London - British women's traditional scorn for beauty products is confirmed in a report showing the average woman spends £17.33 a year on skin care.
The figure puts her well down in the European vanity stakes, below the French £44.37, Italians £21.95 a year and Germans who invest £29.95 a year on facial, body, tanning and hair removing products.
However, even the French are eclipsed by Japanese women, according to industry analysts, Datamonitor. They spend £58.85 on average each year maintaining a traditional routine which, in contrast to the Western mantra of cleanse, tone and moisturise, involves no less than seven different stages. - (PA)