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Rising prices oblige, the French are forced to make trade-offs and favor essential products, such as food. However, they have not given up on their beauty routine, as a survey reveals. But they prefer to revisit it with good deals and more affordable alternatives. Between mass-market brands and bargain hunting, consumers have gone into ‘system D’ mode.
Inflation or not, the French do not seem ready to neglect their beauty routine; which does not prevent them from transforming it to adapt it to this complicated period. As a result, they have embarked on a frantic hunt for bargains and are mainly turning to affordable brands. The quality/price ratio seems to appeal to them more than ever, according to a survey carried out among around 1,000 French people by the Klarna payments network. It appears in particular that consumers today favor consumer brands when purchasing makeup or care products, and – interestingly – that the rise in prices has no impact on their commitments in favor of the environment.
Good deals and transparency
Do luxury brands have anything to worry about? We can believe this based on the figures put forward by the survey: three-quarters of French people say they favor mass-market brands for their beauty products, and 41% mainly turn to brands found in drugstores. In both cases, these are treatments and makeup items that are more accessible – most of the time anyway – than those inherent in the world of luxury. But this is not the only tip consumers have for saving money in this sector. Nearly half of those surveyed (46%) said they “compared[er] carefully the prices”, and more than a fifth (22%) are looking for less expensive alternatives. Discount coupons are also very popular to avoid spending too much on beauty products, at 26%.
Although the survey did not look into the subject, it cannot be ruled out that the French see the end-of-year holidays as the ideal time to treat themselves or be offered luxury beauty products. A recent study carried out by OpinionWay for Blissim, presented last September, indicated that three-quarters of women planned to slip hygiene and beauty products under the tree, without specifying the price range, with particular attention paid to gift boxes, often more economical.
Inflation or not, consumers remain uncompromising regarding the transparency and ethics of brands when it comes to beauty. More than a third of French people (35%) say they frequently use organic and natural products, and 8% are considering doing so. Despite the inflationary context, more than six in ten respondents would not hesitate to devote a larger budget to sustainable and environmentally friendly beauty products. The same proportion considers it “essential” that ingredients are ethically sourced, while more than a third of those surveyed (35%) consider it important that brands are transparent about their practices. The issue of animal welfare should not be neglected, since half of consumers do not accept that beauty products are tested on animals.
Beauty for everyone
Final observation and not the least, beauty is no longer reserved for the fairer sex – far from it. Masculine beauty has not been a passing hobby, on the contrary, continuing to gain followers all over the world, and particularly in France. The survey reveals that 85% of men use treatments, between one and three on average, particularly to fight against skin aging (34%). And more than a quarter of these gentlemen also say they wear makeup, including 14% who perfect their beauty routine daily, or several times a week. Foundation (29%) and concealer (22%) appear to be the two products favored by men, in order to feel better about their skin and hide their imperfections.