If you were to open up your beauty drawer right now, how much expired makeup would you find? If you answered, "More than I want to admit," you'll be happy to know that you're not alone. It's actually a huge problem that a majority of women are guilty of. According to a recent study conducted by Vaseline, 77% of women use less than 10 beauty items regularly, despite spending money on about 100 different products over the course of the year. Although this research was conducted on a group of British women, I think it's safe to assume that similar habits can be found in American women, too.
The study concluded that most women are "beauty hoarders," keeping unused products like nail polishes and moisturizers far past their expiration date. The most popular unused beauty products included nail polishes, shampoos, conditioners, lipsticks, lip glosses, perfumes and shower gels. As a result, women waste an average of 5,846 beauty products in their lifetimes, which amount to over $300,000. Plus, women admitted to only using 10% of the beauty items they buy.
The reason behind it all? The Daily Mail UK believes the bare-faced beauty trend has a lot to do with it. Earlier this year, a study found that although women (and men) believe guys like girls who are totally dolled-up, both sexes actually prefer less makeup. Also, the #nomakeupselfie hashtag has taken Twitter and Instagram by storm, even resulting in charitable fundraising efforts across the sea.
What's the takeaway here? Perhaps we should all think twice before buying another shade of red lipstick or this season's off-white nail polish because do we really need them? Additionally, there are a number of places you can donate unused beauty products to, including women-friendly shelters and non-profit organizations like The Beauty Bus Foundation and Dress for Success, all of which help women and girls in need. So, if you're not planning on changing your beauty spending habits anytime soon, at least others might be able to benefit from it.
