Global beauty survey finds a quarter of all women would have plastic or cosmetic surgery to improve their looks
30 June 2008
HONG KONG — Two thirds of all people say that beauty is primarily about non-physical attributes, yet as many as 40% would change their looks if they could, according to Synovate's global survey on beauty.
Synovate tackled a range of beauty issues in a global survey of over 7,000 people in nine markets – Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Korea, India, Singapore, Spain, South Africa and the United States. The survey asked people to spill their beauty secrets ... how do people define beauty? Where do people from different cultures see themselves on the beauty scale? And would they want to do anything to change their looks?
Virginia Weil, Synovate Senior Vice President, Consumer & Business Insights, said beauty is an issue that spawns as many opinions as it does products.
"Humans are complex. Some of us are quite open about wishing we were beautiful, others feel they already are, and many dismiss beauty as an 'on-the-surface' issue. Still more of us think all these things at once!"
The Synovate survey picked up some intriguing attitudes across cultures and across gender.
- Nearly one in five respondents would have plastic surgery if they had the money but another 30% would do absolutely nothing differently if money were no object
- The Spaniards desire darker skin and the Koreans strive for paler skin
- More South African men than women would use a personal shopping / style service if they could
- Wash'n'go Canadians spend less time in front of the mirror than people in other parts of the globe, yet are more likely than nearly everyone else to feel inadequate courtesy of beauty advertisements
- Americans have the poorest self image when it comes to beauty with seven percent saying they are not beautiful and want to change
- Beauty doesn't buy you any extra kudos in Korea where 96% disagreed that beautiful people do not have to work as hard
And so go the inner (and outer) conflicts when it comes to people's attitudes to beauty.
Beauty is as beauty does
While much of the survey was about beauty-on-the-outside, Synovate started by asking respondents to define beauty, with two thirds of all people choosing a definition about something other than appearance. Overall, 35% attribute beauty to 'what's on the inside' and another 32% say it's all about confidence. So which nations are moved more by appearance?
In India, social acceptance and the need to belong mean that 11% of respondents identified most closely with 'Beauty is about being complimented by other people'.
Synovate India's Research Director, Rahul Varma, said: "Affirmation from others in the form of compliments goes a long way to a sense of validation in India... what others think of you matters a great deal."
By contrast, not a single Spaniard linked beauty with compliments. Indeed, the Spanish seem to think you either have it or you don't, with one third saying beauty means you are naturally attractive to others and a further 35% saying it's about confidence.
Julio Vidosa, Managing Director of Synovate Spain, said beauty is God-given - or not! - in Spain, but attractiveness and confidence was possibly even more highly regarded.
"In Spain, having presence is just as important as the looks someone was born with. A person is born beautiful or not - and this cannot be changed. However, you can influence your attractiveness and you are absolutely expected to try! For this reason almost no Spaniard expects to get compliments about their beauty but will instead expect compliments about their look."
The South Africans and Bulgarians (both 43%) shared the highest scores for the altruistic view of beauty-is-on-the-inside but the Bulgarians were also the most likely to agree with the definition 'Beauty is all about good looks' (22%).
Managing Director of Synovate in Bulgaria, Stoyan Mihaylov, attributes this to the rocketing pace of a fast-developing nation.
"Bulgaria is booming and some people don't always take the time to look beyond the surface. If you look good, you're half way there. Here, beauty is your calling card for getting ahead, fast."
Don't go changing
Not everyone can actually be beautiful but culture, gender and confidence influence whether you think you are. Synovate asked respondents to place themselves on the beauty continuum, anywhere from 'I am beautiful and do not need to change anything about the way I look' through to 'I do not think I am beautiful or attractive and want to change the way I look'.
So who's hot and who's not?
The South Africans (32%) and Indians (24%) were most likely to think they were beautiful and did not need to change a thing. But the survey also gave the option of 'I think I am beautiful but there's always room for improvement' and when added together, it seems the South Africans (65%) and Brazilians (62%) have the best 'beauty' images of all respondents.
Honore Gasa, Client Services Director (FMCG) for Synovate in South Africa attributed this to the African ideal of beauty.
"We have just as many images of beauty around us in South Africa as any other country. But they are diverse and reflect a wide variety of beauty ideals. The acceptance of this diversity and a multi-dimensional interpretation of beauty is why South Africans are able to think of themselves as beautiful and work with what they have."
