With the cost of personal care products rising by more than 12.5% over the past five years, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on the States Where People Spend the Most on Personal Care Products, to show where it costs the most to maintain your hygiene.
To determine where Americans are paying the most for personal care products, WalletHub analyzed the prices of toothpaste and shampoo in each of the 50 states, then compared them to the median household income.
| Highest % of Income Spent | Lowest % of Income Spent | |
| 1. Mississippi (0.12%) | 41. Virginia (0.08%) | |
| 2. Louisiana (0.11%) | 42. Hawaii (0.07%) | |
| 3. West Virginia (0.11%) | 43. Connecticut (0.07%) | |
| 4. Alabama (0.11%) | 44. California (0.07%) | |
| 5. Arkansas (0.11%) | 45. Colorado (0.07%) | |
| 6. Oklahoma (0.11%) | 46. New Hampshire (0.07%) | |
| 7. Kentucky (0.10%) | 47. Utah (0.07%) | |
| 8. South Carolina (0.10%) | 48. Washington (0.07%) | |
| 9. Oregon (0.10%) | 49. New Jersey (0.07%) | |
| 10. New Mexico (0.10%) | 50. Massachusetts (0.07%) | |
To view the full report and your state’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/
“Prices for personal care items have increased by more than 12.5% over the past five years, spiking sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and then leveling off afterward, according to the Consumer Price Index. Since some personal care items are essential for maintaining your hygiene, these price increases put an increasing amount of stress on Americans’ budgets in conjunction with inflated costs for all sorts of other consumer goods.”
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“People in Mississippi spend the most on personal care products. Buying a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of shampoo in Mississippi costs an average of $5.51, which is around 0.12% of the median monthly household income in the state. For comparison, the same items cost only 0.07% of the median monthly income in Massachusetts.”
– Chip Lupo, WalletHub Analyst
Expert Commentary
What tips do you have to help people avoid overspending on personal care?
“To avoid overspending on personal care, set a monthly limit and list your needs and your wants. Buy store brands, check unit prices, and review subscriptions every three months. Do simple care at home when safe, like basic nails or hair touch ups. Wait 24 hours before non essential buys and unsubscribe from promo emails.”
Dr. Scott Morrissette – Assistant Chair, Purdue University Global
“Overspending is so easy to do, especially when it comes to personal care products. What makes these so difficult is the lack of a substitute. Someone will try several products, eventually settling on the product that works well for them. However, recent inflation and price increases have left many wondering how to save money on these. There are methods to save like using manufacturer coupons or only purchasing when the products are on sale. However, the simplest is focusing on membership-only retail clubs. Buying products in bulk and often-times at significant cost reductions can allow someone to save quite a bit on personal care without the added hassle of searching for discounts.”
Peyton Reichert, PhD – Assistant Professor, Johnson County Community College
How important is budgeting when it comes to saving money on personal care?
“Budgeting is key when it comes to saving money on personal care since it helps you prioritize your needs over your wants… If you’re using a budgeting method like the 50/30/20 rule, you know that 30% of your income goes toward wants – it’s then up to you to decide how much of that you want to spend on personal care. If you want to get more expensive services or products, it is worth planning for and saving that money. Set aside a little from each paycheck so you have money specifically for those extras without dipping into your funds for needs or savings.”
Lauren Creel, MS – Instructor; Undergraduate Advisor, Department of Consumer Sciences, The University of Alabama
“Budgeting is very important because it helps you control spending and save. Set a dollar limit for this category or use a simple savings jar for personal care. This makes costs steady, stops small charges from piling up, and keeps essentials first.”
Dr. Scott Morrissette – Assistant Chair, Purdue University Global
How is the current social and economic environment influencing household spending on personal care?
“Here is a marketing truism: Luxury items sell exactly the same regardless of the economy because the wealthy can afford it. For everyone else, people tend to buy less expensive brands as their perception of the economy worsens. You buy less of the more expensive items and more of the basics. Most people currently seem to see the economy as less robust so they start limiting more spendy personal care purchases and choose the less expensive brands. Oddly, if you compare active ingredients, you may notice that you’ve been buying the same product with better branding and higher cost. You can still get quality personal care items regardless of what the economy is doing or what social commentary has to say about the brand. Choose wisely. Ask people you trust who have experience with a product that you’re considering rather than the ‘influencer of the minute’ thinks.”
Kevin S. Walker JD MBA – Associate Professor, Eastern Oregon University
“In times of social or economic instability, it’s often a common choice to pull back on household spending. Because we don’t know the future, and especially in an unstable future, many people will reduce their spending on personal care to help plan for the what ifs. However, there is always a balance to find for what you want or need and how much you prepare for the future.”
Peyton Reichert, PhD – Assistant Professor, Johnson County Community College
Tips for Saving Money on Personal Care Products
- Consider generic brands. Store-brand items may be just as effective as name-brand products, but much cheaper.
- Buy in bulk. Purchasing personal care items in bulk usually costs less per unit than just buying a single item or smaller sizes.
- Get multi-use products. Instead of purchasing separate shampoo and conditioner, for example, buy a 2-in-1 product to save a bit of money.
- Use coupons. Department stores and drugstores often offer coupons on personal care products, either through mailings, online, or through their mobile apps. Taking advantage of these offers can save you a significant amount of money.
- Use a rewards credit card. Using a good rewards credit card can help take the sting out of inflation. There are cards that offer as much as 2% back on all purchases or significantly higher rewards on select purchase categories. For example, some cards may offer bonus rewards on purchases from grocery stores, drugstores, or department stores, all places where you can buy personal care items.
- Shop around. Different stores may sell the same items at very different prices. Shopping around ensures you get the best deals.
- Use less. People often use larger quantities of toothpaste, shampoo or other personal care items than they actually need to. Read the instructions on the packaging to make sure you’re not using too much at once; if you are, adjusting your habits can make the product last longer.
More From WalletHub
- States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Hair Care
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- States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Health Care
- States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Groceries
- States Where People Spend the Most & Least on Housing
- Best States to Live In
- States With the Best & Worst Budgeters
- Best & Worst State Economies
- States Where People Have the Highest Income