UpCircle has become the latest beauty industry name to address the UK’s cost of living crisis.
The British beauty label, which is built around upcyling by-products, said that one five people in the UK are worried about being able to afford skin care products as a result of soaring inflation rates.
The research panel, conducted by UpCircle via YouGov, worryingly found that one in six people were concerned about affording sun protection, while 20% of UK shoppers found their spending on skin care had increased in line with RRP rises in recent months.
A quarter of respondents had either decreased their skin care spend or stopped purchasing skin care altogether since the beginning of the cost of living crisis, with men twice as likely as women to quit buying skin care.
In response, UpCircle announced a price freeze on all of its products until 2023.
The brand has organised a team-wide volunteer week at The Euston Foodbank in London, UK, while its cost of living pledge also encompasses lobbying local MPs to provide financial support to families in need and using its platforms to provide cost-saving tips.
“Normally we're not ones for a doom and gloom headline but the numbers are hard to put a positive spin on,” commented UpCircle’s co-founder Anna Brightman.
“Our research enables us to deeper understand how the cost of living crisis is impacting people in the UK. We’re responding to our findings by implementing five key ‘cost of living commitments’, including freezing the RRPs of all our products until the end of 2022.”
Recent months have seen UK-based beauty retailers and brands mobilise to help relieve pressure on their customers and to help curb the issue of hygiene poverty.
In May, AS Watson-owned high street retailer Superdrug announced a partnership with poverty activist Jack Monroe, while adding 30 more own brand products to its one-year Price Freeze Promise, which now covers 130 skus.
Earlier this month, meanwhile, health and beauty retailer Boots announced it had joined forces with Unilever on You Buy, We Donate, an eight-week campaign from 29 June which sees one hygiene product donated to British charity Hygiene Bank for every two selected Unilever products bought at Boots stores or online.