Exploring the post-COVID lipstick effect: A short report

Abstract

The ‘lipstick effect’ has been referred to as increased sales of beauty products post-crisis. The phenomenon happened after the Great Recession of 2007–2009 and even after the Great Depression of the 1930s. To date, no research focused on studying the post-Covid lipstick effect. Our study aimed to explore and quantify the post-Covid lipstick effect, with three studies exploring the long impact of the pandemic on clothing and beauty practices. Using qualitative analysis, Study 1 showed an impact of the first two lockdowns on fashion and beauty practices in women but not in men. Female students spent considerable time exploring their relationship with fashion and beauty products with a link to self-identity, while male students did not change their fashion and beauty practices. Our Study 2 showed that female participants chose a more vivid and wider range of colours since the Covid pandemic. Our Study 3 highlighted that female participants used a lower quantity with less frequent makeup since Covid. Our report highlighted, for the first time, a specific lipstick effect post-Covid, namely the ‘self-centred lipstick effect’.

Keywords

fashion marketing consumer behaviour Covid crisis lipstick effect self-identity

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Braun

Clarke

(2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Buentello

D. A.

Bardey

Rogaten

(2022). Beyond the gender dichotomy in fashion: Exploring the factors involved in cross-sexual fashion consumer behaviour for cisgender women. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 1–13. Epub ahead of print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-03-2022-0047

Business of Fashion . (2019, November 21). The state of fashion: 2020. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/news-analysis/the-state-of-fashion-2020-bof-mckinsey-report-release-download/

Business of Fashion . (2020, December 2). The state of fashion: 2021. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/news-analysis/the-state-of-fashion-2021-industry-report-bof-mckinsey/

Business of Fashion . (2021, December 2). The state of fashion: 2022. Available at: https://www.businessoffashion.com/reports/news-analysis/the-state-of-fashion-2022-industry-report-bof-mckinsey/

Elliott

(2008). Into the red: ‘lipstick effect’ reveals the true face of the recession. The Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2008/dec/22/recession-cosmetics-lipstick

Kirk

C. P.

Rifkin

L. S.

(2020). I’ll trade you diamonds for toilet paper: Consumer reacting, coping and adapting behaviors in the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Business Research, 117, 124–131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.05.028

Knowles

Ettenson

Lynch

Dollens

(2020). Growth opportunities for brands during the COVID-19 crisis. MIT Sloan Management Review, 61(4), 2–6.

Koch

Frommeyer

Schewe

(2020). Online shopping motives during the COVID-19 pandemic—lessons from the crisis. Sustainability, 12(24), 10247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su122410247

10.

Korichi

Pelle-de-Queral

Gazano

Auber

(2008). Why women use makeup: Implication of psychological. Journal of cosmetic science, 59(2), 127–137.

11.

Liu

Xia

Lang

(2021). Clothing consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from mining tweets. Clothing and Textiles Research Journal, 39(4), 314–330. https://doi.org/10.1177/0887302X211014973

12.

Loxton

Truskett

Scarf

Sindone

Baldry

Zhao

(2020). Consumer behaviour during crises: Preliminary research on how coronavirus has manifested consumer panic buying, herd mentality, changing discretionary spending and the role of the media in influencing behaviour. Journal of Risk and Financial Management, 13(8), 166. https://doi.org/10.3390/jrfm13080166

13.

MacDonald

Dildar

(2020). Social and psychological determinants of consumption: Evidence for the lipstick effect during the great recession. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 86, 101527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2020.101527

14.

Martinez

Allison

(2010). Beauty-products sales bright spot during the recession. The Seattle Times. Available at: https://www.seattletimes.com/business/local-business/beauty-products-sales-bright-spot-during-recession/

15.

Masuch

C.-S.

Hefferon

(2014). Understanding the links between positive psychology and fashion: A grounded theory analysis. International Journal of Fashion Studies, 1(2), 227–246. https://doi.org/10.1386/infs.1.2.227_1

16.

Moody

Kinderman

Sinha

(2010). An exploratory study: Relationships between trying on clothing, mood, emotion, personality and clothing preference. Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management: An International Journal, 14(1), 161–179.

17.

Naeem

(2021). Do social media platforms develop consumer panic buying during the fear of Covid-19 pandemic. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58(4), 102226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102226

18.

Nessim

Bardey

(2022). The rise of female empowerment in Egypt: The fashion psychology behind their attire and armour. Fashion Marketing in Emerging Economies. Palgrave Macmillan.

19.

Robertson

Fieldman

Hussey

(2008). “Who wears cosmetics?” Individual differences and their relationship with cosmetic usage. Individual Differences Research, 6(1), 38–56.

20.

Smith

J. A.

Flowers

Larkin

(2009). Interpretative phenomenological analysis: Theory, method and research.

21.

Statista . (2021). Cosmetic industry growth|Statista. Available at: http://www.statista.com/statistics/297070/growth-rate-of-the-global-cosmetics-market/