The Real Reason Why Makeup Is So Damn Expensive
We long ago resigned ourselves to a life (and salary) spent “investing” in high-end makeup. Of course we love our cheap thrills, but let’s be real: Nothing compares with a shiny new tube of Chanel lipstick or a gilded YSL eye palette weighing heavy in your hand. With that said, we’re pretty skilled when it comes to rationalizing why, exactly, we spend so much money on fancy products. The ingredients are better, obviously. They work better, obviously.
Lies. All of it. According to Randy Schueller, a cosmetic chemist and cofounder of The Beauty Brains, ingredients account for no more than 15 percent of the cost of makeup. What we’re actually paying for is marketing, packaging, and brand prestige. “Price does not really correlate to quality when it comes to cosmetic products,” Schueller confirms. Don’t act so surprised.
You’d think that at this point we’d have wised up and accepted that plenty of cheaper products are just as good as our $60 lotions … but we haven’t. And if consumer trends are any indication, neither has anyone else. Consumers are buying into high-end prestige brands at ever-increasing rates globally, and not because makeup is getting pricier overall. There are just more customers buying more expensive products.
It’s safe to say that as far as beauty is concerned, price has virtually no correlation to the quality of the products. Of course we already know this, but denial is a powerful thing. So powerful, in fact, that just talking about luxury makeup makes us want to head straight to the nearest Sephora. As much as we love our budget beauty faves, they’ll just never have the same glossy appeal.
MORE: Why Organic Beauty Products Can Be More Expensive—But Are Worth It
