HARLEY STREET CLINIC REPORTS LIPSTICK EFFECT DURING THE CORONAVIRUS CRISIS

The coronavirus has prompted some interesting social behaviour and no more so than noted by the aesthetics industry.

In fact, Harley Street Skin - the multi award-winning clinic, has seen a 60% rise in patients requesting treatments since July.

The huge spike in interest is notonly inbotox and filler but also BodyTite fat removal and skin tightening.

Co-founder Lesley Reynolds explained: "We have experienced something akin to 'The Lipstick Effect' since the end of lockdown. It seems that our clients really need a boost and having saved money during lockdown are determined to do something to make themselves feel better."

More Cash in the Bank

According to a study by AA Financial Services, 85 per cent of UK adults have spent less during lockdown saving money on petrol, eating out and reducing their shopping habits. This saving totals £617 a month on average.

The research also shows 31 per cent of people with savings accounts increased the deposits they made monthly since the beginning of lockdown.

The "Lipstick Effect"

After a downturn in the early 2000s, the chairman of Estée Lauder noticed his company was selling more lipstick. This led him to theorise the volume of lipstick sales as a gauge for the economy, reasoning that women boost their mood with  inexpensive purchases instead of luxury items, a phenomenon dating back to The Great Depression of the 1920s.

A 2012 study in the Journal of Personality and Social 

According to Sarah Hill, who co-authored the study, says the lipstick effect is: "deeply rooted in women's mating psychology." When things were bad, they were motivated to find a mate quickly or else they might die before being able to reproduce.

The Power of Beauty Routines

There are proven cognitive benefits to beauty and aesthetics routines and treatments which bolster moods against depression and anxiety so it stands to reason, doing something for yourself to look better will help you to feel better in turn.

Lesley Reynolds comments further: "All in-clinic procedures had to be halted during lockdown and this could have led to a surge in interest for cosmetic treatments as a whole.

"Whether it's a version of 'The Lipstick Effect' or a desire to find a mate because of economic uncertainty, I don't know, but after such an extraordinarily difficult time, I think having a treatment like botox of filler or a non invasive procedure is a simply a way for women to take back control of their lives and elevate the way they look and feel."

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