25% Of People Think This Is The Essential Makeup Product You Cannot Live Without - Glam Survey

It's no secret that the beauty industry is incredibly profitable. On average, American women spend about $3,756 a year, or about $313 a month, on cosmetics, as reported by Zippia. This year, lipstick sales are up 20%, and skin care products are up 12%, according to CNBC. But it's not only about business, especially not for beauty consumers.

Makeup is a very personal choice. Some people go makeup-free and others feel more confident with a full face. At the heart of it, makeup is about highlighting your beauty and feeling like your best self. And that's why every person gravitates to different products and brands.

But there is one product that Glam readers seem to agree is a must-have on a daily basis. In an exclusive survey conducted by Glam, over 25% agreed that there is one makeup product they could never go without. Whether it's work, a casual outing, or a date night, Glam readers need this product on their faces.

They say eyes are the window to the soul, so it's no wonder that people want to highlight this feature. According to the Glam survey, 161 of the 602 total respondents said that mascara is their go-to essential beauty product. That's 26.74% of the vote that wants to highlight the eyes. Mascara helps to lengthen and darken eyelashes, which can draw attention to what many people find to be their best feature–the eyes. Even if the rest of the eyes aren't made up with eyeshadow or liner, mascara can still make the eyes look more dramatic and attractive.

But choosing the best mascara is more about the brush than it is the formula in the bottle, according to Amalie Beauty. The size, shape, and material used to make a mascara brush all have an impact on what the eyelashes look like. Long bristles help add volume and are better at preventing clumpy lashes, while shorter bristles will require more coats to achieve a voluminous look. Most mascara formulas have wax, pigments, and film formers, according to Into the Gloss. Inclusions like vitamins and hydrating oils are minor, so many mascara formulas are essentially the same. To get the ideal eyelashes to bat, it's all about the brush.

While mascara topped the list of most essential makeup products, the race was relatively tight. In a close second, Glam readers said that foundation was a product they couldn't live without. In fact, 151 of the 602 total respondents said that foundation was their essential item, which is 25.08% of the vote. Foundation is the base of most full-face looks and also does the job of evening out skin tone.

The key to getting a foundation that matches your skin perfectly is all about undertones, according to Jade Iredale, because it affects the overall hue. Cool undertones are blue or pink, and warm has peach, gold, or yellow tones. Neutral undertones are a mix that has both blue and orange. Finding the undertones in the foundation and the undertones in your skin will provide you with a closer match than just going off shade alone.

Lip products like lipstick, liner, and gloss came in a comfortable third place with 127 respondents or 21.10% of the vote. Eyeliner landed in fourth place with 18.77% of the total vote or 113 respondents. Finally, blush had 30 respondents (4.98%), and bronzer had 20 respondents (3.32%).