When it’s time to pay at the café, you empty your tote bag to find your lip balm, without success. Keys, headphones, tickets come out, but not him. On TikTok, however, we see bags studded with mini balms and creams clipped like key rings. Enough to intrigue.
Behind these beauty bag charms, we’re talking about the *Tchotchkification* of beauty, the mania for cute objects that hang everywhere. The Spate firm noted increases in searches of up to +343% for bag charms and more than +1000% for key rings for balms and glosses. It remains to be seen whether these beauty products that hang in the bag are real allies or just another gadget.
Beauty bag charms: how the beauty products got attached to the bag
For Lisa Coquemont, beauty journalist, success comes first from a very banal problem. she says in Elle magazine. Brands are therefore multiplying balms, hand creams or mini perfumes fitted with a carabiner.
These beauty charms continue a desire for highly decorated bags: after the little characters or stuffed animals hanging on the handles, it’s time for cosmetic objects. The Y2K aesthetic, kawaii influences from Asia and Gen Z culture encourage the accumulation of colorful charms, sometimes customized by DIY with rings, beads and letters.
For: How keychain beauty products change on a daily basis
In terms of use, the argument is simple: a keychain lip balm can be grabbed in a second, without emptying your bag in the metro. The same formats exist for hand creams, hydroalcoholic gels, sometimes mini sunscreens or perfumes. Everything fits on the backpack, the handle of a shopping bag or a bunch of keys.
Another argument, the pleasure of style. Hanging a small pastel capsule or a branded charm becomes a way of displaying your brand. Depending on the references, we find prices around $17 for a cult balm, $22 for a more fashionable key ring and up to almost $45 to $49 for luxury-inspired versions.
Against: limits, ecology and who these beauty goodies are suitable for
The downside is the price per milliliter: these mini formats are often much more expensive than their classic equivalents, a real cuteness tax. They also add layers of packaging, between tube, decorative case and chain or carabiner. Exposed to heat, light and shock, certain products, especially sunscreen and perfumes, can degrade more quickly.
It all depends on the profile. For a teenage fan of maximalism, looking for collectibles, these keychain beauty products can become a signature. For a more minimalist consumer or one concerned about waste, a simple zipped pencil case with two or three travel-sized essentials may remain more consistent on a daily basis.
Are keychain beauty products really practical?
They avoid searching your bag and make certain actions quick, especially for lips, hands or hydroalcoholic gel, but do not replace a complete kit.
Which beauty product that hangs on the bag to choose first?
It’s better to start with a product that you use several times a day, like a good lip balm or hand cream, in sturdy packaging and if possible refillable.
Are beauty bag charms compatible with an eco-responsible approach?
It all depends on the number of objects purchased and their duration of use: favoring a single, well-chosen charm, rechargeable or reusable, limits the impact compared to an entire collection of gadgets.
