Gender-Based Pricing: Study Shows Women Pay More For Facial Moisturizers Than Men

BOSTON (CBS) -- When it comes to the price of facial products for men and women, not all are considered equal. A new study from Massachusetts General Hospital finds women consistently pay more for over-the-counter moisturizers than men.

This has been a long-standing problem, gender-related price inequities for all kinds of hygiene products like shampoos, razors, deodorants, and lotions. So dermatologists at MGH wanted to see how big of a problem it is with facial moisturizers, which they commonly recommend to their patients.

Based on a survey of 110 facial moisturizers from three top online retailers, Amazon, Target, and Walmart. They found that products marketed to women cost about $3 per ounce more than those marketed to men without any significant differences in the ingredients.

They say despite recent government-led efforts to restrict gender-based pricing, it's still clearly a problem when it comes to skin products.