The Cost of Beauty

Makeup costs the average woman hundreds of dollars annually. According to Mint, a personal-finance site, the average woman will spend $15,000 on makeup in a lifetime, not including skin care or feminine hygiene products.

Despite this, makeup doesn’t just greedily consume money, as it takes time. According to The Atlantic and the Today Show, getting ready consumes an average of two weeks per year.

These facts pave the way for the “makeup tax.” While you may not literally pay taxes on cosmetics, it suggests that it costs you money and time in the morning instead. It impacts both paychecks and relationships. Two years ago, a Reddit user named “Makeup Addiction” brought up the question, “How much does your face cost?.” The trick was to add all of the prices of their daily makeup products together and divide that price by their shelf-life. The average shelf-life for cosmetics is six months. Hundreds of users replied with a list of their daily or favorite cosmetics.

When these totals were divided by shelf-life, and an approximation of 5-6 days a week of use, a $349 dollar lists has a “cost per wear” price of $2.75. The user “enriant” stated, “$2.75 a day to look super fab. Totally worth it.” Another list, comprising of $109 worth of cosmetics, has a “cost per wear” price of $.60. I wanted to see how much my daily “cost per wear” price was, so I created a list of all my favorite cosmetics. My list, comprising of $232 worth of cosmetics, has a “cost per wear” price of $1.28 per day. The total list price ranged from $25 to a staggering $530.20. One list was worth over $1,000 CAD. Together the lists totaled $23,354.22, averaging $252.85 a face.

No wonder the cosmetics industry makes $60 billion each year.

Those who purchase a multitude of cosmetics, and possibly hoard them, can be labeled as “cosmoholics” or “beauty addicts.” According to Dr. Renae Reinardy, there is such a thing as “too much.” The buying and hoarding of cosmetics can be psychologically addicting. This action can be fed by several different disorders. Disorders such as dysmorphic disorder, compulsive acquisition or spending, obsessive compulsive disorder, anxiety, and depression have been linked to buying an excessive amount of makeup, and keeping it for way too long.

Believe it or not makeup is one of the cheaper addictions.

According to Quit Day, a person that smokes one pack of cigarettes a day will spend $2,011 dollars a year on cigarettes alone. A person that smokes two will spend $4,022, and a person that smokes 3 will spend $6,033. That is a lifetime cost of $1,097,690 to $2,032,916.

According to Recovery Ranch, an alcoholic who drinks two cheap six packs will spend $9 a day, $36 a month, and $432 dollars a year. Recovery Ranch also reported that a person addicted to marijuana will spend $1,000 a year, a person addicted to methamphetamines will spend $4,000 a year, and a person addicted to heroin or cocaine will spend $10,000 a year. Economic despair isn’t the only consequence, there are a multitude of social implications- the second half of the “makeup tax.” In certain situations, such as at work, there is pressure to wear makeup. This is especially true since most female, adult figures such as celebrities, mothers, and teachers wear it. Additionally, magazines bombard readers with tips took “flawless.” In these particular situations a female may be told they looked “tired” or “sick” without it. They may be told they don’t put enough effort into their appearance. According to the Journal of Applied Psychology, women “wearing cosmetics were perceived as healthier and more confident than without. Additionally, evidence suggests that when wearing makeup they do better at work. They have greater potential and work more prestigious jobs. The Journal of Applied Psychology stated , “The results suggest that women can successfully employ cosmetics to manipulate how they are assessed, which may be advantageous in social situations where women may be judged on their appearance, such as job interviews.”

This theory has been proven to be true.

Economics professor Daniel Hamermesh published the book “Beauty Pays: Why Attractive People are more Successful.” The book reasons that good looking people earn more money than less attractive people. He estimates that they make $230,000 more in a lifetime. It is reasoned that makeup takes a hit to the wallet, and since attractiveness is better for business, women may be sacrificing time and money in hopes of getting a better job. This would allow the cycle to repeat.

Many claim that the solution to the “makeup tax” is to just to stop wearing makeup all together, though it isn’t that simple. Individuals that wear makeup may not feel confident or look the way they want to look without it, some individuals prefer no makeup, others don’t have the time or money, or just have an at home job. A multitude of individuals just love spending a ton of money and wearing makeup. Any reason to wear makeup or not is fine. The “makeup tax” and the “cost of beauty” is different for any individual. You do you boo!