Expenditure by the French on their physical appearance Since 1960, the share spent on clothing has decreased, in favour of beauty care

In 2015, households spent 7.3% of their budget on their physical appearance, or €3,000 per household. The share of this expenditure in the household budget has halved since 1960. In fact, the share of the budget spent on clothing, the main item of spending on “physical appearance”, has been greatly reduced: the concomitant increase in imports and ready-to-wear chains has greatly limited any variation in prices. Conversely, the share of the budget devoted to personal care and products (hairdressing, razors, perfumes and beauty products) has grown constantly since 1960, driven by the increase in the supply of goods. Finally, spending on personal effects (jewellery, bags, spectacles, etc.) has increased at the same pace as household consumption.

Compared with their European neighbours, the French spend a smaller proportion of their budget on physical appearance, a long way behind the Italians or the British.