This book explores the wide array of harms associated with legal, illegal and counterfeit markets within the beauty industry to develop an understanding of supply and demand beyond a traditional criminological framework. Drawing upon data from a detailed ethnographic study, this book examines a small population of beauty-dependent consumers attempting to navigate a society characterized by hyper-comparison, hyper-consumption and competitive individualism. More specifically, it looks at the day-to-day struggles and challenges of young people in contemporary society as they attempt to keep up with the rising beauty standards and expectations of what is considered ‘normal’. I write this book to highlight the toxicity of the consumer culture that is driving individuals’ willingness to harm themselves, others and the environment in their pursuit of image and body perfection. The latter part of this chapter gives a more comprehensive breakdown of the book's structure, but, for now, I aim to provide insight into the ongoing expansion of the beauty industry and where the idea for this project stemmed from.

The beauty industry

The global beauty industry has seen substantial growth in recent years. In 2023 the personal care and beauty industry contributed a total of £27.2 billion to the UK's economy, an 11 per cent increase from 2022 (British Beauty Council, 2024). From skincare, haircare and make-up products to cosmetic injectables, weight management and fitness products and services, consumers today invest significant time and money to enhance their appearance. The consumption of beauty has extended beyond the everyday use and application of products to include a range of procedures, services and lifestyle choices focused on self-care, nutrition, fitness and overall wellness (Cederström and Spicer, 2015). Alongside the surging popularity of legal beauty products and services, there has been an increase in the usage of lifestyle drugs more generally (Hall, 2019; Gibbs, 2023).