Brits spend on average £400 on beauty products each year

British women spend on average £400 on cosmetics every year and own at least 24 products at any one time, found a survey by discount specialists Picodi.

More than a third (38%) surveyed said they purchase cosmetics when they are discounted, 35% buy when their cosmetics have run out and 27% treat themselves to products whenever they want to, the report found.

When asked the reasons for picking particular cosmetics, price (74%) came out as the most important factor, followed by brand name (56%), ingredients (34%), own preferences (28%), influencer recommendations (23%), specialists’ tips (23%) and friends’ opinions (16%). 

However, 41% said they would purchase more premium cosmetics “occasionally” and 28% always buy them, showing that price isn’t a key factor for everyone, the report found.  

When it comes to investing in more eco-friendly products, 67% will only buy these options when the price is reasonable, while 21% will purchase them no matter the price, and 12% don’t care about the ecological aspect of cosmetics.

Additionally, according to the women surveyed, the average make-up bag contains six lipsticks, three lip liners, three blushes, three mascaras, five nail polishes and five eyeshadows.

Stats on British women’s make-up use 

More than half (58%) of the women surveyed said they use make-up “sometimes”; 27% use it daily and 15% state they only use it on special occasions, the report found. 

21% of women claim they take less than five minutes doing their make-up, while almost half (48%) take five-to-15 minutes, and 31% 15–30 minutes.

In the UK, the most popular cosmetics are lipstick and lip gloss (64%), foundation (51%) and mascara (46%).

Mascara was the most popular cosmetic for Ireland, Germany and Spain, whereas lipstick and lip gloss topped the charts in the USA and Australia.

What do you make of the survey? Comment below.