Brits Spend £10.2bn A Year On Beauty Products

Image-conscious Brits are spending a total of £10.2bn* on beauty products each year according to new research - and it’s not just women who are the culprits.   

Half the men questioned as part of the research by Churchill Home Insurance have ditched soap and water in favour of more sophisticated daily beauty routines, while one in four admits to splashing out on upmarket brands usually used by women. David Beckham is sure to cash in on the launch of his aftershave, as that’s the grooming product that men are most likely to splurge on.

Meanwhile one in five women think nothing of spending £50 on anti-ageing creams and own 10 different bottles of expensive perfume. In fact, nearly 70 percent of men think their partners spend far too much money on toiletries and make-up. Three in five believe that women are to blame when it comes to clogging up the bathroom cabinet.

The research also found that over £1.7bn** is wasted every year on unused toiletries, with Christmas and birthdays the peak times for receiving unwanted health and beauty gifts. A third of those questioned admitted to never using half of their products, which just end up gathering dust in the bathroom cabinet.

The poll of 1,300 men and women was conducted by Churchill Home Insurance as part of an ongoing study of the value of the nation’s home contents. Churchill’s Head of Home Insurance, Martin Scott, said: “With toiletries getting increasingly expensive and men matching women when it comes to caring about their appearance, it’s no wonder households are spending so much money on beauty products.”

Based on the research, Churchill Home Insurance has compiled a list of top five most valuable bathroom cabinet cloggers:

 

 

Scott concluded: “This goes to show just how much people can accumulate over the years without realising.  Homeowners should regularly check the replacement value of their belongings to ensure they have adequate insurance cover, which helps in the event of a claim.”

*Research commissioned by Churchill Insurance with 1,300 adults, September 2005. Total of £10’176’374’275 based on average amount spent on toiletries each year (£216.84) and number of people aged 16 to 79 in the UK (46,930,337), source: National Bureau of Statistics

**Research commissioned by Churchill Insurance with 1,300 adults, September 2005. Total of £1,696,062,306 based on half the average amount spent on toiletries each year (£108.42) and a third of people aged 16 to 79 in the UK (15,643,445), source: National Bureau of Statistics

 

For more information please contact:

Emilie Lien

Churchill Insurance

020 8285 3588

pressoffice@churchil.com