You've probably digested enough skincare content to last a lifetime if you follow beauty magazines, bloggers or YouTubers. You've undoubtedly also heard a lot about high-priced products and low-cost alternatives. Some beauty fans argue that high-end products are expensive for a reason, while others swear by drugstore finds. It's challenging to navigate, especially if you're attempting to strike a compromise between product efficacy and a limited budget.
What goes into the price of skincare?
What factors influence product and brand price differences? Is it true that a higher price equates to a more effective outcome? Is it all simply marketing gimmickry? As is customary in the field of skincare, the truth is more complicated than beauty magazines or brands would have you believe.
Skin and beauty products can range in price from low-cost brands on supermarket shelves to high-end brands found in department stores. Ingredients, formulation, packaging, and marketing all play a role in the wide price range. So, why are some products so expensive?
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Marketing and packaging
Marketing and packaging can differ between an economical skincare product and an expensive one. A skincare or beauty product decorated with logos and other design features increases the cost. Many high-end brands add a matte, rubbery coating to products to give them a luxury look and feel – much like the NARS packaging but this further increases the cost of the product. In addition to this, sustainable packaging, for example, comes at a higher cost which is then reflected in the price of the product.
Big beauty brands usually pay more for advertising such as on the TV or billboards, for example. But these big-budget marketing tactics are factored into the final retail price of products. If you’ve ever heard of the saying, “You pay for the brand name and not the product”, this rings true here.
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Ingredient Availability
Some beauty and skincare ingredients are more difficult to come by, making them more expensive. Rose essential oil, for example, is used in skincare products due to its anti-redness and anti-inflammation properties. Rose petals are steam distilled to produce this essential oil but one pound of rose essential oil requires ten thousand pounds of rose petals. Another example is organic, cold-pressed argan oil which is harder to source than regular sunflower oil. This makes obtaining enormous quantities of the higher-quality ingredients difficult and costly which is reflected in product prices.
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Concentration
The concentration of essential chemicals in the formula of a beauty or skincare product is one of the most critical factors that determine how much it costs. According to Dr. Jaliman, a board-certified dermatologist, "an expensive moisturizer will usually have a higher concentration of the 'good' ingredients."
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Texture
Higher priced beauty and skincare products feel more luxurious and softer on the skin. This is because the brand can afford better manufacturing processes and high-quality ingredients to produce a silky-smooth texture.
But does the price of a beauty product have any effect on its efficacy?
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Better Quality Ingredients
It’s no surprise that high-end beauty products usually have better quality ingredients. An expensive product is more likely to come from a quality source to maximize its antioxidant properties. So, the high-end product is armed with better quality antioxidants that are moisturizing, assist in slowing damage to cells, and fights free radicals in the body.
Celebrity aesthetician Joanna Czech says, “I know how much money you need to spend to get a certain level of efficacy. Not always, but a lot of the time, quality ingredients are much more expensive.” So, when it comes to results-driven and effective, you usually get what you pay for.
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More Potency
It's crucial to remember that many inexpensive moisturizers include the same effective active ingredients as more expensive moisturizers, but they simply won't have nearly as much of them. More active ingredients and fewer filler ingredients impact the potency and effectiveness of the product. This is why it is so important to read a product’s ingredient list before purchasing.
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Higher concentration of actives
Active ingredients are, in essence, what makes a skincare product effective. Stronger actives can penetrate the skin faster than others, making the product more effective on your skin. In addition to this, products with a high concentration of actives often don't contain perfumes, which might cause adverse reactions in certain people. Thus, in hindsight, more expensive products with a higher concentration of active ingredients may be more effective and prevent skin irritation, compared with cheaper products with less active ingredients.
Despite this, there is a common misconception that more expensive skincare is usually better than less expensive, but this is not always the case. There have been instances where manufacturers have used the same formula for two identical products at two different price ranges for two different brands. This demonstrates that in some cases, you pay for the brand name and packaging rather than the effectiveness of the beauty or skincare product.
It's important to always check the ingredient list before purchasing a product. For example, a high-end company might have a product containing 90% water and only 10% active ingredients. Or a higher-priced product may contain more “filler” ingredients than active ingredients and are therefore just as effective as drug store alternatives. Because of these points, it is important to research the brand and product, read reviews and the full ingredient list before making a well-informed purchase.
