Expensive Products = Better Quality? Let's Uncover the Truth!

 Hiiii everyone!!! This time, I want to discuss the myth: Is it true that luxury products really do have better quality? We've all certainly been tempted by fancy packaging, sky-high prices, and claims that sound revolutionary, but does the price really speak to quality? Let's get to the facts!

source: https://pin.it/63oZpj9MM

"If it's expensive, it must be better. Your skin is a long-term investment." A myth that's been believed for far too long.

1. Why do we believe this myth?

The psychology behind. "Expensive = Good"

The belief that high price equals high quality isn't just a habit. It's a cognitive bias deeply ingrained in our brains. Researchers refer to this as the price-quality heuristic: a condition in which the brain uses price as a shortcut to assess quality, especially when we lack sufficient alternative information.

A study published in the journal Psychology & Marketing (2023), involving a total of 2,842 participants, found that a higher price consistently created higher quality expectations in consumers' minds, even though the products tested were identical. This is what is known as the marketing placebo effect.

PRICE-QUALITY HEURISTIC

ANCHORING BIAS

The brain uses price as an indicator of quality when technical information is difficult to understand, just like skincare products with complex ingredients.

When we see a cream priced at Rp 800,000 next to one priced at Rp 150,000, the cheaper one feels "less convincing" even though the contents might be identical.

ASPIRATIONAL BUYING

SURVIVORSHIP BIAS

Luxury brands sell more than just products; they sell identity and aspiration. Buying an expensive product feels like "taking care of yourself seriously."

We remember more clearly when an expensive product "works" than when a cheaper products delivers equally good results.

The beauty industry understands this very well. Prof. Utpal Dholakia from Rice University explains that the informational value of price is strongest precisely when consumers cannot asess the quality of the product themselves, and skincare is the perfect category for this.

2. Fact vs Price

So, what are you actually paying for?

Dermatologists and cosmetics chemists have long known this: the vast majority of the price difference between luxury and affordable products has nothing to do with the efficacy of their active ingredients.

According to analysis by beauty experts, the cost structures of luxury skincare products is generally broken down as follows:

70-80%

10-15%

5-15%

Marketing, packaging, & celebrity endorsments

Distribution, retail mark-up, & brand prestige

Formula & active ingredients

Perry Romanowski, a cosmetics chemist and founder of The Beauty Brains, emphasises that, functionally speaking, affordable and luxury products use the same class of ingredients: moisturizers, humectants, and emollients. Indeed, L’Oréal, the parent company of the luxury skincare brand Skinceuticals, also owns CeraVe, a drugstore brand that is actually the one most frequently recommended by dermatologists.

Key fact: a single molecule of hyaluronic acid in an Rp 800,000 product is chemically identical to a molecule of hyaluronic acid in an Rp 80,000 product. The quality of active ingredients doesn't change simply because the price differs.

Here is a comparison of key active ingredients found in both affordable and luxury products:

Active ingredients

Affordable products

Luxury products

Hyaluronic acid

The Ordinary HA 2%+B5

Identical molecules

Niacinamide

The Ordinary 10%+ZinC

Identical molecules

Ceramide

CeraVe Moisturizing Cream

Identical molecules

Retinol

RoC Retinol Correxion

Identical molecules

Glycerine

Almost all chemist

Identical molecules

3. When is price actually relevant?

It doesn't mean all expensive products are a waste of money

Dermatologists don't recommend buying all your skincare from the cheapest options. There are categories where an extra investment makes scientific sense, and others where it doesn't.

It's safe to buy affordable options

Consider investing a bit more

Cleansers

Vitamin C serum (the stability of L-ascorbic acid requires precise formulation)

Basic moisturizer with ceramides & hyaluronic acid

Encapsulated retinol (more stable & less irritating)

Daily sheet masks & eye patches

Sunscreen (texture affects daily usage habits)

Niacinamide & basic hyaluronic acid serum

Medical-grade treatments for hyperpigmentation or severe scarring

Body lotion & lip balm

4. Affordable products that actually work

Recommendations that are always on dermatologists' lists

This isn't just an opinion; the following products are consistently recommended by dermalogists worldwide, not because they're cheap, but because their formulations are scientifically sound.

CeraVe

The Ordinary

Developed in collaboration with dermalogists. A ceramide + hyaluronic acid formula is consistently recommended for those with sensitive to dry skin. Ranks #1 on the dermatologist-recommended list in the US.
(cleanser, moisturizer, barrier repair)

Transparency regarding ingredients and concentrations is rarely seen in other brands. The 10% niacinamide + Zinc formula is considered equivalent to niacinamide serums from brands costing many times more.
(active serum, HA, retinol)

La Roche-Posay

Neutrogena

A French pharmaceutical heritage with formulas tested on sesitive skin. Their sunscreens and cleansers are the standart dermatological recommendations for problem skin.
(sensitive skin, sunscreen, rosacea-friendly)

One of the brands with longest research track record in the consumer skincare industry. Its retinol serum competes directly with premiun options that cost significantly more.
(retinol, SPF, acne)

So, what's the verdict?

Price is no guarantee of quality; it's the active ingredients and their concentrations that matter. Luxury products aren't automatically more effective; you're often paying for the packaging, marketing, and brand name. But that doesn't mean all cheap products are good, some have poor formulas, regardless of the price.

The real key is: read the ingredients list, understand the active ingredients your skin needs, and use them consistently. Because consistency with an affordable product is always better tham occasionally using an expensive product whose benefits you don't understand.

Have you ever believed this myth? Share your story in the comments!