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The Beauty Industry Is Ripping You Off
By Mary Elise Chavez
Posted Wednesday, July 12th, 2006

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In today's competitive world of beauty products, marketers are constantly coming up with fresh gimmicks to get your money. Fancy packaging, language, and tag lines are often shoved down our throats to make us think we must have the latest product. Read the below article and maybe it will change your mind about dishing $45.00 on a lip gloss.

What many women do not know about the beauty industry, is the actual production process of the products. Sure they say "Made in France", or "Made in Switzerland", but when it comes down to it, just how different is that $48 mascara, from the $7.50 drugstore version? Department store brands tend to make exuberant claims to reel in the consumer. Miracle products that promise to "magically erase wrinkles", "makes pores physically smaller", and "re-train the skin" are just a few of them. As with weight loss products, all of these "quick fixes" appeal to us because of simplicity, however, you have to understand the product from the marketer's point-of-view. They are trying to grab your attention above all of the other brands and product lines out there, so the claims may be completely false, but hey, at least you came to the counter and fell for it.

There is no need to buy department store make-up when you can find the same quality at a lower price. The emphasis is Quality. A lot of drugstore make-up even surpasses department store makeup and is a tenth of the price! When comparing the two, look for texture, richness of color, staying power, and of course, the price tag. Often hidden from the consumer is the fact that the majority of the time, these various products are made on the SAME production lines! They simply affix the product with a different label, packaging, and price tag. With various brand extensions and images, companies can get away with different price brackets by manipulating the consumer to think that they are in no way associated with a lower line of cosmetic products.

In fact, powerhouse Estee Lauder owns Clinique, Prescriptives, Bobbi Brown, MAC, Origins, Aveda, Stila, and Jane. Competitor L'oreal owns Maybelline, Lancome, Kiehl's, BioMedic and many more.

It's important to note that as with the clothing industry, the beauty market thrives off of beauty "trends." Without the trends, the beauty market would fall apart. Magazines and cosmetic stores promote these "seasonal trends" to get the consumer to buy from them several times a year. So don't be fooled by the "Fall" and "Springtime" collections, often times you can find these "new and innovative" collections year-round at your local CVS, Rite Aid, or Walgreens.

When you first walk into the cosmetic section of a department store, you may be greeted by the over aggressive sales guy or girl who offers to do a brief makeover on you. They'll use every product for every "problem", and then try and convince you to buy everything they used. Don't fall under the pressure of buying it all, rather, pick one or two of your favorite items that they used on you. Get a list of the other products they used, in case you want to purchase them down the line.

Tip: The MAC Beauty line has rapidly gained popularity these past few years with their ad campaigns and stand alone specialty stores located in certain malls around the country. With eye shadows, lipsticks, glosses, and much more starting at around $10-12, deals can still be found. Also, sub-brands like Avon's "Mark" line, targeted towards young women, has great products at around the same price as MAC (often less).

Bottom line: I'm not saying to never buy department store make-up again, being a fan myself, I have found many fabulous products at both Nordstrom and Neiman's. However, rather than blowing your budget on four items for $100 at the make-up counter, compare and search for the products that are best for you. When searching for a great lipstick or gloss, eye shadow or foundation, forget brand names; look for color, consistency, wearibility, all which will determine the price.

For more great information regarding this topic, please check out: "Don't Go To The Cosmetics Counter Without Me" by Paula Begoun.