Add to cart, checkout, and now purchased! Congrats! You just bought yet another product that will sit and collect dust. Enjoy!
A problem of overconsumption has taken over many people, but it is prominent in the beauty industry. People will buy whatever product is trending at the moment, and then forget about it and buy the next one. But the problem is, once we buy something it isn’t going anywhere. Makeup can’t be recycled or just thrown away without consequence. It will stay in landfills because people buy more than they can use.
Constantly adding new products to a collection fulfills a desire for more, but that will fully satisfy you. Buying more products gives people a rush of dopamine. This is what funds people with true shopping addictions and it is dangerous that it is becoming more popular.
Many influencers rave about certain products, and then they become some of the top selling products in the industry. But the problem with this is the fact that some influencers lie about the product quality. Their followers will mindlessly trust their favorite influencer’s word and buy every product advertised to them. Once they buy the product they are instantly filled with disappointment because, once again, they were lied to. Even if the influencer didn’t lie, makeup is easily forgotten about. People get distracted by the new brands rising up like it’s a new shiny toy. Their old ones end up going to waste.
According to a study by Euromonitor, in 2018 the makeup industry produced about 7.9 billion units of cosmic waste. With demand increasing, production increases which just brings more waste into the environment. Once the product is made, it isn’t going anywhere. It must be used, or thrown out. It can’t be recycled or reused because that is unsanitary.
Social media fuels the idea that people always need to have the newest product from their favorite brands, but that isn’t the case. You don’t need the same lipstick shade from 5 different brands. People should always use up their beauty products before buying a brand new one. Now people are starting to realize that their overconsumption is harmful not only to the environment, but to themselves too. Most people who fall into the danger of overconsumption have shopping addictions.
