01. Price vs. Sales Volume
Does a lower price always mean more units sold? This analysis breaks the dataset into three price tiers to test whether affordability is the dominant driver of volume.
Units Sold by Brand (thousands)
of total sales from sub-$15 brands
e.l.f., Maybelline, NYX, Milani, Wet n Wild, and L'Oréal together account for 124,500 units — over half the dataset's total volume — despite average prices under $12.
Luxury brands: low volume, high margin
Charlotte Tilbury ($42) and Dior ($49) sit at the bottom of sales rankings but serve a loyal premium customer. Their value lies in brand equity, not unit count.
Data Excerpt — Price Tier Comparison
| Tier | Brands | Avg. Price | Total Units | % of Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Budget (under $15) | e.l.f., Maybelline, NYX, Milani, Wet n Wild, L'Oréal | $9.33 | 124,500 | 53.9% |
| Mid-Range ($15–$30) | Rare Beauty, Glossier, Fenty, Tarte, MAC, Benefit | $25.50 | 76,950 | 33.3% |
| Luxury ($30+) | NARS, Dior, Charlotte Tilbury | $41.67 | 30,250 | 13.1% |
Table 2. Sales distribution across price tiers. Budget brands command majority share despite lower price points.
02. Cruelty-Free Status & Ratings
Consumer interest in ethical beauty is well-documented. This analysis tests whether cruelty-free certification correlates with higher customer satisfaction scores.
Fig. 1. Scatter plot of rating by cruelty-free status. Each dot = one brand.
Average rating: Cruelty-Free vs. Not
Cruelty-free brands in this dataset average a 4.6 star rating; non-cruelty-free brands average 4.4. While modest, the gap is consistent across all price tiers.
Top-rated brands skew cruelty-free
Rare Beauty (4.9★) and Charlotte Tilbury (4.9★) are the joint highest-rated — but only Rare Beauty is cruelty-free, showing that ethics alone doesn't dictate perception.
Data Excerpt — Ratings by Cruelty-Free Status
| Brand | Rating | Price | Cruelty-Free |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rare Beauty | 4.9★ | $23 | Yes |
| Glossier | 4.5★ | $18 | Yes |
| Fenty Beauty | 4.6★ | $28 | Yes |
| Charlotte Tilbury | 4.9★ | $42 | No |
| Dior | 4.8★ | $49 | No |
| NARS | 4.7★ | $34 | No |
Table 3. Highest-rated brands by cruelty-free status. Cruelty-free brands dominate mid-tier price points with strong ratings.
03. Formula Type Trends
Powder has long dominated professional makeup kits. But cream and liquid formats have surged alongside social media's dewy-skin aesthetic. This analysis looks at how formula type maps to sales and popularity.
Sales Share by Formula Type
Cream blushes outpace powder
Cream formulas account for approximately 38% of total units sold — edging out powder (32%). The rise of cream blush is driven heavily by affordable brands like e.l.f. and Wet n Wild.
Liquid is niche but premium
Liquid blushes account for only 24% of sales but include the highest-rated product in the dataset (Rare Beauty, 4.9★). Liquid's identity is tied to prestige and virality, not mass adoption.
Data Excerpt — Brands by Formula Type
| Type | Brands | Avg. Rating | Total Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cream | e.l.f., Glossier, Fenty, Wet n Wild, L'Oréal, Charlotte Tilbury | 4.43★ | 88,500 |
| Powder | NARS, Milani, Dior, Tarte, MAC, Benefit | 4.55★ | 75,750 |
| Liquid | Rare Beauty, Maybelline, NYX | 4.47★ | 56,450 |
Table 4. Sales and ratings by formula type. Cream wins on volume; powder leads in average satisfaction.