My mother
quite happily parted with £6 the other day for a nail varnish. Complete waste of money when you can get the exact same shade only without the brand name for 80p off the market.
I know a lot of people tell you that with cosmetics the brand means quality but personally I think that's bullshit.
Its not what you use, its how you use it.
(FootOfTim, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 8:09, 9 replies)

This is true
I banned Mrs Sandettie from going to Virgin Vie parties because although she knows she can get the exact same stuff for a fraction of the price, she will still place an order "to be polite"
( sandettie light vessel automatic New Twitter - @bollocksreally, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 9:20, closed)

They must be laughing
Tiny pots of stuff they must make in massive vats sold for pounds instead of pennies. I can't even begin to guess the profit margin on cosmetics. The other day my wife spent £7 on a small concealer/foundation thing ( I have no clue but it was small square and flesh coloured) and I bet it cost under 10p to produce.
( Peej, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 9:22, closed)

The actual chemicals would typically cost a few pence per pot.
The filling labour, packaging, labels, shrink-wrap, cases, storage, transit etc. account for the rest of the manufacturing cost, which may be about 50 or 60p per pot (unless the customer wanted really swanky packaging.)
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 20:45, closed)

Hmmm Lipstick
The contents will cost not too much, even if they have loadsa really expensive stuff in there, as they weigh very little indeed (*Hint* If it doesn't declare how much you get in there, its less than 5g)
Packaging is always expensive, can be a couple of quid for a custom made lippy container. If it takes a lot of putting together by hand thats more expensive than running a bottle down a line.

As a rough guide use the rule of 3. If the RRP=£9, it will cost at most £3 to make, including labour and factory profit packaging etc etc etc. The really fancy brands charge a lot more for a lot less, so change the number to 4 or 5.

Hint: Aldi aren't as greedy, and run on tighter margins. If you ain't a snob, the Lacura stuff they sell *is* good quality stuff, and looking at the ingredient listing they are using expensive stuff, and selling it for pennies
(Sir Tainley Barking Ezekiel 23:20, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 0:47, closed)

Aye, it's mostly mineral or castor oil, with an adhesive (usually polyisobutene) and waxes to bulk it out. Plus a few grams of dye.
Even though PIB is a lot more expensive than the other stuff it's still very cheap to make - that is, unless the thermostat breaks, the temperature soars and you wind up with 200kg of lumpy burnt shite that's too thick to pump anywhere.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Wed 6 Oct 2010, 22:22, closed)

Guess again, guys
Cheap nail varnish chips and flakes in a day or 2 even if you layer it on. The good stuff lasts and you only need one layer. Though of course just paying silly prices for a name brand doesn't mean that it'll actually be good, but you can absolutely guarantee the cheap market stuff will be shit.
(littlesunshine licked your blinky diodes on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 12:19, closed)

^ This.
I used to think that it was the same and silly to pay more. I spent years with blobby nails that chipped all the bloody time. Now I spend a few quid a bottle and behold- I have never been happier with my nails. They look a bit crap naturally so it pleases me to have them looking nice for once. =D
( vix0r was not Matthew on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 16:17, closed)

An analogy for other blokes:
I view cosmetics in the same way as engine oil, HiFi components and other luxury items.
Yes, some of the more expensive ones aren't much better than the mid range ones, and certainly not as many times better as the price is, but if you want better you do pay more -- the trick is working out which is best for you.
(Me, I'm not... in any way intoxicated, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 17:56, closed)

Now, as a plant technician in a factory that makes cosmetics and toiletries I can say this is partly true.
We're contracted to make products for customers at nearly every level of the industry, and the most expensive raw material in any product is almost always the polymer(s), which make the product adhesive, moisturising, thickening, whatever - in short, it accounts for most of the function. The polymers we use come from many different suppliers in many different grades; before any large-scale manufacturing takes place, the development department will find a suitable polymer for a given product that meets the customer's performance/price requirements. The big names in the industry are often prepared to fund chemical companies' research into premium polymers designed specifically for use in their products; obviously, that drives up the price a fair bit. The really cheap polymers are generic, and are not always engineered well enough for performance to be guaranteed in any particular product.

Having said all that, the difference in production cost between the premium products and the cut-price stuff is nowhere near as vast as the the difference in retail price.
( The Mock TurtIe ™ --- Thinks you are a cunt, on, Tue 5 Oct 2010, 20:07, closed)