The economics of feeling better: Why beauty spending holds firm in times of uncertainty
Industry experts say beauty businesses often serve as an early indicator of changing consumer sentiment
27 July, 2026
TT
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When economies come under pressure and geopolitical tensions dominate headlines, consumer spending patterns often reveal how people cope with uncertainty. While sectors such as real estate, tourism and finance typically dominate discussions around economic resilience, the beauty and grooming industry tells a quieter but equally revealing story. For many consumers, beauty spending is less about indulgence and more about preserving routine, confidence and emotional wellbeing.
Industry experts say beauty businesses often serve as an early indicator of changing consumer sentiment. Appointment books, spending patterns and conversations between clients and professionals provide insights into how households are responding to financial and emotional stress long before broader economic data reflects those shifts.
The sector also carries considerable economic weight. Built largely on small and independent businesses, many founded and operated by women, it supports extensive supply chains, landlords, distributors and thousands of employees. As a result, changes in consumer confidence ripple well beyond salon doors.
“When people think about the impact of conflict on business, beauty and grooming rarely make the list. Yet this sector touches almost every household, employs a huge number of women, and is often one of the first places where the human side of uncertainty becomes visible. Having spent over 18 years in this industry, I can say with confidence that beauty businesses are a quiet barometer for how people are really feeling. When clients are anxious, distracted, or financially stretched, it shows up here first, in cancellations, in spending habits, in conversations across the salon chair,” Katie Godfrey, business strategist, podcaster and best selling author of “Get Off the Tools,” said.
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She believes the industry’s importance extends beyond personal care because its health closely mirrors shifts in consumer confidence.
“This is also an industry built almost entirely on small and independent businesses, many run by women, many run by people who have built everything from the ground up. When conflict affects consumer confidence, it doesn’t just affect a single salon. It ripples through landlords, suppliers, staff, and the families that those businesses support,” Godfrey said.
She added: “The economic story of this region is often told through real estate, tourism, or finance. But the beauty and grooming sector is just as connected to consumer confidence, and it deserves a seat at that table.”
Uncertainty is changing business decisions
The impact of geopolitical instability extends beyond fewer appointments or slower foot traffic. According to Godfrey, the biggest challenges facing salon owners today are often invisible to customers.
Business owners are becoming more cautious with investments, delaying hiring decisions, postponing expansion plans and carefully evaluating inventory purchases. Rather than reacting to declining demand alone, many are responding to uncertainty by slowing strategic decision-making.
“The obvious effects are the ones everyone expects, a dip in bookings, clients cancelling, footfall slowing in certain areas. But the less obvious effects are the ones I see every week behind the scenes. The first is decision paralysis. Business owners delay decisions they would normally make with confidence, whether that’s hiring, investing in stock, signing a new lease, or launching a new service. Uncertainty makes people freeze, and that hesitation can cost more than the disruption itself,” Godfrey said.
She also highlighted the emotional pressures facing entrepreneurs, particularly women who often balance multiple responsibilities beyond running their businesses.
“The second is the emotional toll on the owner. Many of these business owners are also mothers, carers, and the emotional anchor for their teams. They are absorbing their own anxiety while trying to keep their staff calm and their clients reassured. That weight is rarely spoken about, but it is very real.”
Another challenge stems from the industry’s international workforce. Many salon professionals are expatriates with families living in regions affected by ongoing conflict, requiring employers to support employees dealing with significant personal concerns alongside professional responsibilities.
Forward planning has also become increasingly conservative.
“And finally, there is the impact on forward planning. Marketing campaigns, seasonal launches, even pricing strategies are being built with far more caution, because no one quite knows what the next few weeks will bring,” Godfrey said.
Emotional spending is replacing impulse spending
Behavioral economists have long argued that consumers do not always spend according to purely rational calculations. During periods of uncertainty, purchases that provide emotional reassurance often become more valuable than discretionary luxuries.
The beauty industry appears to reflect that shift.
Rather than abandoning beauty spending altogether, consumers are increasingly prioritising services that help maintain routine and emotional wellbeing while delaying treatments viewed as optional upgrades.
Godfrey said the distinction has become increasingly apparent across salons.
“It’s a mix of both, and the pattern depends on the type of treatment. What I am seeing consistently is that clients don’t stop booking altogether, but they become more intentional about what they book. The appointments that provide a sense of routine, normality, and emotional reset, hair, brows, nails, regular maintenance treatments, tend to hold steady. These are the appointments that make people feel like life is continuing as normal, and during uncertain times, that feeling matters more, not less. Where I see more hesitation is around higher-ticket, discretionary treatments, things that feel like an upgrade rather than a routine. Clients may delay these or wait for more clarity before committing,” she said.
That pattern suggests beauty spending increasingly functions as emotional insurance rather than simple luxury consumption.
Consumers are becoming more value conscious
Although many customers continue visiting salons, they are approaching spending more strategically.
Instead of one-off purchases, clients increasingly favor memberships, packages and loyalty programs that provide predictable costs and ongoing value.
