In this summer’s heatwave, it’s fair to say that deodorant has become something of a crucial item. But forget about whether or not it stops the sweating on your commute for a second – are you wearing the right one? The most fashionable? Currently, that’s Megababe’s Rosy Pits. How do we know? Five thousand people are on the waiting list.
Waiting lists are nothing new in fashion – there’s permanently one for the Hermès Birkin bag, yours for £5,000 minimum – but they now apply to more affordable things, including a Kitri pleated shirt-dress for £145, and a Next maxi for £38, which has a waiting list of six weeks.
Anything can have the Lottery finger of “cult product” pointed at it. That means demand outstrips supply, a waiting list forms and a cult deodorant becomes a thing. Other It versions of chemist favourites include Verb’s dry shampoo – the $16 (£12) product has a waiting list of 2,000 – and the Ordinary’s foundation, which is a snip at £5.50 a bottle and had 25,000 people signed up to the waiting list before it launched last year.
Then, of course, there are high-street favourites. Boots No7 Laboratories Line Correcting Booster Serum, £38, had a 16,000 strong waiting list before it launched in April, and Marks & Spencer’s £22 Absolute Sleep night cream had a waiting list of 7,500 people.
How does this happen? In the digital age, waiting lists have gone into overdrive, as consumers search for holy-grail items. The more pocket money-friendly prices of beauty helps. But in 2018, these items benefit from the hype man that is social media.
Instagram, Mumsnet and beauty Reddits such as r/Skincare Addiction are the digital equivalent of word of mouth. To score that sought-after item with a lengthy thread on Mumsnet, or lots of likes on Instagram, is satisfying partly because it comes with a side of smugness, one that makes it all the better for your bathroom shelfie. Giving your friends Fomo (fear of missing out)? It’s well worth waiting for.
