Make-Up for Baby
Following the release of new statistics which have revealed a 115% increase in the past three months for searches of the term ‘baby beauty products’, the site MyVoucherCodes.co.uk has conducted a study to take a deeper look into parents’ spending habits, particularly when it comes to beauty products and toiletries for their children.
The study anonymously polled 1,352 parents from across the UK, each with at least one child aged four and under.
Those taking part were initially asked, ‘Have you ever purchased beauty products to use on your child?’ to which 23%, of the parents said ‘yes’. These respondents were then asked to specify what kinds of beauty products they had bought for their child in the past, and were able to choose multiple answers.
According to the results, the top five beauty products that UK parents have bought for their babies and toddlers were:
- Nail Varnish 35%
- Lipstick/Gloss 28%
- Mascara 23%
- Concealer 12%
- Fake tan 8%
Beauty conscious parents were asked to explain why they bought these products. 39% bought beauty products for a ‘special occasion’, whilst just under a third, 30%, claimed that they simply wanted to make their child look ‘prettier’. A further 14% admitted doing so ‘for fun’. 9% said their child had asked for certain beauty products.
The parents taking part were also asked if they held secret fears that their child was ‘ugly’, to which one in twelve respondents said ‘yes’. Of these 54%, admitted to feeling ‘ashamed’ of their fears.
Furthermore, whilst 8% of respondents had fears about their own child’s looks, over a quarter of the parents taking part admitted to finding one of their friend’s children ‘ugly’.
Mark Pearson, Chairman of MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, commented on the findings:
“After noticing an increase in searches for baby beauty products on the site, we thought it would be interesting to look deeper into why people may be searching for them, and whether or not parents feel they need to buy beauty products for their child. The results were definitely surprising; it seems that quite a few parents feel like they need to improve their child’s looks, and are turning to the likes of make-up and fake tan to do so!”
He continued:
“It’s important to remind parents that beauty products are usually meant for adult skin and should not be used on children. Parents have plenty of time to worry about buying beauty products for their children when they grow up, and must remember that no child should be put in make-up to ‘improve’ their looks!”
