Beauty shopping used to be a holiday add-on: a quick pharmacy sweep, a last-minute lipstick. But it’s quickly become the main event. Skyscanner’s Travel Trends data suggests beauty is actively shaping where (and how) we go next: 27 per cent of Gen Z say they plan to seek out beauty treatments and skincare stores while travelling in 2026.
And honestly, it makes sense. The best beauty stores today aren’t just places to buy things – they’re mini-museums, scent libraries, wellness labs and architectural gems. With personalisation, consultations and “only-available-here” souvenirs baked in, they’re becoming as vital as booking that must-visit gallery or insider-only boutique hotel. These are the world-class addresses that take beauty shopping to a whole new level.
Europe
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella
Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Some stores are beautiful; this one is historically significant. Santa Maria Novella’s Florence flagship is effectively a living museum, with vaulted rooms, hushed reverence, and shelves lined with fragrances and remedies that feel as if they belong in a Renaissance painting. The address is a pilgrimage for fragrance and beauty fans who love cult brands with apothecary appeal. But it’s also a masterclass in heritage retail: being here feels like you’re time-travelling.
Address: Via della Scala, 16, 50123 Florence, Italy
Website: smnovella.com
Aesop Diagonal, Barcelona
Created by the design team Mesura Studio, the interior of this incredible space is made of reclaimed Montjuïc stone fragments assembled into an installation that makes the store feel excavated rather than built. Created with pieces from Gothic quarter buildings, ancient fountains and centuries-old relics, it’s a rare retail experience where you’re just as likely to photograph the stonework as the hand wash. Come for the fragrances; leave newly obsessed with masonry.
Address: Avinguda Diagonal, 594, 08021 Barcelona, Spain
Website: aesop.com
Maisons Diptyque, Paris
Diptyque has always understood how to create ambience, and you feel it most clearly when visiting one of its large-scale boutiques – known as its Maisons. There’s also one in London, and they’re designed as part shop, part cultural space, with exhibitions, workshops and an apartment-like layout that invites lingering. The Paris address on rue Duphot is one of the headline openings: expect candles and fragrances staged like art objects, and craftsmanship centred in everything from the materials to the storytelling. Every time you light your Baies candle, you’ll think of the place you bought it, and smile.
