Education Center

By Guy Montague-Jones

9/12/2007- The cosmetics industry needs to abandon products promising perfection and focus on enhancement as a cross cultural study reveals that the vast majority of women want to look natural.

Health care specialists Allergan commissioned a survey of over 10,000 people in America and several European countries and found that 83 per cent of female respondents considered looking natural to be important.

The survey revealed that the neatly sculpted and high maintenance approach has given way to the natural look.

“We are also seeing women and men who want to look healthy - it’s not a coincidence. People are finally realizing that natural is sustainable and perfection is not,” said beauty consultant Wendy Lewis.

Although the study suggests that cosmetics companies should abandon transformative products, differences in European and American attitudes, suggest that they still have potential in the US.

CosmeticsDesign.com spoke to anthropologist Isabella Lepri, from the London School of Economics, who commented on the results and picked out two illuminating findings.

Lepri said the pursuit of the natural look is less important in America where many women still see a wrinkle-free face as the ideal, whereas their European cousins are more likely only to want to remove some wrinkles.

A consequence for the industry was brought out by the survey as it showed partial anti-wrinkle solutions such as non-invasive injections to be increasingly popular in Europe, whereas Americans were more interested in radical and comprehensive plastic surgery options.

Another notable difference flagged up by the anthropologist was that 31 percent of American men and only 10 percent of European men considered grooming to be important because they wanted to look professional at work.

The importance of looking professional to the American consumer was illustrated in a recent study commissioned by Crest Whitestrips, which found that during simulated job interviews 65 percent of the 80 participants were viewed to be more professional after having their teeth whitened.

An increasingly large body of research suggests that cosmetics companies operating in the US would do well to market their products at ambitious male professionals.

In terms of celebrities Allergan concluded its research by announcing the end of the Pamela Anderson era. According to the survey, Gwyneth Paltrow and Nicole Kidman are now the top beauty role models.

Posted in: Cosmetics | Healing Honey Skin Care | Natural Skin Care | Well Being

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