The other day I was ordering some things online to pick up at the store, one of the items being men’s deodorant. I hadn’t bought women’s deodorant in years so I decided to look up the price of a typical women’s deodorant and to my surprise, a single women’s deodorant was the same price as a twin pack of men’s deodorant. I’ve always been aware of the pink tax, which is where products aimed towards women are more expensive than their male advertised counterparts according to Pink.tax. I decided to look up women’s products and compare them to their male counterparts to see how much money I could be saving by just buying products designed for men.
Photo Credit: US News
1. Deodorant
Photo Credits: Amazon
The men’s Degree stick deodorant is 2.7oz and costs $2.49 at Target, while the women’s Degree stick deodorant is 2.6oz and costs $4.29 at Target. So by buying the women’s deodorant, not only are you paying more but you are also getting less, even if it’s only .1oz.
2. Razors
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It’s hard to compare reusable razors because there are so many different options, materials and features with reusable razors, so I chose to compare disposable razors. The men’s Shick Hydro 3 count at Target costs $6.19 while the women’s Shick Hydro 3 count costs $8.99 at Target. Both of these razors each have five blades as well as the same product design, there’s no reason for the women’s pack to be $2.80 more.
3. Shaving cream
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Shaving creams and gels were hard to compare because a lot of brands only make them for one gender or the other. I was able to find that Gilette makes a shaving cream for women that is 7oz and $3.49 at Target, while the 7oz men’s shaving cream that came up at Target was $1.99. Gilette also makes 12 different types of shaving creams and gels for men, while only making one for women.
4. Body wash
Photo Credits: Target
The body wash was difficult because there were a lot of brand differences between men and women, so I had to go looking through parent companies. Procter & Gamble own both Olay beauty and Old Spice so I compared two moisturizing body washes between the two brands. The Olay age-defying body wash comes in a 2-pack and is sold at Target for $7.49. The Old Spice body wash for men comes in a 2-pack and is sold at Target for $6.99, for the same amount of ounces.
Photo Credits: Healthline
Not only are women paying more for products that are similar, if not the same, to men’s products but we also have to buy more, like feminine hygiene products. This also comes at a time where more products are being aimed towards women, like skincare products and makeup, leaving men stress-free about having to spend the money on this. Women are still being paid less than men and yet we are expected to spend more money on our daily products. Where will companies draw the line?