This is just a glimpse of the insights available in CivicScience’s Pulse of the U.S. Beauty Buyer Report. Want to see the full picture? Let’s talk.
The beauty industry has seen unprecedented growth over the past five years, defying market expectations through the pandemic and the economic turmoil that followed. Contributing to that resiliency has been a shifting mindset of consumers, who increasingly view beauty and skincare as central to their emotional well-being. But will these rosy conditions continue as inflation drags on, household debt grows, and the stress of another political season unfolds?
The CivicScience Pulse on the U.S. Beauty Buyer report answers these questions and more. This report is your road map to expertly anticipate and navigate key changes in this elite industry by understanding the beauty consumer’s evolving attitudes, profiles, and interests. Here’s a preview of the beauty insights available in the full report:
How Beauty Buyers Are Altering Their Shopping Habits
While the pandemic brought on increased interest in buying beauty products, economic pressures such as inflation are starting to hit shoppers hard, and they’re altering their shopping habits as a result. CivicScience data show that nearly 80% of beauty buyers have adjusted their shopping habits to combat these pressures. In particular, they’re most likely to have compared prices from different brands (37%), followed by forgoing a purchase because the price was too high (35%) and using coupons/discount codes (30%).
Additionally, inflation has caused many to cut back on beauty buying in general. CivicScience data show that the percentage who’ve cut back on beauty/personal care spending has increased by seven percentage points since February.1
Answer our Polls: How much do you typically spend per week on beauty products?
Why You Should Pay Attention to Buy Now, Pay Later Programs
Consumers are largely adopting buy now, pay later (BNPL) programs, and beauty buyers are no exception. The percentage of beauty buyers who’ve used one of these types of services has grown by over 180% since 2021 – 43% have used one today, up from 15% in 2021. Among beauty buyers who’ve used these programs, nearly 6-in-10 owe in BNPL debt. (Purchase the full report to see the average approximated debt.)
Which Beauty Categories Will Be Most Affected by Inflation?
In addition to adjusting beauty buying habits, consumers are planning to cut back spending on every beauty category. May data show that beauty buyers are most likely to cut back on fragrance, followed by makeup and skincare. They’re less likely to cut back on hair care and bath and body; however, a larger percentage intend to spend “less” versus “more.”
Want to know how these emerging trends will impact beauty buyers in the long run? Learn how you can access our monthly Pulse of the U.S. Beauty Buyer report here.
Join the Conversation: Do you typically wait to run out of a beauty item before purchasing another?
Did you know that CivicScience can leverage insights like these to build highly-targeted ad campaigns, reach persuadable buyers, and drive better ad engagement? Want to learn how?
- 124,481 responses from 5/31/2023 to 5/31/2024 ↩︎