According to Godfrey, this shift reflects a search for financial certainty rather than discounting.
“There is also a clear shift towards value. Clients are gravitating towards memberships, packages, and loyalty-based pricing rather than one-off, full-price visits. It’s not that they want a discount, it’s that they want certainty and a sense of getting more for what they spend. Businesses that have built in these value-led options are seeing far more resilience in their numbers than those relying purely on walk-in, full-price bookings,” she said.
The trend suggests consumers are reassessing how they spend without necessarily eliminating beauty budgets altogether.
Distinguishing temporary disruption from lasting change
While short-term declines in appointments often occur during periods of heightened uncertainty, Godfrey believes the more significant indicator lies in whether consumer behavior fundamentally changes.
“Short-term disruption looks like a dip. Bookings slow for a few days, footfall drops in certain neighbourhoods, clients postpone non-essential treatments. In my experience, this tends to bounce back quickly. Within a week or two, diaries fill back up because people crave normality, and beauty appointments are part of that normality,” she said.
Long-term structural change, however, is reflected in how consumers allocate spending rather than whether they spend at all.
“Longer-term structural change looks different. It shows up in how consumers are spending, not whether they are spending. We are seeing clients become more selective, prioritising treatments that deliver longer-lasting results, choosing memberships or packages over one-off visits, and being more considered about where their money goes,” she said.
She believes businesses should closely monitor whether clients simply postpone appointments or permanently alter their purchasing habits.
“The way I assess it is if clients are cancelling and then rebooking within a similar timeframe, that is short-term disruption. If clients are changing their behaviour, spacing appointments further apart, switching to lower-cost alternatives, or becoming more value-driven in what they choose, that signals a structural shift that business owners need to plan around, not just wait out,” Godfrey said.
Women entrepreneurs face multiple pressures
Women account for much of the beauty industry’s leadership and workforce, making them particularly exposed during periods of instability.
Many founders are simultaneously managing businesses, supporting employees and balancing family responsibilities while navigating uncertain economic conditions.
“This industry is led by women, built by women, and largely staffed by women, which means the impact of instability falls heavily on female founders and salon owners. Many of these women are running businesses while also holding everything else together at home. When uncertainty hits, they are absorbing it on multiple fronts, managing client anxiety, managing staff wellbeing, managing their own families, and trying to keep the business financially stable, often without a large support structure behind them,” Godfrey said.
She added that many entrepreneurs also carry a deep sense of responsibility for their employees.
“Female founders also tend to feel the weight of responsibility for their teams more personally. A salon owner isn’t just thinking about her own income, she is thinking about the 10, 20, or 30 people who rely on that business for their livelihood. That responsibility becomes heavier during uncertain times. There is also the challenge of confidence. Many female founders already battle self-doubt around pricing, growth, and decision-making in calmer times. Add geopolitical uncertainty into the mix, and that hesitation can deepen, leading to delayed decisions that hold the business back even further,” she said.
Despite those challenges, she believes measured leadership becomes increasingly important.
“What I always remind the women I work with is that stepping back to make calm, strategic decisions is not weakness, it is leadership. The businesses that come through these periods strongest are the ones where the owner gives herself permission to lead from a place of clarity rather than panic,” Godfrey said.
Routine services continue to show resilience
Not every segment of the beauty industry is experiencing the same level of pressure.
Premium aesthetic treatments, destination salons and businesses heavily dependent on tourists have shown greater vulnerability during periods of uncertainty.
“The most vulnerable areas tend to be high-ticket, discretionary services with longer lead times between bookings, certain aesthetic treatments, premium one-off experiences, and businesses that rely heavily on tourist or transient client bases. These are the first to feel a slowdown because they sit further down a client’s list of priorities when budgets tighten. Businesses that are highly dependent on footfall in specific locations, particularly areas more directly impacted by current events, are also more exposed, simply because fewer people are passing through,” Godfrey said.
Routine maintenance services, however, continue to demonstrate resilience because consumers increasingly view them as essential rather than optional.
“On the resilient side, routine maintenance services, hair, brows, lashes, nails, laser and basic skincare, continue to perform well. These are the appointments people see as part of their normal life rather than a luxury, and they are often the first thing people return to once any initial disruption settles. Membership-based and subscription-style businesses are proving particularly resilient. When a client has already committed to a recurring service, that revenue continues to come in even during quieter weeks, giving business owners a level of stability that pay-as-you-go models simply don’t offer,” she said.
For Godfrey, the lesson extends beyond the beauty industry itself.
“What this all points to is the same lesson I share with every business owner I work with, regardless of what is happening in the world. Businesses built on routine, value, and genuine client relationships are far better equipped to weather uncertainty than those relying purely on being busy,” she said.
As consumers continue navigating economic uncertainty and geopolitical tensions, beauty spending increasingly appears to be driven by psychology as much as purchasing power. Rather than representing discretionary indulgence, many routine beauty services have evolved into small but meaningful investments in stability, confidence and emotional wellbeing, demonstrating that, during uncertain times, feeling better may itself become an economic priority.
