TikTok Live Selling Is Beauty’s Biggest Growth Opportunity

Vogue Business projects that live shopping sales across Europe will grow by over 70% year on year, with beauty leading the charge. TikTok’s own data shows that 70% of users discover new brands on the platform, and 50% buy after watching a live demo. The audience is already there; brands just need to show up in a way that feels real. 

The question isn’t whether to go live anymore. It’s how to do it well. For brands looking to connect, it’s not about pushing go live with a blank background, it’s about creating worlds audiences want to step into. At THG Studios, we’ve seen first-hand how an immersive set-up transforms performance. We were recently proud to play host to a record-breaking TikTok Shop Live  

a result of high-energy storytelling, perfectly designed space, and a sense of world-building that felt more like tuning into a Christmas wonderland than watching an ad.

Breaking the Stereotype: TikTok Live Isn’t About Flash Sales, It’s About Connection

There’s still a bit of an eye-roll when people hear “TikTok Shop.” 
 
The stereotype? A ring light on a folding table, discount codes flying, and someone shouting, “link in bio!” for three hours straight. But that’s not what the best beauty brands are doing anymore. They’ve flipped the format into something that feels elevated, part show, part sleepover, part social moment. 

When it’s done right, TikTok Live doesn’t feel like selling. 

It feels like being invited in. Into a world that’s familiar but aspirational, where someone’s doing their hair in a branded bathroom, or testing shades with a friend before a night out. It’s casual, chatty, and clever. And the more authentic it feels, the more people stick around, ask questions, and ultimately buy. Because people don’t need another sales pitch, they just want to feel like they’re hanging out with a brand that gets them.

Building a Ready-to-Walk-Into World 

Brands can’t fake this kind of world-building in an office corner. Beauty deserves worlds that feel real, showcased in spaces that tell a story before the camera even rolls. Because a blank backdrop doesn’t build desire, it strips away the cues that make beauty aspirational and fun. Without texture, tone, or environment, even the best products feel detached from real life. A white wall might keep things clean, but it also makes them forgettable. 

That’s why our Manchester studio is purpose-built for beauty’s most demanding moments. 

Inside, everything is designed with creators and performance in mind ready to go the moment you arrive: 

• Professional hair & makeup basins for live tutorials and real-time demos 
• Beauty stations with soft-lit mirrors and brandable backdrops 
• Modular sets that can instantly transform from a fake bathroom in your brand colours to a girl’s bedroom before a night out, where friends share honest tips and product swaps 
• Tech and lighting infrastructure for high-quality streaming and seamless integration with TikTok Shop 

With a Live Shop want what they can’t usually have from a brand: intimacy, spontaneity, access. With 91% of TikTok users in Europe stating they’ve learnt something new about make up in the platform, they are want to ask questions live like “How did you get that curl?” “Which shade suits this undertone?” and feel like they’re part of the process, not just the audience. 

Every detail, from lighting to layout, is designed to remove the friction that usually comes with live content production. Teams walk in, plug in, and create without the logistical chaos that derails most peak-season shoots. 

When creative operations are this seamless, it shows and becomes believable to the audience experiencing it.  

From Set Design to Storyline 

Once the world is built, the stories start writing themselves. Each space becomes a creative springboard, a branded bathroom turns into a “get ready with me” tutorial series, a bedroom set becomes an after-hours Q&A.  

How to Turn Your Live Into a Full Campaign 

The beauty of going live is how much content it creates beyond the moment. A single stream can generate short-form cutdowns, shoppable clips, BTS edits, and community-led recaps, all feeding the wider social calendar. It’s the difference between a one-off event and a living campaign.

Why Now Matters: How Beauty’s Peak Season Became the Most Powerful Time to Go Live 

From Black Friday to New Year’s Eve, the scroll feels different. It’s when beauty gets closer to real life, figuring out hair styles that last past the office party, deciding which shimmer isn’t too cringe for New Year’s. Everyone’s in discovery mode trying new looks, buying gifts for friends, looking for the products that deliver on their promises. 

TikTok Live becomes the modern beauty assistant they can tap into, a place to ask questions, get honest answers, and see products in motion rather than in a flat lay. 

Peak season is when beauty feels the most social, the most curious, the most open to newness. It’s the perfect time to create content that feels effortless but meets people right when they’re looking to discover & purchase new items for the festive season: 

• Show the getting ready, not just the finished look. The messy brushes, the quick fixes, the small talk. 
• Answer in real time. The “how do I?” and “will this suit me?” moments are where connection lives. 
• Keep it festive but grounded. It needs to reflect the brand, not just the season. 
• Make it easy. The smoother the setup, the more you can get into the story. 

For the brands that create spaces that move fast, feel real, and still look great - this isn’t only another sales window. It’s a chance for their audience to become part of the discovery process itself, the trusted friend behind the feed who makes the season feel a little more effortless.

Ready to Explore TikTok Shop Live Selling?

THG Studios has everything you need in house. From light touch studio space hire, to full-service production, live-hosting and performance reporting, we can even design and build your set! 

Get in touch below to book your first live and discover the power of live selling today!