COSMETICS, SELF-ESTEEM, AND ATTRACTIVENESS 53 It is logical that the more people invest in their appearance (AO), the more likely the perception of cosmetics as a compensatory and decorative function. Individuals invested in their appearance are characterized as trying to modify or improve their appearance (by compensating for fl aws and adorning/enhancing their faces) and are very conscious of their appearance reference. Concerning the religion, our results showed that being of Muslim religion compared with Christianity was signifi cantly associated with a lower customary cosmetic usage total score. The worldwide Muslim population is rapidly increasing in Muslim and non-Muslim countries. The growing number of Muslim consumers in the world accounts for almost 20% of the world’s population (25). This is probably the main reason for the halal wave in the cosmetics industry that has led to a change in the purchasing behavior of Muslim consumers today (28). The halal market is not only targeting Islamic countries but also non-Muslim countries, and the increasing availability of such products has been an alternative to the growing global market (29). Despite the global availability of such products, the level of awareness of halal cosmetics is still low, which may explain the results obtained in our study. However, if the product is available and ready on the market, 57% and 37% of Muslims in Singapore and Indonesia said they will buy, re- spectively (30). However, recent generations of Muslim women focused on their education and gained high-paid job positions. This overload of money allows them to request more cosmetic products and improve their behavior as consumers. Moreover, certain reports fi nd Muslim women wearing the hijab harder to be recognized by friends and coworkers than women with no headscarf (31). Other fi ndings on the infl uence of the hijab on the perception of a woman’s appearance also considered it as a modulator that affects the female facial attractiveness (32). For the purpose of reducing this visual homogeneity and beautify exposed features, Muslim females may tend to wear more makeup to express themselves as a “unique” human being. The association between makeup use and the re- ligion is still controversial more studies are needed to evaluate this correlation in depth. Finally, our results showed that women belonging to a higher socioeconomic status were associated with a higher makeup use. Women with a high socioeconomic status tend to Table III Multivariable Analysis: Linear Regression Taking the Customary Cosmetic Usage Total Score as the Dependent Variable Unstandardized β Standardized β p-value Confi dence interval Lower bound Upper bound Appearance orientation (AO) score 0.559 0.528 0.001 0.520 0.598 Rosenberg self-esteem score -0.210 -0.126 0.001 -0.271 -0.148 Muslim religion compared with Christianity -1.392 -0.083 0.001 -2.003 -0.780 High socioeconomic status compared with a low one 2.189 0.073 0.001 1.078 3.300 Intermediate socioeconomic status compared with a low one 0.990 0.055 0.003 0.328 1.651 Variables entered: Appearance evaluation (AE) score, AO score, Rosenberg self-esteem score, marital status, Socioeconomic status (SES), ideology, education level.

JOURNAL OF COSMETIC SCIENCE 54 purchase products, like makeup, from a certain luxury brand or in purpose to satisfy either their cognitive or emotional needs (33). To some, the social dimensions such as the conspicuousness, popularity, or exclusivity of the luxury brand might be of particular importance as they signal wealth, power, and status, and strengthen membership of peer groups. To others, luxury goods might serve as a fi nancial investment or have to meet their individual standards of superior quality. Another segment’s luxury brand consump- tion might stem from hedonistic or materialistic motives that express their individual self. In sum, luxury brands have to encompass the consumer’s values to justify the pur- chase. Because the world of luxury brands is not homogeneous, the product category and situational characteristics play an important role. From the consumer’s perspective, each luxury product can provide a certain set of values and may be more appropriate in certain situations than in others. However, other studies showed that women who belong to upper social classes and earn high salaries usually feel sentiments of superiority. In addi- tion, having more opportunities and facilitations turn the socioeconomic level of a woman to an indicator of success with education and professional career (34,35). All of these accomplishments give each worker an impression of ability and effi ciency that will gener- ate positive self-esteem and build self-esteem without resorting to cosmetics (36). As a result, the urge to purchase and use a lot of makeup products is more intense for middle- income and lower income consumers than higher income consumers. The association between makeup use and the socioeconomic status is still controversial more studies are needed to evaluate this correlation in depth. LIMITATIONS Our study has some limitations mainly related to its cross-sectional questionnaire-based design. Causal sequential relationships should be investigated in larger longitudinal studies while considering other factors that might be associated with makeup use. How- ever, the study casts light on many important fi ndings and is the fi rst, to our knowledge, to address factors associated with makeup use among Lebanese women. The information obtained from the scales were self-reported and, thus, might predispose us to an informa- tion bias, such as problems understanding the questions and over/under evaluation of the symptoms. The Arabic versions of the scales used have not been validated yet. Our sample was randomly selected across Lebanese regions however, because most women enrolled had a university level of education, our results cannot be generalized to the entire popula- tion future studies taking these limitations into account are warranted. CONCLUSION In conclusion, in our society, makeup has become one of the main routines in our daily lives. Physical appearance has become essential for most women, for various reasons, among others, to attract the attention of others, for personal satisfaction, for more self- confi dence, or to feel desired. In addition, makeup is considered a companion for most women who allow them to have a better picture of themselves and a higher self-esteem in the different aspects of life. According to our study, the use of cosmetic products by Lebanese women is associated with many factors such as AO, self-esteem, socioeconomic status, and religion. These