Latest news with #BritishBeautyCouncil
Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Times
Gen Z v Gen X: what we spend our money on now
I have never considered myself a 'girly girl'. A splash of water on the face and a quick ponytail was the extent of my morning beauty regime while at school. So it sometimes baffles me that, now aged 24, the majority of my money — food and booze aside — goes on beauty. It seems I'm not alone. Data published in the British Beauty Council's Value of Beauty 2025 report showed that, for the first time, Britons were spending more on beauty than on attending football matches, going to the gym and visiting amusement parks combined. I reached my teenage years when Instagram launched, so I have long had the pleasure of constant comparison, targeted ads and inconceivable beauty standards. It pains me to say but I often fall victim to a mid-scroll ad touting the newest 'glass skin' elixir, only £60 a pop. I have bought teeth whiteners (£20 a pack), have the newest 'BIAB' manicures every month or so (£45), have regular eyelash lifts and tints (£70), own a thermal hair dryer (£150) and buy countless high-end beauty products for face and body. Then there's the odd dermatologist appointment or blow-dry. If a robber broke into my house, they would find the make-up bag, not the laptop, in the safe. But while obviously frivolous, it doesn't necessarily feel like vanity. As an online generation, make-up and beauty are baked into our cultural consciousness. An alleged rivalry between past and present lovers of the singer Justin Bieber played out via their respective beauty lines. Purchasing either Selena Gomez's Rare Beauty or Hailey Bieber's Rhode signalled allegiance to a specific party. • Read more beauty product reviews and advice from our experts The viral 'strawberry girl summer' trend — a coquettish take on Heidi — was only possible with a £50 Merit blush balm for the perfect ruddy flush. It is a stark comparison to my mum and her friends' make-up bags. A couple of drugstore mascaras, then a Bobbi Brown moisturiser and a Mac lipstick. 'Contouring' the cheekbones with various shades of 'cool' or 'warm' toned bronzers sounds to her like a foreign language. And all that said, I would still say I am low maintenance. My evening routine is not, as TikTok suggests, 15 steps, one of them being slathering my face with snail mucin (I am not joking). I don't wake up at 5am to Dyson Airwrap my hair — and often let it get greasy — nor do I fake tan regularly. If a nail comes off, I will go a week or more before getting it fixed. This all sounds trivial but for some it is a full-time job. You would be hard pressed to step into a west London pub on a Saturday afternoon without bearing witness to thousands of pounds of cosmetic procedure. Boob jobs are commonplace, masseter Botox is on the rise (designed to 'snatch' — or sculpt — your face) and Love Island lips (filler injections once the preserve of reality stars and glamour models) have found their way into regular homes. When Instagram is a legitimate profession, and beauty is valued as highly as talent, serious bucks play a necessary part. Although not many of my friends have had them, we talk about cosmetic procedures like they're normal. A baby Botox here, a syringe of filler there. All very subtle of course, all preventive — and all eating into our overdrafts. Eliza Winter, 24 by Bridget Harrison, 54 I've always considered myself a dedicated follower of trends but when it comes to my spending on beauty treatments compared with exercise and sport, it turns out I am an outlier. If I looked back on the past year and totted up what I had spent on salons and haircuts and the like, the amount would probably be less than £600. I got a surfy blonde dye job last winter and had my hair trimmed. I have tinted my eyebrows a couple of times, recently had a pedicure and leg wax in time for the heatwave. That's pretty much it. But ask me how much I have spent on sport — watching it and exercising — in the past 12 months and it's easily in the thousands. I hasten to say that I do care about my appearance. But probably just not as much as someone whose Instagram is stuffed with influencers and celebrities. (Mine is mainly surfing videos and gardens.) And when it comes to my precious days off, the prospect of sitting with my hair in foils in a salon for three hours or shlepping off for a facial just feels too time-consuming to make it on to the to-do list. I'd rather be off on my bike meeting a friend for a swim. (And no point in getting a blow-dry if you are going on to get your hair wet.) • How to pull off summer's no make-up look Then at the weekend the demands of family and friends make it nigh on impossible to do fiddly things like have shellac or acrylic nails removed and redone. I do often look in the mirror and tell myself 'it's time!' for tweakments, but then there's the agonising over what clinic I would trust with a needle in my face and which of the dizzying array of procedures to choose to improve me, and it all feels so daunting