TikTok trends and high-priced products are driving consumer spending on beauty and wellness. Hot people are paying premium prices for maintenance.
iStock; Rebecca Zisser/BI
The beauty industry — dominated by high-priced skincare and facial injections — is booming in 2024, and it's only getting more expensive to keep up with current hotness standards.
It seems like a new beauty trend or wellness practice is born every day on TikTok. Whether it's "hot girl walks" or snail mucin-based skincare products, people are deeply interested in maintaining their physical appearance.
But $100 serums and cleansers, gym memberships, and whatever beauty treatments TikTok swears by add up over time.
In fact, the industry is so saturated with new "must-have" products that de-influencing (making content about products you wouldn't recommend) has taken hold to help people save money on overhyped brands.
Still, Gen Z, millennials, and beyond are investing in their hotness.
According to data collected by Business Insider's sister company Emarketer, cosmetics and beauty was the fastest-growing retail segment in the US in 2023, hitting over $94 billion in sales.
BI spoke to two working models and one TikToker (and viewed their receipts) to get an idea of the monthly financial cost to be considered conventionally attractive in 2024.
Courtesy of Adora Mehala
Adora Mehala, 23, is a New York-based writer and model who said she likes to keep it simple when it comes to her beauty routine. She doesn't wear a lot of makeup, and she's never gotten injections.
"For a New York City model, I would say mine is on the lower end" of expensive routines.
Instead, Mehala's holy grail product is a snail mucin cleanser that you can order from Amazon for less than $20. It's by COSRX, the same brand that made the bestselling serum that helped Amazon have record-breaking holiday sales.
She estimated that her full skincare routine costs around $100 to refill every two to three months.
As a model, Mehala is expected to almost always appear groomed with her hair and nails done. For those sorts of beauty treatments, she touches them up herself or she uses an app called Neon Coat. It connects businesses and brands with professional models for partnership opportunities.
By using it, she can get a manicure and pedicure for $40 instead of $100 each visit.
"For me, a large part of my wellness routine is the kind of food I eat," she said.
Her monthly budget is mostly dedicated to buying organic foods to help her feel and look her best as a woman living with polycystic ovarian syndrome. PCOS can cause inflammation and insulin resistance, which Mehala said is lessened by a healthy diet.
As such, she spends about $500 each month on weekly trips to the grocery store.
With her grocery bill, $35 gym membership, yoga classes, and beauty products, Mehala estimates that she spends about $1,000 every month on her hotness.
Courtesy of Alyssa Lindaas
Millennial model Alyssa Lindaas has spent years perfecting her beauty routine.
Lindaas told BI that she's gone through phases of consistent hair salon visits, tanning, and manicures, and she's been in more natural phases that have helped her appreciate her natural beauty.
"When I turned 30, I remember feeling really insecure about the way that I looked in photos for a while and thinking I need to make serious effort towards being the best version of myself," she said.
She's tried a number of treatments to determine what works best for her, including a Botox phase that would cost thousands for one visit to New York City's top doctor. But Lindaas stepped away from facial injections in 2023 to focus on more sustainable, less invasive ways to look and feel beautiful.
The technique she found that works best for her is a daily facial massage that she learned from a woman who goes by Anastasia BeautyFascia online. To learn the technique, Lindaas enrolled in a class that costs $300 initially and $50 per month afterwards.
"It's changed my face so much more rapidly and drastically than any cosmetic procedure I've ever tried," Lindaas said.
She spends $100 a month on a gym membership (regularly priced at $250 without a model discount), about $100 on makeup and cosmetics, and she only drinks Evian water that costs about $30 per case.
Her biggest splurge comes about every three months. It's a radio frequency treatment that promotes the production of new skin cells, and it costs her a discounted rate of $1,000 per session.
Like Mehala, she's also careful about her nutrition and prioritizes foods that help with gut health and her skin.
Courtesy of Shawn Owens
Shawn Owens is a 28-year-old part-time content creator in Houston, and his TikTok videos are typically dedicated to helping his over 80,000 followers feel great about themselves.
His content includes outfit try-on videos, daily affirmations, and his pilates workouts, and Owens said it's consistent with his everyday life.
@blondechile Still have the pilates shakes after today’s class #pilates #reformerpilates #pilatesworkout
♬ Swing My Way - Instrumental - K.P. & Envyi
"I feel like I'm not my best self as a person if I'm not taking care of myself," Owens said.
Skincare is at the top of his priority list when it comes to wellness. It costs Owens between $200 and $300 each month to refill his products at Sephora. Every four to six weeks he sees his aesthetician for a consultation or $130 facial.
When it comes to fitness, Owens said he likes to shop around for the right workout classes. He's held memberships at multiple pilates studios that came out to about $400 in monthly fees at one point, but he's currently saving money by working out at home.
His hair is another expense that varies month to month. His products cost about $250 altogether, but he might also spend $400 on a protective hairstyle that lasts two months.
During a month when he's consistent with all of his routine, Owens estimated that he might spend $1,200 on his looks.
"Life is so short. I could not be here tomorrow, and I'd hate to say I didn't enjoy certain things that make me happy," Owens said.
Although Owens said he's aware that the economy is "really horrible right now," he believes his monthly maintenance is worth the price.
"The money will come back," he said.