Most likely to feel they look ordinary and want to change were the Koreans (21%) and they were also most likely to think they look ordinary but do not need to change (16%). More Americans than anyone else nominated 'I do not think I am beautiful or attractive and want to change the way I look' but this was the relatively low number of seven percent, creeping up to 10% among American women.
Overall, 57% of people do not want to change the way they look (whether they believe they are beautiful or not); but that means over 40% would change their looks if they could.
It's a kind of magic
Nearly half of all people think beauty advertisements make women feel inadequate; and 28% agreed beauty advertisements do the same for men, according to the survey. Most likely to feel lacking when viewing ads were Canadian women at 74% and Brazilian men (50%).
Synovate Canada's Managing Director, Rob Myers, attributes the Canadian result to body shape and diversity.
"Basically, these ads are difficult to relate to. Most Canadians have figures quite different to those featured in advertisements. Plus we are a multicultural nation - not too many ads represent the cultural backgrounds that people are from and seem very out-of-reach as a result."
So where does all this leave beauty marketers? Operating in a minefield of mixed beliefs, feelings and motivations, says Virginia Weil.
"What a challenge marketers face! Creating and positioning a product for people who feel beautiful and confident, versus those who feel ordinary and happy, versus unattractive and not that happy about it, is a modern marketing dilemma.
"Advertisements need to hit just the right note to build trust and loyalty, without making people feel inadequate. Some brands are using 'real' people now and diverse images of beauty and those campaigns do very well among certain segments. For other brands, beauty advertisements are about aspiration. The trick is getting the right brand promise for the right product for the right people."
The good news for marketers is that there is a world of believers out there. Two thirds of all people think facial or beauty products make a person more attractive; and 72% of women believe this is the case.
What's more, if money were no object, 46% of women and a quarter of all men would spend up on branded facial and beauty products in the belief these products would work their magic.
Putting your mouth where your money is
(and other things people will do to improve their looks!)
When you think plastic surgery, it's hard not to think Hollywood and the United States of America. Think again. While the number of people in the States who would consider plastic surgery (if money was no issue) was quite high, it was eclipsed by the Brazilians. More than four in ten Brazilians would have plastic or cosmetic surgery if their wallets allowed, rising to nearly 60% among Brazilian women.
An overall 19% of respondents across the globe would consider this more radical beauty intervention - 12% of men and a quarter of all women said they would have cosmetic or plastic surgery if they could. In nearly every market, the number of women who would yield to the knife or needle was more than double the number of men. The only exception to this was India where very few people of either gender would make a date with their surgeon.
In other would-if-they-could findings, 42% of all Koreans would sign up for skin whitening products (61% of Korean women) and only 7% of Spaniards think these products would improve their looks. In an inverse finding, 41% of our Spanish respondents would use a tanning salon (half of all women) but only 14% of Koreans would.
South Africans and Indians were most likely to try a personal shopping service to improve clothes or style at 59% and 57% respectively. Intriguingly, men were just as likely in both nations (if not more likely) to think this service would make a difference, something that India's Rahul Varma attributes to survival of the fittest.
"There are fewer jobs here than the number of people chasing them. There is a need to have an extra edge over others and this could give people that advantage."
The survey also found that, even if money were no object, there are still three in ten people comfortable enough with their beauty (within or without, or both) to do nothing at all... no extra products, no spa treatments, no tanning, no skin whitening or surgery. And that's a beautiful thought.
Curiosities
- Mirror, mirror on the wall... The highest daily mirror time goes to the Bulgarians with 31% spending more than 10 minutes a day gazing at themselves, followed by the Americans at 26%.
- Singaporeans relate beauty to confidence more than any other market, with just under half saying it's all about self-belief
- 41% of all respondents agreed that they pay attention to beauty tips in magazines
- It's good to be beautiful in Brazil and India where 55% of people think you can get away with less work as long as you look good
- Were money no object, nearly half of all people would have regular facials, massages or other treatments. This was as high as 77% in Brazil (91% of women) and 72% in Spain (86% of women).
Contact(s) for this press release
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Linda Collard
Director, Marketing Communications |
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9/F Leighton Centre |
Telephone: +852 2830 2588 |
Synovate spoke with over 7,000 adult consumers in nine markets around the world - Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, India, Korea, Singapore, South Africa, Spain and the United States of America. The study was conducted in May 2008 using online, telephone and face-to-face methodologies.
About Synovate
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6,700 staff across 62 countries.
For more information on Synovate visit www.synovate.com.