The consumer goods giant behind Imperial Leather and Sanctuary Spa is battling to win purchases on social commerce platforms alongside traditional retail

The company behind Imperial Leather and Sanctuary Spa has said that reaching consumers on platforms such as TikTok Shop was as crucial as Tesco, as the 142 year old business strives to compete with an emerging wave of social media-savvy brands.

Manchester-based PZ Cussons – the consumer goods giant that was established in 1884 and is responsible for a range of beauty, hygiene and baby products – said it had been investing more heavily in innovation and brand development.

Chief executive Jonathan Myers said the business has to “battle every day to win every purchase”.

“There’s hardly a store in the country that sells a washing and bathing product that doesn’t sell a PZ Cussons product,” he told the Press Association.

However, he said the company had been attempting to remain at the forefront of online shopping trends that many newer brands are capitalising on.

“If you look at the way that most of the insurgent brands are arriving, it’s through social media, and that blurs into e-commerce platforms, for example TikTok Shop,” he said.

“It’s about making sure that we’re present, that we’re growing fast, and that we’re stealing our share of purchases there, just as we would a Tesco Express down the street.”

TikTok Shop, the e-commerce division of the video-sharing social media platform where users can buy and sell products, has expanded rapidly over recent years.

Major retailers such as Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s are now selling products on the marketplace alongside thousands of smaller businesses and brands. TikTok Shop recently announced it had ascended to the fourth-largest beauty retailer in the UK, as per data from NielsenIQ, with beauty sales on the platform skyrocketing by 60% year-on-year in 2025, driven by trends such as Korean skincare.

Mr Myers spotlighted PZ Cussons’s ventures in Indonesia – where it has been trialling new sales strategies, including a live-streaming channel from its factory.

He stated: “We run three shifts of live-streamers who are driving demand for our brands that is then fulfilled through marketplaces like TikTok Shop, and delivered on the back of a moped.”

TikTok sales in Indonesia have surged over 600%, where PZ Cussons currently operates a TikTok Shop.

The chief executive expressed he could “definitely see the rise of quick commerce” in urban areas of the UK, hastened by the “blurring” of social media and shopping channels.

Mr Myers emphasised there was no space for “complacency”, adding: “Competition is good because it keeps us on our toes.”