Chocolate reigns supreme in the advent calendar market, but gen z increasingly swayed by beauty calendars

As the festive season approaches, recent data from Ipsos in the UK reveals new insights into in the UK's advent calendar market. Despite health and nutrition being a significant part of many people’s lifestyle choices, it seems indulgence takes precedence during Christmas, with chocolate advent calendars continuing to be the most popular choice for consumers.

Key findings 

• Britons love advent calendars: New Ipsos observer* polling finds that seven in ten (72%) Britons say they purchase advent calendars. Women (75%) are slightly more likely than men (69%) to buy them, as are those aged 18-34 (81%). People are most likely to buy an advent calendar for children (53%), themselves (51%) or a partner (40%), and most people receive an advent calendar from their parents (35%), or partner (30%).
• Budget consciousness is prevalent: Over half (55%) of consumers purchasing advent calendars say that they plan to spend £10 or less, with just 8% saying more than £100. When asking people what the most they have ever personally spent on an advent calendar, those aged 18–34-year-olds are most likely to say that they have stretched to beyond £100 (28%). A significant portion (42%) of consumers do not consider advent calendars to be part of their standard Christmas spending, instead viewing them as additional purchases.
• Chocolate advent calendars continue to reign: When it comes to which calendars people typically buy, chocolate is by far the most popular (84%) choice, followed by beauty (15%), toys (14%), and non-chocolate food calendars (10%). Ipsos Duel** data also shows that Cadburys Dairy Milk had both the highest ‘promise’ and ‘punch’ scores, meaning that consumers were most likely to choose Cadburys over a selection of other calendars in multiple categories, and the quickest to select it, suggesting strong positive consumer sentiment.  
• Beauty sees a surge driven by social media: The popularity of beauty advent calendars is continuing to rise. This trend is especially driven by those aged 18-34, with 40% of this age group saying that they have purchased a beauty calendar.
• Leveraging early buzz for brand engagement: Ipsos synthesio*** data has found that the advent calendar market discourse sees early traction beginning in September, with brand promotions and influencer-led unboxing videos driving engagement. Space NK and Boots No.7 are leading the charge in this season's buzz, leveraging YouTube content from influencer partnerships to amplify reach. Ipsos Duel data also showed that Space NK landed in the top three, outperforming other beauty calendars tested.  
• Community engagement fuels toy calendar popularity: Ipsos synthesio data also shows that online forums are pivotal in shaping the purchase intent for toy and community-centred advent calendars, like Lego. This highlights Lego's community-driven appeal and the power of dedicated fan bases.

Commenting on the findings, Helen Wing, UK head of innovation at Ipsos said:

Chocolate advent calendars remain the go to choice for consumers. They represent an affordable, timeless gift that is traditional and indulgent as well as being suitable for all ages. However, beauty advent calendars are making significant inroads, particularly among Gen Z. This demonstrates a trend towards more personalized and experience-driven products, influenced heavily by social media and digital platforms. It's a fascinating time for brands to innovate and seek to connect with consumers looking for unique and engaging products during this festive countdown.

Technical note: 

• * For the observer polling, Ipsos interviewed a representative sample of 1,036 adults aged 16-75 across Great Britain. Polling was conducted online between the 26th -29th September 2025. Data are weighted to match the profile of the population. All polls are subject to a wide range of potential sources of error.
• ** Duel offers a gamified research solution mimicking the speed of consumer decision making by using tournament-style choice exercises to measure preference and decision speed. This versatile tool works with various marketing elements such as claims, varieties, names, and visuals.
• *** Ipsos synthesio source: Public posts from X, Instagram, Facebook, Reddit, Forums, YouTube and TikTok via Synthesio. Data collected 15/09/25 – 15/10/25 (2 months). Based on 2K posts on Christmas Advent Calendar category is not geolocated. Data filtered to remove spam, bots, and retweets.