Wednesday, October 8th, 2008

Pink Beauty Product Rankings: The Ultimate Consumer Guide

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Sure, it feels good to buy pink beauty products, but do you ever think about whether or not the money you spend on a pink product actually goes towards benefiting a breast cancer charity?

If you really want to know exactly where your money is going, the best thing to do is to donate directly to the organization of your choice. However, if you choose to support breast cancer charities by purchasing pink products, it’s important to read the labels and understand how your money is used.

But that’s much easier said than done and because it can be a pain trying to figure out which pink products have the best pay-offs, I’ve put together this Consumer’s Guide to the Best Pink Beauty Products.

Below you’ll find a list of popular pink beauty products offered by companies who clearly state what portion of their proceeds will go to a breast cancer charity. Furthermore, the products are ranked based on their ability to guarantee that a portion of your money will go to benefit a breast cancer charity.

Top Picks: Pink Products Without a Corporate Donation Limit (listed in order of highest percentage of purchase price donated to a breast cancer charity)

The best pink products you can buy are the ones offered by companies who do not place a limit on the contribution they make to a breast cancer organization. Instead, these companies pledge to donate a specific portion of what you pay to the organization of their choice.

1. Clinique Butter Shine Lipstick in Ribbon Pink ($16.50, Sephora)
Corporate Donation: $10 per Ribbon Pink lipstick (60.6% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

2. Too Faced Betsy Baby Duo Eyeshadow ($17, Sephora)
Corporate Donation: $9 per eyeshadow duo (about 53% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

3. YSL Golden Gloss No. 27 ($28)
Corporate Donation: $8.40 per lipgloss (30% of purchase price)
Charity: National Breast Cancer Coalition Fund

4. Sabon NYC “Pink Bath” Basket ($90)
Corporate Donation: $27 per basket (30% of the gift basket’s retail price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

5. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion ($35)
Corporate Donation: $10 per moisturizer (about 28.6% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

6. Shiseido The Makeup Lip Gloss in Pretty Pink ($20.50, Macy’s)
Corporate Donation: $5 per lipgloss (about 24.4% of purchase price)
Charity: CEW Foundation’s Cancer and Careers
Additional Details: Product also available from Sephora and Nordstrom

7. New York & Company Spirited Pink Lip Gloss ($6, $3 with purchase)
Corporate Donation: $1 per gloss (16.6% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

8. Sonia Kashuk ($7.99 - $19.99, Target)
Corporate Donation: 15% of purchase price
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

9. Sephora BCA Brushes ($15 for travel brush set, $8 for pop up hair brush)
Corporate Donation: $1 per brush or brush set (6.6% - 12.5% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

10. Bumble & Bumble Classic Hairspray ($11 for 4 oz, $20 for 10oz)
Corporate Donation: $1 per hairspray (5% - 9% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

11. Darphin Predermine Wrinkle Corrective Serum ($250)
Corporate Donation: $20 per bottle (8% of the retail price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
Additional Details: Shipping is free when you purchase this product using the link above and enter code WORLDPINK at checkout.

12. Energizing Pomegranate Lip Therapy SPF 15 ($16.50, Sephora)
Corporate Donation: $1 per gloss (6% of purchase price)
Charity: The Breast Cancer Research Foundation

13. GHD Hot Pink IV Styler ($255, Sephora)
Corporate Donation: $15 per styler (about 5.8% of retail price)
Charity: Young Survival Coalition

14. Clarisonic Skin Care System in Pink ($195)
Corporate Donation: $10 per “pink” skin care system (a little over 5% of purchase price)
Charity: National Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation

15. Tweezerman Precision in Pink tweezers ($20, Sephora)
Corporate Donation: $1 per Precision in Pink tweezer (5% of purchase price)
Charity: CANCERcare as well as “other various charities”
Additional information: This product is also sold at www.skinstore.com

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Pink Products with Donation Limits (listed in order of the maximum amount the company has pledged to donate)

The companies who offer these products have pledged to donate a percentage of their sales to a breast cancer charity, but have placed a cap on their contribution. While the contribution is often generous, the problem with this system is that, once the company hits its limit, the subsequent sales of its pink products will not go towards benefiting a charity.

16. Estee Lauder Pink Ribbon Collection ($16 - $150)

Corporate Donation: $500k from sales of Pink Ribbon Collection