The Cost Of Gendered Beauty

With inputs from experts, Ainee Nizami Ahmedi seeks to place the fine print under a magnifying glass and understand the impact of unfair pricing tactics on half the population

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The next time you find yourself shopping in the Beauty section of a store, do a little sleuthing. Head to the men’s instead, and compare a few prices. That difference right there is what constitutes the pink tax. Not to be confused with actual tax terminology, the pink tax is simply the price you pay for buying a product from the women’s section. For example, you would have to shell out an additional ₹50 for a women’s razor (pastel-colored in all likelihood) or about ₹70 more for a deodorant from the women’s section, compared to the same one from the men’s section. A women’s perfume would cost about ₹1500 more and a fairness cream for women would be about 10 per cent dearer compared to the men’s product. The same goes for moisturizers, lip balms, shower gels… you get the drift!