Pop star Lady Gaga, who has her own beauty
line, recently posted a close-up shot in which
she wears a cat-eye look with natural, peach-
colored lipstick. She did her makeup “to cheer
myself up.”
“(S)o many people are going through hard
times during this pandemic,” she wrote in the
Instagram post. “It is SO IMPORTANT that you
celebrate yourself, live colorfully and rejoice in
that BRAVE SOUL that is you.”
But when it comes to consumer products, the
pandemic is pushing makeup aside as people
gravitate towards skin care products. The virus is
even turning the “lipstick index” upside down.
Typically, lipstick sales skyrocket when
the economy gets rough because it is an
inexpensive way to feel good. But during the
pandemic, makeup sales have been rocky, and
sales of skincare products are up. In fact, 70%
of consumers scaled back their use of makeup
this year, according to the NPD Group Inc., a
market research firm. As a result, skincare has
eclipsed makeup as the top category in the
beauty industry’s market share from January
through August.
“People are being more mindful of what people
are putting on their skin and in their bodies
because of the pandemic,” says Lauren Yavor,
a beauty influencer who recently launched a
“clean” nail polish line that sold out in just days.
“This really was a turning point for clean beauty.”
— Beauty chains like Ulta and department
stores like Macy’s are ramping up offerings
in moisturizers and bath and body products.
Walmart teamed up with Unilever, maker of
Dove and Suave, to launch shops called “Find