The global pharmaceutical company Allergen – the company which gave the world the hyaluronic acid dermal filler Juvederm and Botox, the world’s most popular anti-wrinkle injectable – have released a rather interesting survey report which is worth taking a look at in closer detail, as it confirms the suspicions we’ve been holding for quite some time.

The survey – which was completed online by 7,700 women from across the globe – tackled the motivations and desires of women when it comes to cosmetic procedures. Let’s go over the main points…

Sisters are doing it for themselves

When asked about their motivations to look good, 74% of women said they primarily wish to look good for themselves – though some mentioned their partners (37%) and friends (15%). Not surprising, really – after all, aesthetic surgery is a very private and bespoke range of procedures.

Furthermore, when asked what elements contribute most to a woman’s beauty, body shape and figure were as equally important as complexion and skin quality (56%). Other aesthetic factors included eyes (48%), face shape (35%), facial symmetry (32%) and hair (27%). Only 17% of respondents answered bone structure, skin tone and lips or mouth shape.

Quality of skin is in

A majority of women told the survey that they have a regular skincare routine, with the most positive responses coming from Thailand (96%), China (89%) and Spain (88%). The global average spent a month on skincare was $35. Chinese women spend the most ($80), followed by South Korea ($60) and Thailand ($45), with the least being spent in Canada ($19) and The Netherlands ($17). When asked what phrases come to mind when thinking about a beautiful woman, ‘skin quality’ was rated higher than terms like ‘attractive’ or ‘pretty.’

Looking better is more important than keeping what you already have

When asked about their main motivation considering treatment, more women stated that it was to improve their aesthetic appearance (63%), than to address the signs of aging (50%). The most common concerns were bags under eyes (66%), fullness under chin (52%), loss of fullness in cheeks (52%) and volume in lips (43%).

Fillers are here to stay

Sixty-five percent of the respondents agreed that facial fillers have become more socially acceptable than they were 5 years ago, and 57% felt that injectable treatments could look natural. The highest acceptance rates were in Brazil (76%), Mexico (73%) and Turkey (72%), while the lowest rates were in the United Kingdom (44%), Germany (41%) and Japan (31%).

So, what does this survey tell us about women's attitudes towards cosmetic procedures in this decade? That it’s a pretty healthy one, more or less. It’s clear that the stigma of aesthetic surgery which lingered a decade or so ago has pretty much evaporated, thanks to the advances in the industry, ongoing media interest, and – most importantly – regular women deciding to do something positive about the way they look and feel, and their peers seeing the difference.