Sowetan

SA one of cheapest places to lift looks

Consumers in Venezuela‚ Norway pay the most

- By Wendy Knowler

We may have slipped into a recession‚ but take heart: SA is one of the cheapest places in the world to get a beauty fix.

Third cheapest out of 50 countries‚ to be exact – that’s according to the fastest growing online store in Latin America‚ Linio.com‚ which released its 2017 Beauty Price Index yesterday‚ comparing the cost of several in-demand beauty products and services.

The list was ranked by the sum of three categories – beauty services‚ cosmetic procedures, and products – with the top-scoring countries being those where products and services are most affordable.

Only Vietnam and India were found to be cheaper than South Africa in the beauty stakes overall‚ Linio.com having compared the three top brands in terms of sales in each market‚ as well as the top three internatio­nal brands‚ which were often the same three.

At the other end of the scale‚ consumers in Venezuela‚ Switzerlan­d and Norway pay the most for beauty products such as long-lasting lipstick‚ perfume‚ foundation‚ hair dye and anti-aging cream‚ and treatments including haircuts‚ Botox injections‚ breast augmentati­on‚ manicures and Brazilian waxes.

South Africa offers the least expensive anti-aging creams at $22.81 (about R295) and Venezuela the most expensive at$13 609(aboutR175 000).

We’re the third cheapest country when it comes to eyebrow waxes and eye shadow‚ and the fifth cheapest for Botox injections.

And while men generally pay less than women for a haircut‚ globally speaking‚ women get better value in SA: we ranked sixth cheapest for women’s haircuts and 18th cheapest for men’s haircuts.

The US is the place to go for the cheapest perfumes‚ with South Africa ranking number 19 in the fragrance ratings. Key findings were: Developing nations offer the

● most affordable beauty services‚ but put hefty mark-ups on popular cosmetic products;

The best deals on top makeup

● brands are in Canada‚ South Africa‚ the US and Italy; and

Cosmetic surgery is affordable

● in Latin America‚ South Asia and the Czech Republic.

“We hope that our index helps people more confidentl­y interpret variations in costs associated with beauty around the world‚” said Linio.com CEO Andreas Mjelde.

 ?? /ISTOCK ?? SA is the third cheapest out of 50 countries to get a beauty fix.
/ISTOCK SA is the third cheapest out of 50 countries to get a beauty fix.

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