“You need to buy this new face spray if you want clear skin in 2025. You need these vitamins if weight loss is your goal this year.” These are just some phrases that can be heard while scrolling through social media apps like TikTok and Instagram around the New Year. 

The New Year is often a cause for many people to take the chance to reinvent or improve themselves. One way a lot of people do this is by revamping their skincare and haircare routines. Although you don’t necessarily need new, expensive products to have healthy hair and skin, or even just to up your routine, it doesn’t help that almost every influencer will say that you do. 

A chart from Statista shows that from 2017 to 2024, health and personal care stores see a spike in sales around December and January, and a dramatic fall in February. This is likely due to the influx of people who feel as if they “need” more personal care products to start their year. 

Influencers’ pressure to buy new things around the New Year taps into the consumer mindset of needing more things to have a better routine, just like the multi-step skincare routine that has been gaining popularity in the past few years— but do we really need new products to create better habits?

According to a Forbes article, new research by Dr. Michelle Rozen shows that only around 6% of people actually follow through on their goals, with the other 94% completely dropping their resolutions by mid-February. This means that all of the products bought to fulfill these new goals are not being used to their full potential, and these already unneeded products continue to collect dust. This only adds to the growing overconsumption problem.

A way consumers can think about their New Year buying habits is to consider if they will actually need the product to fulfill their routine. Most products bought to add to existing routines or to create new ones are not essential to start these habits. For example, new gym clothes aren’t a necessity when trying to set the goal of working out. Instead of buying 5 new gym sets at the beginning of the year, it might be wise to buy just one and build the habit of working out first. Once the habit is formed and you know it’s something you can stick to, then would be the time to start investing in items to incorporate into your routine. 

Another way to avoid buying as much around the new year is to consider what you already have. This works alongside figuring out what products are necessary, but instead of just considering the potential new product, you would consider all the things you already own. For instance, you can think of something that could be repurposed to help you fulfill a new goal. Socks can be turned into hair curlers, or that old hoodie can be used to go on a run. 

Many consumers make the mistake of buying new products thinking it will automatically launch them into a new habit, instead of taking the time to form the habit first and then add new products. When people start to really think about what is needed instead of just what is influenced, they will finally stop buying unnecessary products and contributing to overconsumption.