I give up. And I am certainly not turning to Instagram for advice in this department. It's not that I am not vain. It appears in a different form. My vanity comes in the desire to feel and look fit. So spending £60 a week on a personal trainer is a luxury I'll readily pay for. My weekly £15 yoga class and monthly £40 membership to my local lido are non-negotiable. I have recently started to spend £55 on a weekly — and heavenly — early morning tennis lesson. There are big-ticket items too, like £2,000 on a surfing course in Costa Rica in May. And I'd pay hundreds to go on a walking holiday if I could find someone to go with. Likewise, if the chance of going to a sports game comes up, I'd happily invest the money for that experience. Last season I twice spent £150 on tickets to watch Arsenal with my son, plus £129 on two Wimbledon tickets for a joyful day out with my mum. The perceived wisdom goes that as you get older you should spend more on 'maintenance'. And true, I am probably deluded to believe I can just wing it at my age in the looks department. But compared with being stuck under the bright white lights of a beauty salon trying to look good for Instagram, I'd just rather be watching or playing tennis. by Charlie Aslet, 24 'My name is Charlie and I'm a skincare addict.' Admitting you have a problem, they say, is the hardest part. To lay bare one's soul is a difficult thing, to rip off the fragile bandage that hides this veneer of respectability. It is, in a word, butt-clenching. But in the name of science, I shall unbutton my shirt and reveal to you the hairy chest of how much I spend on beauty treatments each month. I hope this will mark the first stage of my recovery. I hold the British Beauty Council responsible for my shame. They have shattered our delusion. It's a terrible thing to be told how much you've spent, like being told how many calories you've consumed at a buffet. Some things you're better off not knowing. But I did the calculations anyway. It turns out I spend £35 a month on the gym (which is the cheapest place I could find near where I live). I haven't been to an amusement park since I was a teenager. And I'm not sure I would fit in at Stamford Bridge with my dewy skin drenched in layers upon layers of skincare. • The nine best beauty products for sensitive skin But then I started adding up the amount I spend on beauty products each month. And it just kept growing. My mouth grew agape. It's like finding the lost treasure of some sunken Spanish ship. This was where all my money was disappearing to, being siphoned off by Boots and Superdrug each month. It's a hard figure to nail down exactly. Some products last for six months, some you have to keep rebuying. But I can tell you I spend about twice as much on beauty products — skincare, shampoo, unguents of all kinds — than I do on the gym, about £70 a month. Your reaction, as is the reaction of many who have seen me, may be, 'You might want to get your money back.' To which I first say: well, a bit rude. Second, I say: it's not my fault. I am a highly suggestible person, the kind that hypnotists bring onto the stage and get to do the funky chicken. In this era of social media influencers — skinfluencers, as they are called — who tell you that all your problems will be solved with a single serum, what am I supposed to do? And I have, can you believe it, even reined in my regime in recent times. This is the pared-back version. When I was at university and my student loan felt like free money, I would buy the finest imported Korean skincare or glacial water from the French Alps to drench my skin in. Now, I'm forced to 'keep it simple'. I am immune to teasing about it — it's been a bit of a family joke since I was young. And you can't make fun because it is born out of insecurity really. I used to get spots as a teenager (aww) so I got into skincare to try to fix this. Now I'm in too deep and a slave to the beauty-industrial complex. So here I am, bathing in ass's milk as I write, slightly nervous about this piece. But you know what they say: beauty fades, articles exist for ever.
Times
30-06-2025
- Health
- Times
Britain is obsessed with beauty procedures. These figures prove it
Jane Austen once noted that when vanity works on a weak mind, it produces 'every sort of mischief'. One might argue that Botox, fillers, chemical peels, light therapy and tanning beds are just such mischief. But irrespective of your views of these treatments, the latest figures show our collective obsession with wellness and beauty has made spending in the personal care industry eclipse more traditional forms of entertainment. Data published in the British Beauty Council's value of beauty 2025 report showed that for the first time, Britons were splashing more cash on beauty than on attending football matches, going to the gym and visiting amusement parks combined. The annual report, compiled by Oxford Economics, the consultancy, said the beauty industry was growing four times faster than the wider economy, taking its overall value to £30.4 billion.
