Will you join the waiting list for this deodorant?

Twelve thousand have in a new trend that’s seen beauty essentials become as desirable as designer handbags

There is nothing like a waiting list to convince us we really, really want something. I mean, it must be pretty special if people are queueing to get their hands on it (even if the ‘queue’ in question is online).

It used to be that only fashion’s most exclusive products had waiting lists — an example being the hermes Birkin bag, which had the super-rich practically begging to buy it.

But now the practice has filtered down to rather humbler and more affordable fashion and beauty. Some products with waiting lists sound positively prosaic: for example, the beauty product with the longest waiting list right now is a pair of La Tweez tweezers costing £29.

Make-up artist Charlotte Tilbury had more than 50,000 people waiting for her latest cult product, the Magic Away Liquid Concealer (£24), before it was launched last month as the ‘holy grail of concealers’. It comes in 16 colours and apparently lasts for 15 hours.

Some brands are in such demand, every time they launch something there is a guaranteed waiting list.

Boots No7 skincare famously creates a buzz, and its latest product was no different. The Line Correcting Booster Serum (£38) had 16,000 people on the waiting list before its launch in the spring. And the beauty editors’ favourite brand, The Ordinary, had 25,000 people waiting for its bargain foundation (from £5.70) last year.

What is causing this waiting-list frenzy? hype on social media certainly plays a part. A nod of approval or an enthusiastic video from influential vloggers and Instagrammers can turn anything from a dry shampoo to an eyeshadow palette into a ‘must-have’ cult product (it’s true: Verb’s new dry shampoo amassed a waiting list of 2,000 in May).

What then happens is that the product sells out and a waiting list forms while it is restocked. But even when more products arrive, the waiting list often gets longer as word spreads, and we all come down with a case of FOMO — fear of missing out — on the latest hero product.

The cynical may argue that in some cases this process of in stock, then sell- out, then re- stock is a marketing ploy to boost demand. But in many cases, especially with smaller companies, there is a genuine struggle to meet demand caused by the phenomenal power of digital word-of-mouth.

So what are the products most in demand right now?

Megababe Rosy Pits Deodorant

£13.70, megababebeauty.com WHOEVER heard of a deodorant with a waiting list? Well, the 12,000 people on this list for a start. Founder Katie Sturino spent a year coming up with a formula for a natural deodorant with no aluminium salts ( the active ingredient in antiperspirant) and no baking powder (a traditional ingredient in natural deodorants).

Instead, there is sandalwood, sage, coconut extract, green tea and vitamin e in this cute little roll- on. It immediately sold out when launched in the U.S. in May (the brand doesn’t yet ship to the UK) and quickly sold out on the UK website of stockist J. Crew, too. It was restocked in July but went straight out of stock again.

Pestle & Mortar, Erase Cleansing Balm

£34, pestleand mortar.com COOL Irish skincare brand Pestle & Mortar has a global waiting list of 15,000 for its make-up removing balm, including 3,000 in the UK.

It’s half of a pioneering double cleansing system that has had rave reviews since its launch.

First the balm — containing meadowfoam, pumpkin enzymes and prickly pear seed oil — takes off all traces of make-up, including stubborn mascara, and nourishes the skin. Then the renew Gel Cleanser (£34), which has papaya and mango extracts, improves skin tone and leaves skin brightened and glowing.

La Tweez Ombre and diamond dust tweezers

£29, latweez.com THESE clever stainless steel tweezers have diamond dust on the tip to improve grip on even the finest and shortest hairs, and also have an LeD light to show up every possible pluckable little hair.

Incredibly, there was a waiting list of 165,000 for the company’s latest ombre-patterned versions this summer.

Some colours have begun shipping in small batches within the U.S., but the waiting list is growing and none has yet reached the UK, where La Tweez products are sold in harvey Nichols. The company is hoping to reach Britain later in autumn.

Iconic London Prep-Set-Glow

£16 (iconic londoninc.com) THIS hydrating misting spray with cucumber, chamomile and antioxidants comes in two shades and is designed to prep the skin before make-up.

It’s also good for setting a finished look and, after rave reviews by bloggers and beauty editors, it sold out six hours after its launch in April, and has sold out three times since.

A smaller 75ml size was launched this summer, which sold out, too. It’s back in stock, but for how long? Iconic London has already opened a waiting list for its newest make-up brushes (Iconic London Hd Blend Brush Set, £75), due to launch on October 15.

The Ordinary foundation

From £5.70 (theordinary.com) EVER since launching last year with a 25,000strong waiting list, cult brand The Ordinary’s foundation has been in and out of stock as the company tries to meet humongous demand.

In the UK, there is a waiting list for four of the 21 shades in its Coverage Foundation (£5.95) on

beautybay.com, and one of the particularly popular paler shades of its Serum Foundation (£5.75), which provides lighter coverage.

Fans may have more luck on the brand’s own website (its foundations are listed, rather confusingly, under ‘Colours’).

So who knows what will happen when the company launches its newest foundation, Watercolours. It has been hotly anticipated on social media since December; a launch date is still to be announced .

Mally Muted Muse Rose Gold Eyeshadow Palette

£20 (qvcuk.com) NEW York make-up artist Mally roncal — who has worked with singers Beyonce and rihanna, and actress Angelina Jolie — has a waiting list of more than 1,000 for her latest eyeshadow palette, which is sold in the UK by shopping channel QVC.

The rose gold one sold out instantly when it was first featured on the channel this summer, and more stock is on the way.

It has eight warm-toned shades in both matte and metallic finishes, in hues of copper, berry, champagne and rose gold.