http://www.alternet.org/story/148140/the_cosmetics_racket%3A_why_the_beauty_industry_can_get_away_with_charging_a_fortune_for_makeup
This article discusses the issue of pricing, and whether beauty products and the ingredients which make up the actual product cost as high as they are priced.
Even though my critical study focuses on the aesthetics of make-up packaging and how this influences consumer purchasing decisions, one can't deny that pricing is also a determining factor. I agree with what the article states, that is, that for most of the high-end products with prices starting from $90, clients would be paying for the brand - packaging, and marketing and advertising schemes - rather than for the ingredients within the product itself.
This shows that clients are 'tricked' unintentionally by elaborate packaging and claims about the product which could be true but somewhat exaggerated in order to attract customers, and ultimately instill a sense of want for the product in order to satisfy their needs or possible insecurities.
"Cosmetic companies are acutely aware of the anxieties consumers have about aging and
other skin concerns. They know what consumers want to hear, and they claim exactly that, even
when it isn't true. Hope springs eternal, and a lot of people are willing to pay a lot more than
is necessary for a product that promises to fix whatever bothers them."
- Paula Begoun, make-up artist, cosmetic expert and author
Another factor which is also influential is psychology. Cosmetics clients tend to believe that higher pricing means better quality, and thus that instills a feeling in the clients which makes them feel good about themselves, and ranks them higher within the social scale.
The following is a link to a youtube video in which a make-up artist find dupes for high end products from the high street in order to create the same look. She applies the high street products to one half of her face, and the high end products to the other half. Shes uses the same techniques for both sides of her face, and leaves the make-up on for most of the day. At the end of the day she analyses both sides of her face in terms of the make-up's staying power, long-weariness and colour intensity. The results are quite interesting; sometimes the difference is so minute that it wouldn't even be worth paying a large amount of money for high end products when spending a quarter of the money on make-up from the high street will still get the job done. This goes to show that the majority of the price of high end products comprises packaging, and other brand advertising schemes. Elaborate packaging is mostly the sole reason for client's purchasing decision in these cases.
Link to youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDkMfdg-1as
