
Boots money-saving hack sees shoppers buying men's version of same product
A recent video exposed the alarming pink tax in the UK 's number one drugstore - proving its own products increased in price when in the women's skincare aisle versus its men's counterpart, for pink packaging alone.
A TikTok offering 'top tips' for Boots' own brand skincare, titled "Boots money saving hack. Don't pay more for pink packaging," has received 923,300 views and over 115,000 likes for the shopping hack that is simply this: shop in the men's section.
Despite replacing Marks & Spencer as women's top brand in Britain in 2018, according to YouGov, TikTok user 'the finance gurl' shared that Boots' skincare can be made even cheaper, once you remove it's pink packaging in favour of Boots' Men's green and blue. And all it will cost you is a short walk down the drugstore's aisles.
Giving the example of a hyaluronic acid moisturiser, the creator captioned the clip: "The men's section often has cheaper alternative s, which are sometimes identical to the women's version!"
The creator's dupe for the moisturiser was the exact same product advertised to men. To add to viewers' disbelief, the cheaper alternative is both bigger in size and less in price - a win for everyone but the female-majority consumer.
In the video, the creator shows the pink hyaluronic acid moisturiser on sale for £5.30 (at a Boots Advantage card price). The 30ml bottle contains the exact ingredients as the 50ml bottle for £2.50 just steps away, in their respective pink and green packaging. "You're actually getting more for half the price," said the creator.
For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror's Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox.
One comment under the viral read: "I just checked website and if you look at price per 100mls, men's is considerably cheaper! Pink tax p*sses me off!". Another wrote how they "can't believe boots out of everyone is doing this," attracting nearly 31,000 likes.
Interestingly, one defender pointed out how the ingredient sodium hyaluronate is slightly higher up the ingredient list (eighth to the men's 10th), sharing that "the higher up on the list the higher the amount," and therefore reflects in the price. However, compared to the ratio between the two prices, viewers of the video remain unimpressed and unconvinced.
A third person typed: "It's a crying shame they get away with this! Same with 'baby stuff', always get cotton wool and wipes in the baby section. It's way cheaper".
The Mirror reached out to Boots for a comment. A spokesperson said the brand has set out to correct their error and reprice the product. They said: "Our Boots Men Everyday Skin Hyaluronic Acid Moisturiser (50ml) costs £6 but it was priced at £2.50 in one of our Aberdeen stores in error."
"The Boots Ingredients Hyaluronic Acid Moisturiser (30ml) costs £5. Following a review, we will reduce the cost of this product to £3.60 so it is in line with the price of the men's product on a ml basis".
The spokesperson added: "Thank you to the social media user in Aberdeen who posted the video that brought this to our attention".
'Pink tax' is not something officially imposed by governments, but it is arguable that women of Britain feel its effects. The term refers to the steeped prices of female products compared to those marketed to men, creating gendered price-discrimination.
It describes the gap between products and services marketed to men and women - often identical products - including toiletries and sanitary products, clothing, and even services like dry cleaning and hair cuts. In turn, this forms a domino effect into women's finances, adding to the gender wage gap and financial inequality.
A stark example in UK research from 2018 found women's facial moisturiser was 34.28 percent more expensive than men's.
Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you!

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Daily Mirror
13 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
UK shoppers slam 'shrinkflation' as popular chocolate bars reduce further in size
British shoppers have slammed the price of chocolate after several Cadbury's products appeared to suffer further 'shrinkflation' - with multipacks reducing in size, but prices remaining the same Many of the UK's most popular chocolate bars have reduced in size yet again, prompting angry shoppers to slam the 'shrinkflation' technique adopted by the leading brands. The term refers to a product decreasing in size or quantity, only for the price to remain the same. As such, companies use the method to subtly get more money from the consumer - often without them realising. Recent cases have been highlighted on TikTok by user, Cost of Living Crisis Tips, who pointed out several changes to Cadbury products on supermarket shelves. They elaborated on the new prices in a video, which have affected multipacks and Share Bags of some of the nation's favourite treats. "Chocolate is shrinking again - this time it's CurlyWurly," they began in the clip. The TikTok user claimed multipacks now contain four bars instead of five - with the £1.40 price tag being maintained. Next, they revealed that Fudge multipacks are making the same move - proving their point by showcasing the packets of four already lined up on the shelves behind the packets of five, ready to be sold. "You can see it with your own eyes," they said. "Here at Morrisons the four-packs are ready to go out, so if you like your Fudge, and you see a five-pack, then get them because you're not going to be able to get them soon." Continuing in the same vein, Cost of Living Crisis Tips shared that Freddo multipackets have suffered the exact same fate, yet their price has gone up a "bl***y lot". As for Dairy Milk Little Bars, they claimed they have reduced from six in a pack to four. "They're thin enough as it is," they slammed. "It's the same with Twirls," Cost of Living Crisis Tips continued. "You used to get four Twirls in a multipack - now you get three. They think we won't notice like we're daft or something. But it's just an insult to our intelligence." Moving on Cadbury's Share Bags, the TikTok user added that Crunchie Rocks treats have fallen from 110g bags to 100g - again with the price remaining the same. They closed by noting Bitsa Wispa and Twirl Bites bags, which have undergone an identical change. "Shrinkflation is out of control!" they declared. Writing in response, one TikTok user slammed: "I was debating between a pack of Twirls and Double Deckers yesterday and walked away with neither cos they're almost half the size." A second person fumed: "They can only do this so many times, eventually they'll have to get rid of multi packs altogether! It's getting out of control. Iv been boycotting." A third added: "It's so bad now, the quality has gone down, the quantity has gone down but the the price has gone up." Whilst a fourth quipped: "If this shrinkflation carries on at the rate it is, I really do wonder what we will actually be paying for in a couple of years time, a packet of chocolate dust?"


