Why is MAC so expensive?

Woman applying cosmetics to her lips.Image via Wikipedia
Today seems to be rant day against expensive cosmetics. My earlier post was on Forest Essentials, & now this one is on MAC.

As a beauty & make-up blogger, I try to keep up with world-wide trends by reading up fellow blogs. At any given point of time, one or the other is raving about some limited edition MAC or De-sqaured MAC or some such product. Which is great because it seems to me that the company has a very huge selection in terms of colors for eyeshadows & lipcolors, plus they are highly pigmented.

But the truth is a small pot of eyeshadow or one of their very popular lip gloss costs close to Rs. 1000/- here in India. Which is quite expensive. Just to give you a perspective, Lakme Eye Shadow Quad (that has 4 shades) costs Rs. 350/-. & cheaper versions such as Stars Cosmetics or VOV retail at Rs. 100/- a pot. So essentially MAC costs about 10 times more!!

I suppose it is ok for people running parlors to buy these as they recover the costs from their patrons, but what about normal people like you & me? Does MAC figure in recession when pricing their products?

I am not sure how well MAC is doing here in India. They have only one store at Juhu, and most of the time it seems deserted. In a country like India, where make-up & skin care are still thought of as luxury items, I really don't understand how the marketing managers at these companies plan to increase their market penetration & share by pricing their products like luxury items.

In fact it would be really great if MAC came up with trial packs, at least that way I could figure out what the fuss is all about.

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

Comments

  1. I completely agree with you on this one.. MAC is expensive compared to the other brands avb in India. I have never seen women in the MAC store here in Gurgaon either. They have a huge store as well as counters at Debenhams however hardly anyone anywhere near them.

    ReplyDelete
  2. @Pooja: I have noticed that for some reason, at this Juhu MAC, women go in, get their make up done and then just walk out. Without purchasing anything, I don't know if they do free trials and these women come back later to purchase or if they also provide make up services for a fee.

    ReplyDelete
  3. There is another Mac in at Palladium in Lower Parel but that one is also quite empty! Their glosses and eye shadows are pricey but the Mac Kajal is completely worth it ( approx 900 bucks ) Have been using it for 2 years. Amazingly long lasting on the eyes and in your make up bag.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Tanveer, you know what I recently went inside a MAC store with lot of courage. They tried on 2 concealers on me and i think i bought one which is darker than my skin tone. I paid around 1600 for it. And a foundation powder for 1400! Both are in 2 different shades! I'm scared to tell mom i may have made a mistake. I had been saving up for MAC and it's not worth it:(

    ReplyDelete
  5. @June: Thks for the recco - will chk it out :)

    @Afterglow: Awww! That is so sad, sorry babes. Why don't you take them back to the store & see if they'll replace it. If they don't then just ask the SA to help you out on how to use them & make the most of them in a manner that looks good :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. i totally agree!
    and its in inorbit-malad & palladium as well!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi, I'm in the USA and Mac is a very popular and well loved brand here. Mac is considered somewhat reasonably priced here why don't when you know someone is coming here give them a list and stock up on Mac. It's a great product and you will get more for your money.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Hey! Thank you for taking the time out to add your valuable comment. I will revert as soon as possible.

COMMENT MODERATION POLICY FOR ADDICTED TO BLUSH BLOG

I delete blatant self-promotion and comments where it is clear the post material was not carefully read. If you are not going to bother to engage with the post, I am not going to bother posting your comment.

I also delete ALL comments with links - even if the link is to your blog.

Don't be mean to other commentators - it serves no purpose other than showcase your own personality in a bad light.

Popular Posts