Aussies fork out $470 a month to look good

From fillers and fake tans to moisturiser and make-up, Aussies are splashing out on beauty and cosmetic treatments like never before.

Sarah Cook at Ascension cosmetic New Farm. Picture: Annette Dew

Aussies are spending about $470 a month to look good, forking out on everything from fillers and fake tans to moisturiser and make-up.

The growing obsession with our appearance comes off the back of increased access to new treatments, a boom in skincare brands and the influence of social media.

Data from comparison site Finder revealed Australians were splashing out just over $430 a month on personal care treatments including injectables, hair appointments, eyelash extensions, nails, teeth whitening, hair removal and more; while data from Statista found we were spending about an extra $40 a month on beauty and skincare products, with that sector of the market worth approximately $12.68b.

Although the stats declared women were the biggest spenders in the beauty market, which was predicted to grow at 6.5 per cent annually Down Under over the next decade, men were also happy to splurge to look their best, with more than a quarter of blokes paying for treatments.

Dr Scott Allison from Ascension Cosmetic Medicine in Brisbane’s New Farm said his business was booming with both sexes lining up for everything from laser resurfacing to skin needling and his new $950 Wonderface tightening facial.

Dr Scott Allison and Kay Wain at Ascension cosmetic New Farm. Picture: Annette Dew

“There’s certainly been a really strong swing towards skin health treatments and people are taking more of an interest in their skin than they ever have, and then there’s some really amazing technologies that have come out in the last 12 months that are kind of revolutionising treatment plans for patients,” he said.

Despite the cost of living crisis, Dr Allison people were happy to reach into their wallets for their appearance, favouring rejuvenating laser procedures with minimal downtime.

“I think most people look at it as investing in themselves and when they look good, they feel good,” he said.

Experts claimed the proliferation of social media was also contributing to the rise in beauty treatments, particular in regards to antiwrinkle and lip plumping procedures.

University of Queensland School of Psychology associate professor Dr Jessica Taubert in conjunction with the University of Sydney conducted a study into how our exposure rates to visual stimuli could change what we viewed as attractive.

She said the research suggested that the prolific use of digital filters to create the likes of fuller lips and higher cheekbones that supposedly represented beauty, and our exposure to it on social media, could potentially have people reaching for the syringe.

“The more people you see that look a certain way that changes your biases towards certain things … so the bigger the lips on other people the more you’re going to need your lips to be big to be judged as being attractive,” Dr Taubert said.

Social media was also driving Aussies to the checkout, with viral videos on TikTok and Instagram of “must-have” products leading to skyrocketing sales.

Priceline’s Karly Georgiou said the national retailer had experienced huge spikes in certain products, including the Dermal Therapy Crystal Deodorant, which recorded a 228 per cent uplift in sales after going viral in January, and the tbh Skincare Rebound Skin Milk Toner, which had sales increase 202 per cent after going crazy on TikTok in February.

“When (viral brand) Bubble Skincare launched exclusively at Priceline Pharmacy, one product sold every 15 seconds,” she said.

Ms Georgiou said Aussie and Korean skincare brands were proving among the most popular, with shoppers looking to build personalised skincare regimes and understand more of what they were putting on their face and body.

Originally published as Aussies fork out $470 a month to look good