A 2017 NZ study found that only 47% of women are satisfied with their appearances. 19% or nearly 1 in 5 women are dissatisfied with their appearances with a further 35% giving a neutral response which is still not ‘satisfied’.
Most of the dissatisfaction is driven by weight issues and body shape. 89% of those dissatisfied with their appearance are also dissatisfied with their weight. They are also underwhelmed by their current beauty regimes, with only 29% satisfied with regime compared to 81% of those satisfied with overall appearance.
Those dissatisfied with their overall appearance are more likely to be aged 30-49. Satisfaction with appearance is associated with higher household incomes, more daily beauty product usage, satisfaction with regime and also more likely to have changed regime in past 3 years
62% of women have changed their beauty regime in the past 3 years and 43% are spending more on themselves compared to three years ago.
The key trends driving regime change are:
“Taking Care of Me” – associated with increased spend with an emphasis on anti-aging products and product ingredients
“Quest for New” - “I like trying new products and seeing if anything works better than the last.”
“Individual Style” - “Luxury isn’t about you and what you think, but about me and who I am.”
86% agree society expects women to enhance their physical attractiveness and 74% believe physically attractive women are more valued – this increases to 85% among those dissatisfied with their appearances.