Beauty Is Pain: 1 in 10 Americans Are Going Into Debt To Look Good—How You Can Save

Forbes

16-07-2025

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The U.S. beauty industry raked in nearly $63 billion in 2023, but many Americans are struggling to balance rising costs and keeping up with recent beauty standards. New tariffs could push those expenses even higher.
The average American spends $897 on their appearance each year, with men averaging $728 and women averaging $1,064, according to a survey by Advanced Dermatology. Alarmingly, the survey also finds 1 in 10 Americans have taken on an average of $1,342 in debt to keep up with their appearance with beauty products, services or procedures.
With tariffs threatening more price hikes on your favorite beauty products, now is the time to rethink your beauty budget—and maximize your purchases.
As Trump's tariffs shake up the global market economy, experts anticipate disruption in beauty supply chains, leading to rising costs. Beauty products are heavily reliant on a healthy trading relationship with China, which has become increasingly strained in Trump's second term.
Kimber Maderazzo, a marketing professor at Pepperdine University and global strategy executive for brands like Procter & Gamble and Estée Lauder, told Marie Claire that tariffs would have a pronounced effect on not just raw material sourcing and packaging, but also injectables.
'Providers could face rising costs on imported products, leading to higher treatment prices, potentially reducing patient demand or compressing already tight operating margins,' said Maderazzo.
Trump's proposed tariffs on China (baseline 10% tariff) and South Korea (25% tariff) will have a pronounced adverse effect on the U.S. beauty economy, which brings in $2.6 billion in trade surplus.
Over 25,000 beauty products circulated in the U.S. mass market are primarily from China, and the increased tariff costs could get passed onto consumers at checkout. Korean products, which are the top imported cosmetics in the U.S., will likely also be harder and more expensive to source—and for consumers to purchase.
Beauty budgets can quickly snowball out of control. The average American spends $492 annually on facial care alone, with women averaging $600—and that doesn't include extras like nails or haircare, whose costs can add up month after month.
Unlike other financial 'investments,' beauty is a 'depreciating asset by design,' notes Katie Gatti Tassin, author of 'Rich Girl Nation: Taking Charge of Our Financial Futures. 'Unlike investing in actual capital—which will grow with time, it will become more valuable—when you invest in beauty, the opposite is happening,' Tassin told CNBC. 'It's going to require more and more cash to extend that half-life.'
So how can you keep your beauty spending from eating into your financial future—without forgoing your favorite treatments?
Set a beauty budget—and your expectations. Tally up how much you're spending on your beauty purchases each month (especially those random trips to Sephora) and compare it against your income. Is your beauty spending sustainable? Is it achieving the aesthetic goals you've internalized for yourself? Make adjustments or temper expectations as needed.
For those who like the joys of beauty maintenance but hate the high price tag, there are ways to keep expenditure low. Shoppers can utilize credit card portals to save money on purchases they would make anyway.
Many credit card companies like Chase and Capital One Shopping offer enticing deals if consumers make online purchases through their portals, which often offer discounts from suppliers like Sephora and Ulta. A quick scroll on the portal will display all of the available offers.
To redeem, consumers can either add the offer to their card and purchase from the retailer using the bank's participating card or click through to the site directly on the portal and check out with their bank card. A few minutes to check for offers before you make your quarterly shopping haul could save you some cash.
If you're one of 10 Americans in beauty debt, consider putting yourself on a spending detox from new aesthetic purchases. Tackle any debt that you may have full on to avoid paying interest for an extended amount of time. If you have no debt but still feel the need to do a spending detox, consider putting the money you would spend on beauty purchases into a high-yield savings account to make gains on your money and start building a safety nest.
Read More: 10 Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of July 2025: Up To 3.80% APY