What is behind the Lipstick Effect? A study to explore consumers’ motivations for buying cosmetics in times of global crisis

The Lipstick Effect phenomenon is characterized by an increase in the purchase of beauty products, particularly lipsticks, during periods of global economic downturn; related literature is still scarce, but its study may provide valuable insights into the underlying motivations and implications of cosmetic consumption during times of economic uncertainty. This study tries to validate MacDonald and Dildar's (2020) analyses in a different context and scenario, particularly exploring the cosmetics buying motivations of Italian consumers during the long tail of COVID-19 and the economic recession. Following a preliminary study to reveal the Lipstick Effect evidence in economic data of 3750 Italian companies of the cosmetic industry, a quantitative methodology is applied to 150 consumers in order to validate three hypotheses related to different buying motivations (psychological, anthropological, and sociological, work-related). Initial results confirm that the motives behind the Lipstick Effect are purely psychological, i.e., people buy cosmetics to boost their self-esteem and confidence, particularly during times of economic crisis. The identity-based motivation theory may provide a theoretical framework for the integration of the various conceptualizations of self-esteem. These insights suggest, however, not to exclude the importance of anthropological and work-related motives and their influence because, according to this theory, the way people think about themselves as individuals or members of a group may influence their behavior to achieve them.