Research by ethical skincare brand UpCircle Beauty has found that one in five people in the UK are worried about being able to afford skincare products due to the cost of living crisis, rising to one in three for those aged 18-25.
The research, conducted with YouGov, found that one in six people are concerned about being able to afford sun protection products, which the brand stresses is very worrying given the serious health implications of not wearing a SPF, especially during the summer heatwave.
A third of people said that they either have, or have considered, sacrificing their ethics and values – for example vegan and cruelty-free – in order to purchase essential skincare items.
Out of the sample, 20% have seen their spending on skincare increase since the beginning of the cost of living crisis, which corresponds with the fact that many brands have had to raise their RRPs. 25% have either lowered their spending or stopped purchasing skincare products altogether, with the result that a quarter are now more concerned about the condition of their skin.
The brand also found that those customers who identify as male are twice as likely to have stopped purchasing skincare products due to the cost of living crisis.
“Normally we’re not ones for a doom and gloom headline, but the numbers are hard to put a positive spin on,” says co-founder Anna Brightman. “Our research enables us to deeper understand how the cost of living crisis is impacting people in the UK. We’re responding to our findings by implementing five key ‘cost of living commitments’, including freezing the RRPs of all our products until the end of 2022 and donating £1,200 worth of stock to Toiletries Amnesty.
“UpCircle was founded on making sustainable skincare at an accessible price point. We want sustainable products to be available to all because price point shouldn’t be a barrier to ethical purchasing. When we found that almost a third of the UK have sacrificed or are considering sacrificing their values when purchasing skincare, we knew something had to be done.”
UpCircle has also pledged a team-wide volunteer week at The Euston Foodbank, lobbied local MPs to provide financial support to families in need and is using its platforms to reach over 200,000 people weekly with information and tips to help cost-save.
