Yummy mummies spending more time and money on beauty

Research compares beauty habits of women with kids with those without

A study comparing the beauty regimes of Britain’s yummy mummies with women without children, has found that despite saying they have less time, mums are more likely to visit the beauty salon and spend more on beauty products.

Half of women with children say they don’t have time for pampering, compared to one third of women with no children. However, 17% of mums say they regularly visit a beauty salon, versus 8% of non-mums. And 28% of mothers say they’re willing to pay more for beauty essentials, compared to 17% of women without children.

The study 'Personal care habits after maternity' by Kantar Worldpanel, compared the behavior of women aged between 25–34 years old with and without children.

45% of mums admit they like to look nice at all times and try to ‘maintain appearance’, compared to 38% of non-mums. Even when it comes to saying ‘I keep up with trends and fashions’, mums are ahead of the curve, 32% versus 21% of women without children.

Unsurprisingly, women with children are more likely to look for products that reduce ageing and admit to doing whatever they can to look young, 33% mums versus 20% non-mums.

Does this trend for women with children to spend more time and money on beauty, have anything to do with the ‘lipstick effect’? – Where during the US Great Depression in 1929, lipstick sales grew 25%. The notion behind this trend is that in the midst of a recession consumers can’t afford expensive purchases (such as cars or foreign travel), so they are more likely to spend on small luxury items (lipstick, nail polish). Perhaps, women aged 25-34 years old with children are less able to enjoy expensive luxuries, so spend more money on pampering and buying beauty products.

While it seems mums in the UK like to treat themselves, not compared to a country like Brazil, where 31% of mums visit beauty salons, versus 18% in Britain. Also, compared to elsewhere, UK women score lowest on regular exercise (36% mums, 42% non-mums). Countries where women exercise more regularly are: Brazil (44% mums, 48% non-mums) and Spain (38% mums, 49% non-mums).