Marketing Expert Quoted on the “Lipstick Effect”

Consumer behavior expert Colleen Kirk, D.P.S., professor in the School of Management, was quoted extensively in VeryWell Mind about the “lipstick effect.” The theory suggests that when the economy is in decline, spending on makeup is shown to rise.

“When resources are scarce, researchers have documented two routes that consumers use to cope psychologically. One route is working toward reducing scarcity by gaining more money and the other route is working toward securing a sense of control. Humans have a fundamental need for control in our lives. It’s a basic motivation and research has shown that when control is taken away from us in one domain, we try to exert it in others. One way is by controlling the things we purchase,” says Kirk, adding that lipstick effect purchases can be any kind of small indulgence, not just makeup.