The beauty products Brits would stop buying to save money
Brits are most likely to stop buying face masks, exfoliators, toners and eye creams to save money during the cost-of-living crisis – but would rather give up their haircut than their nail appointment.
A new survey of 2,000 British women by Clarins’s Beauty Daily revealed what their most prized beauty products and treatments are, and those they would remove from their routines if money was an issue as the cost of living rises.
When looking at professional services, the findings revealed that haircuts are the top treatment British women would stop getting done professionally at 38%, followed by hair colouring in second place, gel manicures in third place, and acrylics in fourth place.
In terms of products, the survey found that face masks, perfume and facial exfoliators are considered a luxury, and UK women would remove them from their beauty routine if they were forced to make sacrifices to save money.
However, most would look for cheaper skincare alternatives first, rather than remove these items from their routines entirely.
When looking at the findings overall, skincare was deemed less essential than make-up in light of saving money.
Face masks, face exfoliators, toner, face serum, eye cream, cleanser and lip balm made up the top 10 products they’d stop buying.
This comes as another survey revealed that Brits spend £6.5bn a year on skincare – but 18% have no idea what's in their products – and more than £1 billion worth of unused, unopened or abandoned skincare products are sitting in UK homes.
The top 10 beauty products Brits would stop buying if money was an issue:
- Face masks
- Perfume
- Face exfoliators
- Toner
- Face serum
- Eye cream/eye serum
- Cleanser
- Primer
- Body exfoliator
- Lip balm
Despite revealing the products they’d remove should money be an issue, 92% of Brits revealed they would consider more affordable beauty items before removing them from their routine entirely. Face moisturiser came in first place, with 45% of respondents revealing they’d find a cheaper moisturiser, followed by cleanser at 43%.
When it comes to the products British women would be less likely to find cheaper alternatives for, only 12% cited they’d find cheaper alternatives for contour products, 13% for lashes and 14% for lip liner. This further reinforces the idea that Brits are more inclined to cut costs when it comes to their skincare as opposed to make-up.
Sarah Joan Ross, editor of Beauty Daily, said, "With the cost of living rising, and a lot of women around the country having to make cutbacks, these findings are so insightful regarding how we spend on our beauty routines.
“I will certainly be looking at cutting back on a few items, except SPF. This should be considered a non-negotiable staple.
“There's also a case for looking into formulations – rich, high-tech, and concentrated products that you use less of and inevitably can last much longer could be the way to go."
This was echoed in a recent survey by Beauty Pie, which found that consumers are demanding fairer pricing and greater product efficacy during the cost-of-living crisis.
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