The demand for injectables is growing at a fast pace, pushing them into the top lists of minimally invasive cosmetic treatments around the globe. From dermal fillers to anti-wrinkle injections, injectable facial treatments, because of their convenience, affordability and limited downtime, are seeing huge growth when compared with surgical procedures. But there is something else that makes them irresistible: injectables seem to be addictive, if not in a medical sense, at least in emotional terms.
According to a survey conducted by Merz Aesthetics in collaboration with Costhetics, current users of injectables are so passionate about continuing treatment that they willingly make sacrifices to pay the bills. One third of Australian women who are current or likely users say they would postpone buying clothes and shoes to pay for treatments. They would also spend less in restaurants and bars (28%), cut down on take-away coffees (27%) and have fewer beauty treatments (18%) to save money for facial injectables.
European women seem to share these sentiments. Results of similar surveys show that nearly half the women having facial injectable treatments would put off buying shoes and clothes for more treatments. A quarter say they would be willing to get an extra job. As many as 15 percent of current users were willing to take out a loan to pay for their injectable ‘habit’. Aussies were less likely than their European counterparts to get a second job (13%) or a loan (11%).
The Australian survey included 1,225 participants ranging in age from 18 to 74. Merz also conducted surveys in France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain and the UK had a total of 4,007 participants. Men made up 12% of the Australian sample, while the European survey had a male participation of 28%.
Motivations
The survey asked participants what they expected from facial injectables.
Aussie women were having treatments in order to feel “more at home in my own skin” (57%) and to feel younger (45%), happier (42%) and sexier (37%). Men wanted the same things, with about one third mentioning comfort in their own skin and the need to feel younger and happier. Men were however, interested in being sexier in a different way, with one in five men (29%) using injectables to become more confident in their sex lives.
A fifth of men and women agreed that one motivation was to live life to the fullest. While nearly a quarter of the men thought injectables allowed them to have more fun, only one in ten women felt that way.
Both sexes predictably mentioned that they were getting treatments to “feel more appreciated by my partner” and to “avoid partner getting restless”.
Attitudes and acceptance
Although Australians were relatively slower than Europeans to adopt facial injectables, at present Aussies feel more positive towards them than all the European survey participants, except for those in the UK. Survey results also indicate that in 10 years, it is likely that more Australians will use injectables than people of all the other nations surveyed. In short, injectables will become the new lipstick in Australia faster than in the other nations.
Satisfaction
Survey results make it clear that Aussie women have had positive results from their facial injectable treatments: More than a third said it felt like they were themselves again. One in five said, “it felt like an energy boost”. A clear majority would recommend the treatments to others, and three quarters of the participants said they would go back to the same provider for future treatments.
Market trends
“IBISWorld market research firm predicts that of all the industries catering to looking-good, non-invasive cosmetic procedures have the highest growth rate this year” says Louisa McKay of Costhetics. “According to their figures, in 2011-12 this sector will have grown at an amazing rate of 25%. We can compare that growth rate with how the other ‘body-beautiful’ sectors—hairdressing and beauty, gyms and fitness training, cosmetic surgery and lap-band surgery—are doing to see how big this is. They all expected to record growth rates less than 2.5%.
“We find it uplifting to learn that Australians turned out to be the least competitive among the countries surveyed when it comes to their attitudes on beauty. Collectively, our heads seem to be in the right place. I say so because an overwhelming majority of Australian women surveyed agreed that women are beautiful at every age. Nearly one in six women said that beauty could be created—that it is not merely in the genes. A large majority (95%) believed that it is possible to stay attractive despite fading youth.
“These results are very encouraging. It inspires us at Costhetics.com.au to continue with our mission to help consumers understand cosmetic procedures and make informed choices in cosmetic medicine. We believe that a well-informed consumer is a safe consumer. Costhetics is happy to be playing a positive role in this consumer education process on behalf of an audience that has the right attitude.”