Beauty

Could the money we spend on beauty products be best spent on something else?

Posted on by Stacy G
13
Mar

Have you ever added up how much you spend each year on beauty products and treatments, such as cosmetics, manis and pedis, hair care, perfumes and visits to salons? It’s probably much more than you think.

 

When it comes to beauty and grooming, the stores are full of products that promise miracle results and, even if we’re not taken in by the claims, we’re constantly looking for ways to improve nature with a new lotion or potion, a new hair color, or the latest treatment to promise younger looking skin. But how much do we actually spend on beauty products each year?

Recent research has revealed that some women are spending thousands of dollars on an annual basis to buy all kinds of beauty products and treatments from cosmetics to cosmetic surgery. Whether they spend money trying to keep up with the latest looks and trends promoted by celebrities on social media sites such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook, or they’re influenced by the growing number of bloggers and vloggers who showcase products and beauty regimes on their YouTube channels, there’s no doubt about it; the money we spend on beauty each year is on the rise.

In the UK, My Voucher Code  carried out an investigation into the ‘True Cost of Beauty’, the results of which were very revealing. From their research, they discovered that the beauty market in the UK is worth a staggering £284 million a year. Of course, this is just a drop in the ocean when you look at the amount of cash we spend on cosmetics here in the States, where the figures run into billions of dollars on an annual basis. This is particularly interesting when you consider that although we rank number one in the world for cosmetics spending, we rank a lowly 23 in the world on the ‘Satisfaction with Life Index (SWLI)’, while countries that spend the least on beauty products, Netherlands and Sweden, top the charts when it comes to life satisfaction.  So, wouldn’t this money be better spent elsewhere? Perhaps on improving ourselves instead of our looks, or investing it into a retirement plan?

Some women have decided to resist the lure of the marketing campaigns, turn their backs on the trend of following celebrities and find ways to get back to a more simpler life. Not only are they reducing the amount of clutter they have in their homes, but they’re paring back their closets and their beauty products, preferring to spend their hard-earned dollars on experiences instead of things and possessions. Rather than handing over money for the promise of better skin, or buying yet another product for their cosmetic case, they’re preferring to invest in themselves by learning new skills, travelling the world, joining yoga retreats, and having treatments that promote overall wellbeing such as massages, rather than treatments that purely concentrate on the outer package.

So, the next time you reach into your wallet to hand over cash for yet another new nail polish or lipstick, stop and think whether you really need it or whether you could use that cash to better advantage. After all, to steal the motto of a famous beauty brand “You’re worth it!”

 

Stacy G

It's What I Know. Who I know .Where I want to go.