Buying drugstore makeup is thought of as being a more affordable alternative to prestige products offered at places like Ulta and Sephora. Brands like Maybelline and L’Oréal allow customers to have fun experimenting with new products at a low cost—or so many thought.
A makeup enthusiast, Khoa (@khoa.cao), is expressing concern on TikTok after spotting a L’Oreal concealer for $16 at Ulta.
“This is L’Oreal right here, this is a new concealer—they have the True Match that I really wanted to try.” Khoa said. “It’s $16, guys. What the heck? You might as well go to Sephora and buy, like, a high-end concealer at that point.”
For reference, the cheapest prestige concealer is $14.50 from Smashbox from that same beauty store. At Sephora, the most affordable regular-priced, high-end concealer is $19. That left Khoa (@khoa.cao) questioning, “What are these drugstore prices?”
Khoa added another question in the caption, “Am i buggin?”
@khoa.cao am i buggin? #drugstorevsluxury #drugstoremakeup ♬ original sound – KHOA
The Daily Dot reached out to Khoa via Instagram direct message. Khoa’s video was viewed 73,000 times. In the comments section, viewers assured Khoa that he was, in fact, not bugging and shared some of the exorbitant drugstore makeup products they’ve encountered recently.
“I remember when drugstore makeup was $8 or less,” one shared.
“PLEASE I WAS JUST SAYING THIS. THE FIT ME ONE WAS $24 at target,” another said.
“Milani had a $20 primer at Walgreens,” a third wrote.
Another said they’d rather save up their money to afford a high-end product rather than spend the money on drugstore products. This sentiment was echoed by many commenters. “For an extra $5-20 bucks, I can get what I really want and better quality too,” one said.
Viewers also shared their thoughts on what drugstore brands are still worth the money. “In makeup revolution, wet n wild and sheglam we believe,” one said. At Ulta, Wet n wild offers a concealer for under $5, and Makeup Revolution offers a concealer for $7.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Consumer Price Index obtained by Allure, drugstore products have gotten more expensive due to inflation.
