Why Are Women's Toiletries Still More Expensive?

Women are still paying more than men for basic toiletries, new research has found.

According to tax rebate specialists RIFT, the average four-pack of razors aimed at women costs £3.38 – around 6% more than £3.18 for an average four-pack of razors aimed at men.

The average deodorant aimed at women costs £2.08, RIFT found, around 9% more than £1.91 for an average deodorant aimed at men.

But the research found that gender-based price discrepancy is widest when it comes to facial moisturisers. The average 50ml product aimed at women costs £10.77 – more than a third more than £8.02 for the average 50ml product aimed at men.

RIFT calculated the average cost of these bathroom basics by checking the price of branded products on sale at Boots, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda and Superdrug between 13th and 22nd June. Special offers and reduced price promotions were taken into account.

Responding to the results, a Boots spokesperson told the Daily Mail: "The products quoted in this article are not like for like, based on ingredient, formulation and use, so can’t be compared on price."

The so-called "pink tax" – or gender-based price discrimination – on toiletries feels especially unfair when added to the tampon tax women pay on sanitary products.

Because women's sanitary products are classified as "luxury items" rather than essential, we pay 5% VAT when we buy them. By contrast, products including pitta bread, Jaffa cakes and crocodile meat (!) are all considered "essential" and have therefore remained tax-free since the '70s.

Under pressure to end this discriminatory practice, the government has recently pledged to use tampon tax money to help end period poverty for the first time.

Last year the BBC created a calculator which enables women to calculate exactly how much they've spent on the tampon tax over the years.