Share of fragrances with higher prices in women's than men's versions in France 2019

In France, a study showed in 2019 that 74 percent of the eaux de toilette and perfumes studied were more expensive in their version intended for women. In 17 percent of the cases, the bottle was available at the same price in all versions. That year, only nine percent of the bottles studied were more expensive in the version for men.

Pink tax

This type of inequalities seems to play out in several ways. In terms of consumption, they can be observed through the pink tax. This term, which appeared in the 1990s, refers to the practice of selling the same product at a higher price in its version for women. This practice occurs in several European countries, including Italy. According to a study conducted in 2020 in this country, face moisturizers for women cost on average 57 percent more than those for men, and deodorants marketed to women were twice as expensive as deodorants targeted for men.

VAT on feminine hygiene products

Closely related to these issues, the communication campaign around the tampon tax conducted in France in 2015 raised the question of whether menstrual hygiene products should be considered as basic necessities. While the VAT (value added tax) rate applied to these products used to be 20 percent, a law was finally passed in December 2015, bringing the rate to 5.5 percent, as for other essential goods such as water, food or condoms.