DATA VISUALIZATION

While developing content for my consumption blog, I began to wonder about the safety and efficiency of the ingredients in the makeup I use. I was curious about regulation of the makeup industry. This led me to research and write a scholarly memoir about makeup ingredients that are both safe and harmful in the specific products that I use, to help educate others who may use the same products. Further investigation revealed that most cosmetic ingredients are not yet regulated by the FDA.  Then I wondered what influenced consumer purchase behavior. Did people buy based on safety, price, brand or advertising influence – or all of those factors? To learn more, I conducted a survey of the greater Twin Cities market on Facebook and LinkedIn. For this exhibition, I wanted to research and portray something that is meaningful to people. Since the general public is not familiar with makeup ingredients, my survey research was scoped for how consumers use and purchase makeup. The survey was available to the general public, but only women responded. To make it easier to understand the survey results, I visualized the data into an informational graphic. I found that most women enjoy buying makeup, even if it is expensive, which coincides with the research I found for my scholarly memoir. This is likely because makeup helps create a positive self-image and makes them feel confident. Both my blog research and online survey revealed that most women do not want to try different products than the ones they are used to – they are brand loyalists. Additional research would be required to learn if product safety would change their brand affinity. I feel that product company profit goals may sometimes conflict with consumer well-being. Because makeup is not regulated, advertisements do not disclose possible harmful effects of some ingredients. Doing so would create risk of lost revenue. In this exhibit, I aspired to show a combination of information that educates both the business and the consumer, with the goal of reminding cosmetic companies that consumers use their products to fulfill emotional needs. The cards in this exhibit serve to answer the questions consumers ask but businesses don’t answer. The majority of the questions and answers related to cosmetic ingredients safety, industry regulations and ideas about cosmetics in general and are relevant to non-makeup users.