Overview
Hello, and thank you for your request regarding the number of women that purchase skincare or beauty products. Your aim is to understand trends relating to how women buy beauty or skincare products, how much they spend per year on these products, and to validate the premise that many women do buy these products and spend a lot of money on them. (Men buy them, too!)
In short, an estimated 80% of U.S. women wear cosmetics each day--translating to ~161 million individuals, spending $15,000 in a lifetime on them. For the broader category of skincare and beauty, the average woman leaves her home each day having used at least 16 facial care or cosmetics products, and spends ~$200,000-$300,000 in a lifetime (or an estimated $250 per month) on skincare and cosmetic products. (However, skincare can encompass a wide range of items--not just facial care products. )
METHODOLOGY:
We used several trusted media sites to gain insights on women's spending and purchasing trends re. skincare or beauty products. The most useful source was a recent consumer survey by SkinStore.com, as well as other industry and market sources.
Below, please see our findings.
HOW MANY WOMEN BUY SKINCARE OR BEAUTY PRODUCTS?
Eighty-percent of U.S. women wear cosmetics each day. With ~161 million females in the U.S., this means that ~128.8 million women are wearing cosmetics daily.
A recent SkinStore.com survey shows that for the broader category of facial care and beauty products such as face wash, moisturizer and individual cosmetic products, 85% of American women walk out the door each day having used at least 16 such products.
These items include facial wash, toner (used by 60% of women, with $23 spend per year), serum (seeing significant growth in the U.S.), eye cream (used by ~89% of women), primer, moisturizer (with women often willing to spend $50+ for this "essential" product), concealer, foundation (with one-third of women reporting that they would not leave home without wearing it), bronzer, blusher, eye shadow, eyeliner (typically used daily), mascara, eyebrow product, highlighter and lipstick.
Online purchasing is gaining ground for both skincare and beauty products, according to survey results on personal care products reported by Statista:
- Skincare: 36% of survey respondents reported that they buy skincare items online frequently, and 42% do so sometimes. Only 3% said they do not use such products.
- Color Cosmetics: 29% of survey respondents reported that they buy color cosmetics online frequently, and 41% do so sometimes. Only 1% of survey respondents reported that they do not use such products.
Purchase frequency seems to depend on many variables--e.g., the replacement of cosmetics for safety reasons (especially mascaras), consumers (especially Millennials) who respond to current trends, the introduction of new products or innovations, etc.
HOW MUCH DO WOMEN SPEND ON SKINCARE OR BEAUTY PRODUCTS?
According to a recent survey by SkinStore.com that surveyed 3,000 women age 16-75, women spend hundreds of thousands of dollars over their lifetime, wearing on average of about $8 worth of cosmetics and skincare products daily. This translates to ~$250 per month--enough to buy a house, if calculated over the course of a lifetime, as the average woman in the U.S. will spend $200,000-$300,000 on face products in her lifetime.
Money magazine estimates that American women spend an estimated $15,000 on beauty products alone over their lifetime--with ~25% of that ($3,770) dedicated to mascara, ~13% ($2,000) spent on eye shadows and ~12% ($1,780) spent on lip color. Some products, such as mascaras, tend to be replaced more frequently than other products for safety reasons. Consumers also enjoy experimenting with the latest trends and colors.
Spending on cosmetics differs from region to region in the U.S., with clear East-coast vs. West-coast trends. For instance, locations for "cheap" faces include Montana ($3.50 daily); Utah ($4.50 daily); and Colorado ($5.00 per day). More "expensive" faces include West Virginia, New York and Connecticut (all at $11 per day). East-coasters are likely using more products each day and also using more premium products.
Delaware is the state that spends the most on lipstick; women in South Carolina spend the most on foundation; and Alaskan women spend the most on moisturizer.
GLOBAL INSIGHTS:
- Globally, consumers spend an estimated $382 billion on beauty (cosmetics) products each year.
- Skincare products will represent a $135 billion market globally by 2021, according to Lucintel. Facial care is expected to see above-average growth, as will organic skincare products.
- Statista offers another statistic for what the global skincare market will be worth by 2021: $154 billion, up from the $127 billion expected in 2017. Different sources often include different products in their definition of "skincare", and cover different countries, which may account for the differences in reporting figures. We provide these numbers to show the substantial size of this market.
ADDITIONAL INSIGHTS:
Other interesting facts point to the ubiquitous nature of skincare and beauty products:
- There are approximately 3,403 manufacturers of cosmetic and beauty products in the U.S., representing revenue of $42 billion.
- There are 115,344 beauty, cosmetics and fragrance stores in the U.S., showing 5.1% annual growth for the 2012-2017 period.
- Men spend as much as women on beauty and skincare products.
- In the U.S., Californians apply make-up fastest--taking no more than three minutes on average. New Yorkers, in comparison, spend up to 21 minutes on their daily make-up routine.
CONCLUSION:
About 161 million U.S. women use beauty products each day. With the average woman using some 16 skincare and cosmetic products daily and spending ~$200,000-$300,000 in a lifetime on them (or an estimated $250 per month), it is clearly a market for which consumers are willing to spend significant money.
The beauty and skincare market has many regional, demographic and other variables impacting purchase and use trends. Please let us know if you'd like us to explore those variables in greater detail, or if you'd like us to focus on any sub-segment of the market.
Thank you so much for using Wonder's research services. We're happy to help you any time with your information needs. Please keep us in mind for any future research needs!
