Whatever the reason, more than half of us are drawing the connection between how we feel about our looks, and how we feel in ourselves. Among women, this rises steeply to 62% who cite that appearance is an important factor in building self-esteem.
It’s hugely encouraging then to see that consumers feel our products play a really positive role. Just over half of UK adults polled (53%) said that cosmetics and personal care products play an important role in building their self-esteem, with this rising to 65% of women.
Looking at demographics, 18-34 year olds (65%) value our products the most for this reason.
When asked about specific self-esteem boosters, two thirds of people polled (65%) said wearing sunscreen to protect their skin from the sun was important.
‘Wearing make-up to look my best’ was cited as important by 48% of women and 19% of men, proving the inclusive impact of the ‘lipstick effect’. While for many (38% of women and 17% of men) ‘wearing make-up to express who I am’ is closely connected to positive self-esteem.
Of course, as seen on our 'Self-Esteem Boosters' image, ‘using toiletries for cleanliness and hygiene’ wins out in the battle of self-esteem boosters where our industry’s products are concerned. An incredible 91% of women cite this as an important self-esteem booster. What an affirmation of and for our industry.
References
CTPA market research with Opinium polled 2,000 UK adults between 25 February and 1 March 2022. See more information about this research in CTPA's Annual Report 2021, More Than A Feeling...
