The cosmetic industry has been rapidly expanding over the last decades. The industry itself generates about $230 billion each year and is consumed daily by 90% of female consumers. Despite its weight in the economy, consumer research has largely neglected the specificity of beauty products and consumption. The first aim of this paper is thus to offer an integrative conceptual framework to better understand beauty consumption from a consumer psychology point of view, incorporating findings from evolutionary, cognitive and cultural psychology. The second aim is to encourage consumer research on the topic by offering a research agenda taking into consideration different dimensions of beauty perception. This working paper is based on a critical and systematic literature review conducted on the topic of beauty in cognitive, evolutionary and cultural psychology. Whilst the beauty industry is booming, a gap exists in the consumer research literature in terms of understanding the applications of traditional evolutionary, cognitive and crosscultural research on the topic. This working paper introduces a framework and agenda to understand, frame, and study beauty in consumer research. On the basis of the literature reviewed, we propose a model with two decision-making systems related to beautyrelated cognition and behaviors: an impulsive decision-making system and a socially constructed decision-making system. In the impulsive decision-making system, sexual selection and cognitive mechanisms function simultaneously. We expect impulsive buying behavior to occur when consumers are exposed to highly aesthetic packaging of beauty products. In the socially constructed decision-making system, consumers choose certain brands depending on the brand image being aligned with the consumer’s cultural perception of beauty. We argue that decision-making behavior is reflective, as opposed to impulsive. Finally, we argue that both systems are mutually reinforcing and need to be better integrated into further studies looking at beauty consumption.

Modern luxury research draws upon the concept of conspicuous consumption, the act of publicly displaying luxury goods as a means of showing-off one’s wealth (Veblen, 1899). Millennials are considered to be the next generation of luxury consumers. Instagram being a highly visual social media platform creates an environment that is fit for setting the scene by displaying wealth. This study explores millennials’ display of experiential luxury through personal branding strategies on visual social media, looking at the case of ‘Millionaires’ of Instagram. We collected data through an anonymously curated platform on Instagram called “Rich Kids of Instagram”. We carried out a visual content analysis and a netnography. Findings revealed two main aspects of the personal branding strategies (Peters, 1997) adopted by wealthy micro-celebrities. First, the restrained use and lack of display of conspicuous luxury branded products. Second, an emphasis on experiential luxury through the use of geo-tags. These findings carry theoretical implications. Contrary to more ‘traditional’ luxury consumption theories (Veblen 1899), findings showed that wealthy millennials put an emphasis on more unconventional and immaterial - rather than material - aspects of their luxury consumption. The experiential nature of luxury consumption was exemplified by the almost systematic use of geo-tags. Followers seemed to be especially motivated by this aspect of the luxury consumption experience, which can be seen as a truer, more authentic, form of consumption experience. This study also contributes to the understanding of how millennials conceive luxury consumption in a broader sense. Experiential luxury, rather than luxury products (Hemetsberger, von Wallpach, and Bauer 2012), appears to be the main focus of luxury consumption for this new generation of luxury consumers.

This paper develops a conceptual framework merging evolutionary, cognitive and cultural dimensions on beauty. It proposes a research agenda for all three dimensions calling researchers to better understand the concept of beauty, as well as to take it into account and develop it in the field of consumer research.

This study uses ingratiation theory (Jones, 1964) to investigate the specificity of online luxury brand communities, using an observational netnography. We analyse and discuss the diverging strategies held by low and high power community members, and the role played by flattery in maintaining and gaining status in the community.