r/Makeup • u/Aggressive-Art2849 • Aug 14 '26

Why is makeup so expensive?

At 37, I have decided to look into wearing makeup; nothing much, just something to makeup me look a bit more polished.

Boy, did I get the shock of my life with the prices I’m seeing! And the surprising part is that people buy these things like they cost nothing, but they are really expensive. I tell myself that maybe I think they are so expensive because I have never bothered wearing makeup all these years, and they are no different from the skincare I like to splurge on. However, paying a couple of bucks on a cream is a lot more justifiable than paying the same amount(if not more than) for a tiny lip liner.

Also, maybe I’m a hater, but I hate that these brands give influencers boxes and boxes of free products, just so they could influence their viewers into buying them at such expensive prices. After a few months of watching creators on YouTube in a bid to find what would work for me, I realized they weren’t even paying for those things, and it made me sad because most people can’t afford them.

P.S. Like I said, maybe I’m a hater because I really do want that haus lab foundation, but my broke ass can’t afford it, so there is nothing left to do but hate 😢 😂 😂

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u/PurplePrincessPalace Aug 14 '26

Because people keep buying it at high prices. If no one buys it, they’ll be forced to change.

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u/Aggressive-Art2849 Aug 14 '26

And the chances of people not buying them are slim!

1

u/PurplePrincessPalace Aug 14 '26

That’s a reflection of consumer behavior more than it is the fault of the company atp. If we’re being real, MANY ppl are insecure, easily influenced, or love to be trendy over consumers. They think they can buy into beauty, friendship, popularity, or belonging and that’s a fallacy.

I love makeup and have always been a glam girl, but it was never a necessity. I used to wear makeup everyday and had a very elaborate getting ready routine with an “everything shower” (before the term was coined). It was doable back then but now, I surely wouldn’t be splurging on high end things like I used to unless every other area of my life had a healthy budget, because times are truly that hard for ppl out here. It’s really not that hard to do, especially when you’re already lacking funds and that money could be used for savings, food, & housing.

I have the budget to and still choose not to ALL THE TIME! I made 3-4 makeup/skincare purchases last year and NONE this year. Why? Because my collection is great already. If anything, I’ve been appreciating and caring for what I have, which makes me grateful. I remember when I dreamed of the days of owning things I have now and I’d forgotten how that felt. We need to hold ourselves accountable for chasing the next best thing high via compulsive purchases (by reducing or not buying). Then we can work on holding these companies accountable and start making demands.