“I would cry, but my makeup is too expensive.”
Nowadays, the cost of beauty products is astronomically high, even when the product comes in the smallest bottle, jar or tube.
Now, fed-up customers are turning to discount department stores, hoping to save a few dollars when shopping for their favorite supplies.
Stores like TJ Maxx, Marshalls and Ross are known to sell discounted clothing, accessories and home goods, but they also feature extensive beauty product sections where they hawk expensive brands that customers can often find in stores like Sephora and Ulta.
A high-end foundation can ring up between $38 and $270, while a trendy skincare product easily costs anywhere from $28 to more than $200.
The reason that the stores have an abundant supply of the products is likely due to overstock from distributors.
According to The List, that often means that higher-end department stores weren’t selling the products as quickly as they would’ve wanted to or they need to make room for other seasonal products.
So by default, the products then move to the discounted department stores to be sold for a cut price. As explained by a Reddit user, “When items are sent to the brand’s warehouse due to overstock, repacking, etc., the brand then cuts a deal and sends them to a place like TJ to recoup some $.”
Customers are thrilled that the assembly line exists because TikTok is flooded with videos of beauty hauls from the stores. However, it’s important to proceed with caution before jumping on the discount deluge.
“Check the expiration dates. I found some great deals but they were either expired or close to expiration (not all finds, but quite a few),” one TikTok user commented on a haul video.
Due to where the products are coming from, always be sure to check the expiration dates on them before buying; they are oftentimes labeled on the product as the production/batch code.
Also be particular with the type of products you’re buying from the discounted stores.
Esther Olu, a cosmetic chemist and licensed esthetician, explained in a HuffPost article that certain active ingredients like vitamin C, retinoids and chemical sunscreen filters are vulnerable to heat, light and humidity, which can make them less effective.
“This degradation is often indicated by a color shift from clear or pale yellow to orange or brown,” Olu added.
Lastly, since the discount department stores don’t often have testers of products the way Sephora or Ulta would, there is the risk of people opening packages to test them before purchasing.
If that is the case, products are being exposed to germs and bacteria.
“There are many ingredients used in skin care products that are considered volatile or unstable, which is why [products] should only be opened for use,” Dr. Geeta Yadav, board-certified dermatologist and founder of Facet Dermatology, told HuffPost. “In many cases, exposure to air makes these ingredients less effective over time.”
