Everyone wants nice skin. After all, it is one of a few features in a person’s appearance that can be maintained with readily available products. A simple scroll through Instagram or Fenwicks will give various options for skincare products. According to a market analysis by Technavio, the skincare industry will increase by £27.4 billion between 2020 and 2024. With this growth comes new products and new brands. This is not necessarily a bad thing; the beauty industry’s diversity is a nod to each individual skin’s uniqueness. But this diversity means it is up to the consumer to know what to purchase and, more importantly, when to stop. a
People usually embark upon a trial-and-error process when trying to find a skincare routine. However, there can be the desire to keep purchasing new products. As one Reddit user puts it, “buy[ing] new ones anyway cause they MIGHT [sic] be better and then [the product] ends up ruining your skin again.”
The idea of a better product suggests the fear that people are missing out on something that could work better, compelling the need to buy. The new products people buy might work better, or they might not, and sometimes they have the opposite effect. There is nothing wrong with looking for a new product when a current skincare routine isn’t working. If it causes irritation or an allergic reaction, it is definitely right to stop using the product, as is stated on skincare product labels.
But constantly being on the lookout for a might-be-better product is a never-ending search. The skincare industry is ever-changing and will always have a myriad of brands; it will always be pumping out new products alongside old products, telling people that this or that is the product. That fear of not doing the most for one’s skin makes one susceptible to these claims.
Consumers aren’t to blame for this thought process. The idea that there’s a more effective product stems from the ways that brands market their products. An article written by Adam Ferrier Maps from the Australian Psychological Society talks about what influences one’s urge to buy and that advertisements convince one to act on one’s emotions rather than logic.
The example the article gives is the sale of a shampoo. Marketers won’t state that the shampoo has the ability to clean hair because that is obvious. Instead, the marketer might say that it has the ability to “make you beautiful and glamorous.”
There are two techniques used here. First is the use of unquantifiable terms such as “beautiful” and “glamorous.” The definition of these terms is unique to each person but treated as universal. Second, the use of “you” addresses the consumer directly. It puts the consumer in the advertisement and makes it seem personal, as though the product was made specifically with an individual person in mind. When analyzed, these two techniques are more easily distinguishable. It is important to take note of how they are applied in skincare product marketing.
Take, for example, the websites of Glow Recipe, Youth to the People, and Estée Lauder—three skincare brands of varying target audiences and stages of establishment.
Glow Recipe, a brand that started in 2014, states on their front page, “we've made it our mission since 2014 to empower you to feed your skin the ingredients it needs, when it needs it - because no one day is the same." Immediately, the word “you” stands out. It is as though the company is focused on the consumer’s, and specifically an individual’s, skin. Glow Recipe might be focused on their customer’s satisfaction, but it is certainly not just focused on an individual. A single consumer is not as special to them as the italics imply. Additionally, it is said—though not blatantly—that, through buying their products, one will be empowered. Their signature Watermelon Glow Niacinamide Dew Drops is definitely not a universal symbol of empowerment, especially when considering the fact that products are not one size fits all.
These same tactics are at play with Youth to the People, a brand that is sold by Sephora (a beauty retailer operating in America). The front page of this brand’s website uses the term “essential” and that it is for “all people” to describe their products. What does it mean for something to be essential? There is an attempt at individuality by categorizing by skin type, but that does not mean it is for everyone, nor that it is essential for everyone. Skin differs beyond the four types that they have listed—oily, dry, “combo” and sensitive. Also, a moisturizer that sells at £42 retail seems to be a hefty price for calling something “essential.” Ludicrous standards are being set with these word choices.
The last brand, Estée Lauder, an established luxury brand that targets older women, is the one that uses the most blatant marketing techniques of the three. On their skincare page, Estée Lauder advertises multiple products, one of which is the Revitalizing Supreme + Bright Power Creme. Estée Lauder’s website defines the product as “Youth Boosting. Radiance Recharging.” Without even discussing the name, the description might as well be worthless: “Radiance Recharging” has no basis.
However, the first claim of “Youth Boosting” is meaningful because Estée Lauder is targeted at older women. It is deliberately broad because a claim that the product “makes you 20 years younger” has to be proven. The product preys on the belief that, with a single product, consumers can turn back time. So, Estée Lauder is taking the desired trait of youthfulness that many women aspire to embody and capitalizing on it. There is no mention of why the products will make the consumer have “radiance” and “youth” because, as indicated by the Australian Psychological Society article, that wouldn’t make consumers act on their desires.
This is not to say that these products don’t work. It is not even to say that a routine can’t be improved. Instead, it is showing the advantage of slowing down and evaluating before a purchase. With the influx of brands and products, it is easy to let companies make the decision. Consider following a list of guidelines before going on a spending spree on newly released products. Ask if there is any need for the product. Be mindful and critical when asking if the product will actually deliver.
Don’t chase the idea of a better brand, because brands will always claim that they have the superior product by providing unquantifiable statements to back it up. Diversity in skincare means that many products will be marketed towards individual consumers but not all of them will be suitable for every person. Consumers buy new products because they are dissatisfied with their current routine. Next time, when at checkout, think about all the steps that led there and ask: will this purchase only lead to eventual dissatisfaction?