Using a questionnaire we investigated the modem trend of buying expensive cosmetics rather than ordinary ones (market price less than ¥2000)by a large number of consumers especially among the younger generation.It was found that :1)for females of the younger generation, used makeup and cosmetics was expected to be a means of their proper self‐expression, 2)nevertheless, consumers were lacking appropriate information on cosmetics Consequently, advertising campaign much affected their motives of purchasing expensive cosmetics, and 3)safety of cosmetics on the skin was not always an essential criterion for selection. For consumers, it is difficult to discriminate the real qualitative difference between expensive cosmetics and ordinary ones even if any differences are existing. This fact produces a trend of believing the more expensive one is better than the ordinary.For rational selection of cosmetics, the cosmetic makers should provide much more information on the cosmetics with ordinary prices.