Daily Mail
17 hours ago
- Daily Mail
I'm a mega Kmart Australia fan - here are five items I recommend to everyone
A self-professed Kmart Australia mega fan has shared her pick of the top bargain items to organise your bathroom - and all of them clock in at under $20. Victorian woman Eliza Reid, who regularly shares shopping finds to her @bargain_homewares page recently toured the bathroom organisation section of her local Kmart store to highlight her favourite buys. In her TikTok video, which has garnered over 55,000 views, the first item that Eliza spotlighted is a set of in-shower bottles that are reminiscent of a luxe hotel wash station. Currently priced at $6, reduced from its original price of $9, Eliza explains in the video that Kmart's Set of 3 Bottles with Hangers are ideal to 'decant your shampoo, conditioner and body wash and display them nicely'. The set of three refillable bottles comes with adhesive hangers so that they can be easily hung onto the shower wall. With their sleek exterior design, these display bottles not only look great but are ideal for showers where shelf space is at a minimum. Eliza's next pick to up your bathroom organisation game is a Silicone 3 Section Holder, priced at $5.50. Again, this is perfect solution for bathrooms where shelf space is limited because it offers an alternative tidy hanging spot to store small essential items, like make-up, cosmetic brushes, toothbrushes, razors and nail care accessories. Priced at $5.50, the Kmart Silicone 3 Section Holder offers a vertical storage solution that is also easy to affix to common bathroom surfaces without the need for an adhesive Eliza noted that there are currently a range of different silicone holders at Kmart to choose from. The added beauty of these silicone holders is they don't require any adhesive to stick on, with the online product description explaining that the silicone can simply affix to clean surfaces such as 'ceramic tile, glass, marble or metal'. It also means the organiser is easily removable (without leaving any residue) and can be taken down to be cleaned or repositioned elsewhere. Another silicone bathroom organisation item that caught the Melbourne shopper's eye was the Hot Tool Silicone Tray - previously $15 but has now been reduced down to $12. Describing it as one of her 'favourite products', Eliza explained: 'It's made of silicone, so you can put your hair straightener away while it's still hot'. For those who regularly use styling tools like straightening irons and curling wands, this heat-proof silicone tray provides a safe place for the hot tool to be laid down, without the worry of inadvertently burning a bathroom vanity top or drawer. As well as being practical, the tray also provides a neat storage space for heat stylers. For those who are looking to jazz up their wash room aesthetic, the TikTok creator recommended checking out Kmart's matching range of 'pastel bathroom accessories'. 'You have the choice of a tray, a toothbrush holder, and the matching hand soap pump.' According to the Kmart website, the matching Flower Soap Dispenser, Flower Tray and Flower Dual Tumbler are all priced at $5 each and currently come in either lilac or blue. The final Kmart buy on Eliza's radar was an ingenious LED Storage Mirror, which has been knocked down from $29 to $20. 'If you need more storage, then this LED mirror might be suitable for you. You could store your skincare or makeup inside it,' Eliza suggested in her TikTok video. The bargain hunter added that the freestanding and portable mirror could even be used beyond the bathroom to do your make-up 'on the go'. The egg-shaped dome mirror features an oval mirror surface with a rechargeable LED light framing the edge, so that make-up can be applied in ideal lighting. The LED Storage Mirror can also be swung up and open to reveal a hidden storage space and small drawer inside the unit - making it an ideal spot to store make-up when the mirror isn't in use. Eliza's video was awash with comments thanking her for the bathroom organisation recommendations. 'This is so helpful honey,' replied one person. 'I'm definitely getting them' confirmed another.


Reuters
a day ago
- Reuters
TikTok will go dark in US without Chinese approval of sale deal, US commerce secretary says
July 24 (Reuters) - U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Thursday that TikTok will have to stop operating in the United States if China does not approve a deal for the sale of the Chinese-owned short video app that is used by some 170 million Americans. Lutnick, speaking on CNBC, also said the United States must control the algorithm that makes the social media platform work. Last month, President Donald Trump extended by 90 days to September 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of TikTok. Trump's action took place despite a 2024 law that mandated a sale or shutdown by January 19 of this year if there had not been significant progress. "China can have a little piece or ByteDance, the current owner, can keep a little piece. But basically, Americans will have control. Americans will own the technology, and Americans will control the algorithm," Lutnick said. "If that deal gets approved, by the Chinese, then that deal will happen. If they don't approve it, then TikTok is going to go dark, and those decisions are coming very soon." TikTok did not immediately comment. A deal had been in the works this spring that would spin off TikTok's U.S. operations into a new U.S.-based firm, majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors. This stalled after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump's announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods. Trump has three times granted reprieves from federal enforcement of the law that mandated the sale or shutdown of TikTok that was supposed to take effect in January. Attorney General Pam Bondi sent letters to Apple (AAPL.O), opens new tab, Google (GOOGL.O), opens new tab and other companies that provide services or host the TikTok app that were made public this month. The letters said the Justice Department was irrevocably relinquishing any claims against the companies for potential violations of the law, citing Trump's determination that an abrupt shutdown would interfere with his overseeing national security and foreign affairs. Some Democratic lawmakers argue Trump has no legal authority to extend the deadline and suggest the deal under consideration would not meet legal requirements.