In this blog we talk about beauty companies shrinking product sizes and the impact it has on consumers. Over the course of the last few years we have seen the gradual decline in beauty product sizes in order to maintain or even increase prices.
Typically, we all associate larger products with better value for money. This becomes an issue when the packaging stays the same size but they have reduced the actual product to keep costs down. Often these changes will go unnoticed by the consumer as the packaging looks exactly the same.
How often do you check the label? Changes in product size are often not even mentioned. This lack of transparency and honesty also raises a lot of ethical issues and can lead to consumers feeling lied to or wondering why their products are running out so much quicker than before.
Reducing the size of a product can help companies maintain profit margins without massively raising prices, which could then lead to a backlash from consumers. With the rising cost of ingredients, packaging and transportation, reducing product size seems to be a favourable solution to a beauty company trying to minimise its price increase while maintaining its profit.
Although not a beauty company, a prime example would be Cadburys! They have shrunk their family bars by 10% and their cream egg packs from 6 to 5 in a bid to maximize profit margins and prevent price increases.
We haven’t increased our prices of wax, instead we have introduced our 14kg box to encourage more sustainable buying when it comes to wax products.
Some tips to look out for, is always check the label and look at the product size, work out the cost per gram/kilo to see what is more cost effective, compare with bulk buying bundle cost, follow your brands on socials for updates on changes to products and finally you can always ask the brand directly if you are unsure.
While shrinking beauty products may seem like the short term answer for beauty businesses trying to keep rising costs down, the long term issues will ultimately affect consumers trust in the brand and they may choose to look elsewhere. In a highly competitive beauty industry, transparency is key.