Newswise — Cremona - We all felt in love for skin care: about one in two persons use skin care products, out of these 45% use them every day, 35% several times a day and only 7% less than once a week. It is mainly women who use skin care products, over 7 out of 10, and also those who have already undertaken cosmetic surgery, just over 7 out of 10. And again just under 4 in 10 persons (36%) use make-up products, again mainly women (67%), who are young (46%) and who have already undergone cosmetic surgery in the past (66%). 19% of women use them several times a day, while 52% use them daily. Looking at men, 19% (practically one in five) mainly use skin care and anti-aging cosmetics: they tend to use them once a day (36%) or once every two days (30%).
These are the results of a survey made in Italy about beauty and cosmetic surgery. It was led by EngageMinds Hub - Consumer, Food & Health Research Center, Research Centre in Consumer and Health Psychology of the Catholic University, Cremona campus funded by the project AgriFood Lab.
The use of beauty products, creams and cosmetics, has become an integral part of the daily routine of many people driven by the desire to enhance their image and self-confidence. Continuing to analyze the data shows that people use cosmetics for different reasons. Slightly more than 1 in 2 use them to protect their skin. These include mainly women (72%), who have already had cosmetic surgery (80%) and who are satisfied with their lives (62%). Almost 5 out of 10 respondents use them instead to feel good about themselves: these include women (69%), young people between 18-34 (55%), those who have already had cosmetic surgery in the past (80%) and people who are satisfied with their lives (52%). Almost 4 in 10 use it to boost their self-esteem. There is a risk of becoming addicted to using these products, especially among the very young, who are more insecure and at the mercy of increasingly demanding aesthetic standards often dictated by social media. The report also shows that 32% of respondents use cosmetics to look younger, 26% to feel approved and 25% to have a professional image.
On the one hand, the survey highlighted that cosmetics and beauty products play a significant psychological role in defining identity, expressing personality and feeling well about oneself. But on the other, this role, amplified by the models of unattainable perfection proposed by the media and social networks, can lead to deep insecurities and distorted expectations about one's physical appearance, particularly among younger people.
As regards people aged 18 to 24, 4 out of 10 young people use skin care products (such as anti-ageing creams), of these 41% use them several times a day for certain reasons: 72% of young people to delay the signs of ageing, 68% to look younger and 66% to protect their skin. As far as the use of make-up products is concerned, 5 out of 10 young people use them and of these 44% do so once a day. Analyzing their motivations, 72% use them to feel comfortable.
Guendalina Graffigna, director of the EngageMinds explains: ‘the precocious interest that young people show in aesthetics leads them in several cases to try beauty products, make-up and beauty treatments, sometimes without being fully aware of the long-term effects or the implications for their self-esteem. The risk is a dependence on external approval and the rise of increasing demanding aesthetic standards. This attitude could feed a vicious circle that negatively affects the mental health of young people, leading them, in the most extreme cases, to the development of anxiety, depression and eating disorders, what are called the dark side of beauty”.
Professor Graffigna adds: “the construction of a personal identity that is solid and authentic would also be compromised, as young people might base their value solely on outward appearances”.
Another aspect analyzed by the EngageMinds Hub survey concerns the use of the surgery for beauty reason: one Italian in three is favorable to cosmetic surgery. Furthermore, in general, it emerges that 35% of respondents believe they are likely to resort to cosmetic surgery in the future in order to appear younger, while 7% say they have already had cosmetic surgery.
Surprisingly, the survey showed that it is a good state of health at the basis of beauty. This is stated by almost 8 out of 10 Italians, 83% of whom are women, 85% are people over 59, and 83% are satisfied with their lives.
‘That taking care of one's health influences aesthetic beauty is the belief of about 7 out of 10 Italians,’ Prof. Guendalina Graffigna says. They are mostly women (78%), with a high level of education (76%) and very engaged in their own lives (77%) with which they are satisfied (74%). This is a positive sign to say that taking care of one's body and health is a gesture of awareness and engagement with ourselves, which also translates into a positive perception at an aesthetic level. This link between health and beauty also suggests a new approach to promoting wellbeing, which goes beyond simple aesthetic and surgical treatments or rigid diets to embrace a more complete and integrated lifestyle. Even if there is still much work to be done to break down stereotypes linked to appearance and unrealistic aesthetic models.’
To conclude, the EngageMinds Hub survey highlights how Italians give importance to naturalness and sustainability when choosing cosmetics: in fact, for just over 6 out of 10 Italians, naturalness (65%) and sustainability (61%) are fundamental factors in the purchasing decision. Moreover, 46% of Italians are actively engaged in the search for brand certifications.
RSS