Fashion Network
11-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Students chosen as Beauty Shadow Board members after UniDays/British Beauty Council/Sephora-inspired competition
The newly-formed British Beauty Council's (BRC) Student Beauty Shadow Board has five new student members, chosen in a UNiDAYS-inspired competition in conjunction with the Council and Sephora UK. The 'pioneering mentorship and grant initiative', created to 'support and spotlight the next generation of beauty industry leaders' has chosen Ojoachenyo Onuh (studying Pharmaceutical Sciences); Bethany Cookson (Marketing); Rachel Igwe (MSC Cosmetic Science); Penelope Helbest (Media & Communications); and Tyrese Walters (Digital Marketing in Fashion). The five will each receive mentorship, access to networking and industry events along with a £3,000 grant. After a 'competitive nationwide selection process' - 500 applicants were asked to pitch their future-facing beauty solutions across topics including innovation & technology, sustainability, creativity, marketing and science. The winners have now joined The Shadow Board which is designed for further education students "who are passionate about shaping the future of beauty'. Jessica Hewitt, global head of Beauty and Wellness at UniDays, said: 'This incredible programme is all about giving the next generation of beauty talent access to mentorship, industry insights, and - most importantly - a seat at the table. 'We recognise that today's beauty students are tomorrow's visionaries, and we're committed to empowering them to shape the future of an industry they already influence so profoundly'. Sabina Ellahi, head of PR & Communications at Sephora UK, also said: 'Inspiring doesn't even begin to describe the types of entries we received for the Student Shadow Board - the calibre of entries showed how much passion the students had not only just for breaking into the beauty industry but also being a part of the movement to drive meaningful change in the industry. 'What was most impressive was seeing how the students intersected the many facets and verticals of the beauty industry with their line of studies, highlighting so many skill sets, expertise and knowledge at the forefront.'
Fashion Network
10-06-2025
- Business
- Fashion Network
Students chosen as Beauty Shadow Board members after UniDays/British Beauty Council/Sephora-inspired competition
The newly-formed British Beauty Council's (BRC) Student Beauty Shadow Board has five new student members, chosen in a UNiDAYS-inspired competition in conjunction with the Council and Sephora UK. The 'pioneering mentorship and grant initiative', created to 'support and spotlight the next generation of beauty industry leaders' has chosen Ojoachenyo Onuh (studying Pharmaceutical Sciences); Bethany Cookson (Marketing); Rachel Igwe (MSC Cosmetic Science); Penelope Helbest (Media & Communications); and Tyrese Walters (Digital Marketing in Fashion). The five will each receive mentorship, access to networking and industry events along with a £3,000 grant. After a 'competitive nationwide selection process' - 500 applicants were asked to pitch their future-facing beauty solutions across topics including innovation & technology, sustainability, creativity, marketing and science. The winners have now joined The Shadow Board which is designed for further education students "who are passionate about shaping the future of beauty'. Jessica Hewitt, global head of Beauty and Wellness at UniDays, said: 'This incredible programme is all about giving the next generation of beauty talent access to mentorship, industry insights, and - most importantly - a seat at the table. 'We recognise that today's beauty students are tomorrow's visionaries, and we're committed to empowering them to shape the future of an industry they already influence so profoundly'. Sabina Ellahi, head of PR & Communications at Sephora UK, also said: 'Inspiring doesn't even begin to describe the types of entries we received for the Student Shadow Board - the calibre of entries showed how much passion the students had not only just for breaking into the beauty industry but also being a part of the movement to drive meaningful change in the industry. 'What was most impressive was seeing how the students intersected the many facets and verticals of the beauty industry with their line of studies, highlighting so many skill sets, expertise and knowledge at the forefront.'
Daily Mail
17-05-2025
- Health
- Daily Mail
MPs to target online personalities spouting anti-suncream misinformation as 'dangerous' movement grips TikTok
Social media influencers who spout anti-suncream messages and plug potentially dangerous tanning products are set to face a crackdown by MPs. A parliamentary inquiry will target TikTok and Instagram personalities who do paid promotions for oils and lotions without including their health risks. It will also call for greater regulator powers to curb influencers peddling sun protection factor (SPF) conspiracy theories, push for health warnings on oils and sunbeds, and look at the affordability of SPF products and advocate for them to be exempt from VAT. It comes as an anti-suncream movement has gained traction on TikTok, with viral posts claiming sun protection is the same as 'rubbing cancer into your skin'. Some TikTok stars have even posted recipes for 'DIY suncream', which experts warn may not properly protect against damaging UV light. MPs are calling for the Advertising Standards Authority to be empowered to tackle the messages put out by 'dangerous' social media influencers, saying that the current regulations have not kept up with the modern world. The British Beauty Council, which is backing the campaign and is set to give its recommendations to the Government and industry next year, said: 'Misinformation and disinformation are rife across media platforms with little challenge or recourse.' Labour MP Carolyn Harris, who chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Beauty and Wellbeing, said: 'It is vital that the public understands the dangers of UV, and the risks that they are taking to get a tan.' She added the inquiry will look at the risk and 'impact of over-exposure' to sunlight as well as how to educate people on the subject to 'prevent a public health crisis'.
