Weaknesses

Weaknesses

• The cosmetic industry in the United States doesn’t fully embrace products from other cultures. The Korean beauty industry is slowly gaining traction in the United States but products are sold in a few select locations only. There are amazing products from all around the world that the United States could benefit from. The U.S. cosmetic industry has a potential that they are not utilizing.

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• Most makeup brands sell product through their website and through third party retailers such as Sephora or Ulta. This is a weakness because people do not always have access to a Sephora or Ulta and ordering cosmetics online can be difficult. Picking the ideal foundation shade or the perfect nude lip, for example, is stressful when looking through a computer screen so getting products out in the world through more outlets would be a good thing to consider.

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• One of the biggest weaknesses that the U.S. cosmetics industry has is that animal testing is still allowed. Most of Europe, along with Israel and India, have banned cosmetics that have been tested on animals from being sold. For more information, you can check out animal testing on PETA’s website (PETA, n.d.).

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• Cosmetic products are still fairly unregulated here in the U.S. compared to other countries such as Europe and Canada. In the U.S., the FDA is in charge of overseeing cosmetics. Unlike most drugs, cosmetics do not need to be approved by the FDA before hitting the shelves. This leads to cosmetic companies using cheaper, unsafe ingredients in their products. (Business Insider, 2015).

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• In an effort to protect the environment, cosmetic companies need to package their products in a more eco-friendly way. Pallets and containers that hold makeup products have to be strong and durable to last for a long period of time. When these containers get transferred to the landfill, it can take hundreds of years to decompose. (Simpleluxeliving.com, 2017).