Year: 2026

Finnish cosmetics market grows by 3.2% – skincare and make-up drive growth

The Finnish cosmetics market was approximately 1.44 billion euros last year and will grow by 3.2 per cent this year. Growth remains slower than in the other Nordic countries, but skincare and make-up are growing faster than the rest of the market. The significance of social media as a source of product information and impulse purchases has increased. In cosmetics purchases, its role is greater than average.

The business community is satisfied with the transition period of the greenwashing directive

The government proposes a six-month extension to some of the obligations of the consumer protection directive of the green transition until 27 March 2027. The Finnish Commerce Federation, the Finnish Food and Drink Industries’ Federation, the Federation of Finnish Enterprises and the Confederation of Finnish Industries thank the government for the solution that meets the practical challenges of the directive and reduces the risk of product losses and unreasonable additional costs.

A turn for the better in commerce, growth must be continued

Turnover in the commerce sector has begun to rise in both the retail and wholesale trade, but the uncertainty of consumers challenges the continuation of growth. The Finnish Commerce Federation calls for decisions in the budget framework session that strengthen consumer confidence and purchasing power, speed up construction and renovations with the tax credit for household expenses and ensure fair competition in international e-commerce.  

The commerce sector is strongly involved in the new energy efficiency agreement period 2026–2035 

The commerce sector is involved in the new energy efficiency agreement period, which began at the beginning of 2026. So far, five large companies in the commerce sector and several thousand locations have joined the agreement. The agreement helps companies to improve energy efficiency in the long term, strengthen sustainability work and meet the obligations of the Energy Efficiency Directive.

Finnish Commerce Federation: The proposed reform of the Finnish Food Market Act is problematic in many ways

The Finnish Commerce Federation considers the government’s proposal to reform the Finnish Food Market Act problematic. The proposal significantly tightens national regulation that is already stricter than the EU directive, which is in conflict with the Government Programme's guidelines. In addition, the proposal addresses the free conduct of business and weakens competition and the interests of consumers.  

The internationalisation of online stores is accelerating: 55 per cent sell abroad, many will start doing so this year

E-commerce in Finland grew faster than other retail trade last year, and more and more shops are seeking growth abroad: 55 per cent of them already sell abroad and a large number are planning to start doing the same this year. At the same time, online stores recognise insufficient marketing resources and a skills shortage as barriers to growth, and therefore strive to improve their marketing and develop technical solutions and new AI tools.

Recent Finnish Commerce Federation survey: domestic e-commerce grew by 5.3 per cent in 2025 – social media still guides the purchasing behaviour of older age groups

Last year, domestic e-commerce managed to grow slightly faster than foreign e-commerce in Finland. At the same time, Temu has become the seventh most popular online store in Finland, and one in ten euros spent on online purchases ends up in China. Social media already influences the purchasing decisions of more than half of Finns aged 18–64.

The government is finally intervening in the volume of junk

The Finnish Commerce Federation thanks the working group for its proposed solutions to the challenges posed by low-cost online platform imports, as presented in the group’s report, and thanks the ministers for their strong support in addressing these issues. The Finnish Commerce Federation considers increasing the responsibility of online platforms to be the most effective proposed solution. It is essential to implement the proposed measures quickly.

Commerce is starting to grow – the brake on consumption is easing up

The sales volume and turnover of the retail sector have been growing since September. However, employment in the retail sector continues to fall. The Finnish Commerce Federation predicts that sales will grow moderately this and next year. At the same time, however, it estimates that up to 12,000-13,000 jobs in the sector will be lost by 2027 when compared to 2024. Consumers' caution is slowing down the recovery of demand, and the Finnish Commerce Federation is proposing an increase in the tax credit for household expenses and a temporary removal of transfer tax to accelerate consumption.