One-Third Of Russian Women Buy Makeup Spontaneously, Surveys Show

Over one-third of the Russian women tend to buy makeup products spontaneously rather than on a pre-planned basis. This is according to a nation-wide consumer preference survey made recently by the ROMIR research center. Makeup is used by 65 percent of the 1,500 female respondents, shows the ROMIR survey. The age of most of the makeup consumers lies within the 18 to 49 bracket. Ladies aged between 50 and 60 tend to use much less makeup than younger women. About 30 percent of the pollees purchase cosmetic products at supermarkets and specialized stores, with most of these belonging to the upper and the middle class. Women with lower incomes buy cosmetics at wholesale markets and street booths. The most popular brands include Oriflame, Nivea, Ruby Rose, Kiki, Lumene and Maxfactor. On the basis of the survey, the makeup consumers have been grouped by ROMIR into several major types: adherents, rationalists, activists, neutrals, conservatives, and opponents. The adherents (predominantly ladies aged below 40) maintain that the woman should stick to high-quality and expensive makeup. In the rationalists' opinion, cosmetics do not necessarily have to be expensive. "Makeup gives the woman an opportunity to experiment with her looks," the activists hold. The neutrals (most of them unemployed) have no opinion on the matter. The conservatives do not think a woman's attractiveness in any measure depends on the makeup she uses. And, finally, the opponents (most of them above 50 years of age and with a secondary education) believe cosmetic buys to be a waste of money and a burden for the household budget.

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