cosmetics

Consumer Culture

Cosmetics

By 4F King Wong(28), Cassidy Fan(02),Will Li(14), Alex Tam(22), Billly Wong(27) 

of St. Paul's College

What we are going to tell you1. What are cosmetics? 2. How big is the business?   3. Regulations of cosmetics in Hong Kong 4. Interviewing the former Chair Professor of Marketing of City University 5. An experiment on cosmetics 6. How safe is the cosmetics when being used?

What are cosmetics ?

• According to EU:  

• Any substance intended to be placed in contact with the various external parts of the human body or teeth and the oral cavity to clean, perfume or changing their appearance

• Cosmetics include makeups, skin care products, etc. body odors and/or protecting them or keeping them in good condition

How many cosmetics are consumers using?

It tells us...

• Most of them use 1 to 5 cosmetic products, the second high is not to use cosmetic products

 • We can conclude that there is a huge demand of

cosmetics since each user uses 1-5 will add up a big number

How big is this business?

• According to U.S. Commercial Service Hong Kong Cosmetics and Toiletries, it has a total market size of approx. US$ 969,000,000 and still growing

• There is a huge demand of cosmetics in Hong Kong

Regulations of Cosmetics in Hong Kong

• 'Chapter 456 Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance' stated consumers goods shall not be supplied, manufactured or imported without complying the general safety requirements or satisfying an approved standard.

 • The standards used are taken from the US Food and Drug Administration, the

European Union or Japan  • These regulations are acceptable since the monitoring bodies are trusted by

the public

Interviewing the former Chairman Professor

Scheduled to interview on 11 Feb, 2012

There are so many manufacturers and producers in the cosmetics industry...

Do the consumers choose the right one?

Factors consumers will consider

• Effect 

• Price  

• Brand

We conducted an experiment earlier to see whether

those factor are related... 

Survey(1)Survey(2)Survey(3)

Results

It tells us...

• Most of the people prefer St. Ives Renewing/Collagen Elastin $9.9 which is the cheapest one and all 9 users will buy it when they notified the price and the brand

 • 5 of them prefer NIVEA $24.9, 3 more will use it after they notified the price

and the brand  • 2 of them prefer the most expensive one,  FANCL Hand & NailCare Cream

$85, but 1 more user will use it after they notified the price and the brand

Conclusion

•  Effect is the major factor of choosing a hand cream and even to other cosmetics

 •  Brand is also a vital factor as there is a number of consumers will intend to buy

the products of famous brands which are shown in the experiment we done •  Price is as significant as the other two factors are in comparison

Manufacturers and producers in cosmetics industry promoting their products to consumers

    1. What kind of  strategies that manufacturers are using     to boost sales of cosmetics?      2. Do you think manufacturers are honest about the            statements and advertisement they have made? 

There are misleading from manufacturers to consumers

We classify these misleading to 4 categories:     1. Angel Dusting- Adding a small amount of ingredient to their cosmetic products so     that it can be advertised on the label     2. Celebrity factor- Manufacturers use celebrities' appearances in advertisements        such as Kate Winslet in Lancôme who appears as a successful actress and mother with     three kids     3. Packaging- Manufacturers often use glasses, paper boxes to bag their products        because they want express the ‘untouchable’ feeling to consumers. Glass is put on        weight to the product as consumers touch it, they can’t estimate the weight of the        product. Moreover, it isn't as expendable as plastic which leads the consumers to            think the preciousness of it         4. Argumentative facts- Using various facts that are yet to be proved by any kind of     scientific researches to publicize their product, such as ‘There are skin-care                products that really are better than Botox or better than dermal fillers.’

But do consumers know what they are putting on?• All of the survey candidates don't know what is paraben or any harmful chemicals which are used in cosmetics

 • Consumers will look for wordings like 'preservatives'

and 'artificial favors' in the ingredient list • We can conclude that most people are lack of

knowledge of dangerous chemicals used in cosmetic productions

So, what's paraben?

• Affecting sperm counts and penis length in male after a long time exposure

 • Parabens resemble female hormones, estrogen

 • Receptors of hormones in male receive false signal and

start to develop female sex characteristics • We have made 2 short videos to show how estrogens and

parabens work in human bodies

parabens, male body 

estrogens, female body

Conclusion

• We found that the regulations on cosmetics in Hong Kong are loose. 

 • Misleading is common practice in Hong Kong

 • Consumers do not choose cosmetics by comparing

their prices, but by the qualities and brands • Consumers are lack of knowledge about the

ingredients of cosmetics which are commonly used in the industry  

Suggestions• We suggest government should regulate the promotion of

cosmetics against false facts and the potential of misleading since the demand of cosmetic market is large

• Consumers should learn more about the ingredients of the products before they purchase

• The practice of listing all the ingredients and the corresponding quantities honestly as the professional conduct. 

 • The government should set up an authority to monitor the

behaviors of the manufacturers

Reference: The Rules Governing Cosmetic Products in the European Union Volume 1, 1999 Edition The Cosmetics and Perfumery Association of Hong Kong Ltd Position Paper, 2001-2002 Paula’s Choice created by the Cosmetics Cops  Endometriosis Journey by Mocking BirdEFSA advises on the safety of paraben usage in food, 24-Sep, 2004Google News on Parabens U.S. Commercial Service Hong Kong Cosmetics and Toiletries (COS)

Thank you!