The coronavirus outbreak has been an extremely difficult time for many industries, but on the the other hand, some areas are flourishing. Where dining in has stopped, takeaway food has increased. Where gyms are closed, home fitness is on the rise.

Certainly one of the most interesting boom areas for Australians is skincare. In general, we Australians love our beauty and skincare. In fact some of the world's leading brands herald from right here. Think Jurlique, Kora and Becca. But it appears that self-isolation has us diving deep into the realm of skincare and stripping the (online) shelves for all the best in beauty. It's been called the lipstick effect, in tough times, people will often treat themselves to small luxuries. And that certainly seems to be the case.

We've read that Myer has reported a 200 percent increase in skincare spending - when compared year on year. And this is not an isolated phenomenon. A spokesperson from eBay has confirmed that it too has seen an uplift in the purchase of health and beauty products. Australian online deals store Catch is another store that has seen an increase in orders. Purchases in the health and beauty category are up 233% compared to last year.

Afterpay has seen a huge rise in beauty buying. The volume of beauty items sold using Afterpay has increased by 43% in March when compared to the same period last year. But it's not just big organisations that are seeing an increased interest in beauty. Individual brands are feeling the lift too. Australian brand Sand & Sky has seen a 600% increase in local sales since the end of January and a 400% increase in sales in the UK.

It seems that self-isolation is certainly making us more than a little skincare obsessed.

So what exactly is it that we're buying? Well for Myer, the surge was around skincare in particular. eBay is seeing an expected increase in vitamins and supplements, hand wash and moisturisers. But also herbal remedies and aromatherapy products. Afterpay was able to divulge that some of the top selling items from March include The Ordinary's Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum and also the Microdermabrasion Rejuvenation Kit from Lumae Skin. Sand & Sky is seeing an increase particularly clustered around its Emu Apple Mask and Australian Pink Clay Mask.

If you're looking for a little bit of beauty purchase inspiration, be sure to read about our absolute favourite masks. We also rounded up our best in clean beauty picks from local brands - because our Australian businesses can use all the support they can get right now. But remember, you don't have to go and splash your cash to treat yourself. Some of the best beauty treatments you can find in your own pantry, as you can see from our guide to DIY beauty treatments.

Here's to emerging from isolation with fresh, plump and fabulous skin.