part of the format’s appeal is its ability to collapse product education, entertainment and conversion into a single experience. Alex Nisenzon, CEO of Charm.io, says, “The real-time format also creates urgency, giving viewers a reason to purchase while the host, offer and excitement are still live. The best livestreams feel like interactive shows with shopping built in. By educating viewers, keeping them entertained, and giving them a reason to buy in the moment, brands can turn livestreaming into a meaningful revenue channel.”
Simply Mandys, which ranked 10th in Charm.io’s first-half livestream ranking with $4.6 million in sales, illustrates how significant TikTok livestreaming can be for a brand. Founder Mandys Peña became the first individual U.S. creator to generate $1 million in gross merchandise value during a single eight-hour TikTok Shop livestream and has since repeated the feat multiple times. The haircare brand derives roughly 85% of its revenue from TikTok Shop, and its daily livestreams typically draw around 1,200 active participants. Live shows around major campaigns can have as many as 20,000 people participating at a time.
“I don’t want my Lives to feel scripted or like I’m pushing people to buy,” she told Beauty Independent in June. “Some brands come in with all kinds of strategies and plans, and they don’t get the same results. I always get asked what the secret sauce is. I wish I knew, but I’m just being myself.”