Todays Beauty Industry

Hi all!
Today I wanted to post about beauty brands from a slightly different stand point...
Most of us have our own "cult" products or favourite go-to brands (brand loyalty), others like to try whatever is on special or new or raved about through the likes of printed media e.g. magazines, blogs, columns etc, or social media outlets such as Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest.
I find this process quite interesting...
I, personally, definitely have my staple products, whether being products I've used throughout my hair and makeup career such as MAC, Dermalogica, Kerastase, L'Oreal Professionnel, Redken, Matrix etc, brands i've heard A LOT about and wanted to try for myself such as Bobbi Brown, Benefit, Colour Pop, BH, etc, brands that are good quality and affordable such as Revlon, Maybelline, L'Oreal etc, or brands I have developed an acquired interest in learning more about such as Arbonne, Trilogy, Antipodes, Tailor, SnowBerry, Goodness Products, Bella Vi, Young Blood, Inika, Angel Haircare/Dancoly, Pureology, CHI, The Body Shop, EcoStore, Earthwise, Sukin etc.
So what do these "acquired interest" product categories have in common? And why have they spiked such an interest?
Through living most of my adult life (so far) with a growing list of food intolerances it is only natural, if not expected, to have found myself regularly contemplating the concoction of ingredients used in todays hair, skin and body care products.
Now don't get me wrong here. I definitely see a place for all products in the marketplace and I favour a large array of different products for different reasons but it does make for a good talking point.
Personally, nothing puts me off more than a company running down their competition therefore this isn't about saying one brand is better or superior to another but simply observing current trends.
There is definitely an ever increasing demand for more natural product ranges, brands that are against animal testing, eco friendly packaging and locally owned and operated companies.
For someone like myself, it's a pretty exciting time to be in the beauty industry!
As I mentioned earlier, I still have my staple products but at the same time I am always interested in learning and experimenting with other ranges too, not only for my own personal benefit, knowledge and use but for the benefit of my past, current and future clients, customers and models.
After all, it's a matter of mutually beneficial exchange, some give and take, both equally vital.
So I want to put it out there to you, what is it that determines your beauty purchases? Do costs outweigh benefits? Is it vice-versa? Or does it simply depend; a situational/case by case scenario?