Between late October and early December, your inbox gets more cosmetics offers than offers for any other category. Cosmetics are one of the most heavily discounted sectors, with discounts ranging from 30 to 60 percent that sometimes remain active for weeks.
Here’s what I want to say: a discount isn’t news about a product’s value; it’s news about its starting price. Shopping during Black Friday can be a smart choice: you just need to know what to look for. I’ll lay it all out at the end of the article, and also tell you how we put ours together.
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Elisa Avalle · Founder and dermocosmetics specialist
A discount is fair when it’s based on a genuine price and applies equally to everyone. That’s the rule we set for our Black Friday.
Langhe, October 2026
Why cosmetics are discounted more than other sectors
In many consumer product categories, the margin between industrial cost and retail price is narrow, and a 50 percent discount would mean selling below cost. Cosmetics have a different pricing structure: the cost of the contents (the formula inside the jar) is only one part of the final price, alongside distribution, communications, packaging, safety checks, and advice at the counter.
A simple consequence follows: the percentage alone doesn’t tell you whether it’s a good deal. It tells you how much the price has come down from a starting price, and that starting price is the first thing to look at.
There is a safeguard that helps you check. In Italy, anyone announcing a price reduction must state the lowest price applied in the previous thirty days: this is Article 17-bis of the Consumer Code, introduced to implement the European directive on better enforcement of consumer protection rules. If that reference is missing, or if the “before” price suddenly appeared at the beginning of November, that tells you something.
What really goes into the price of a cream
When I explain this at the counter, I often see surprise, because the ingredient people expect to be the most expensive is often the least expensive.
The active ingredients, which matter by concentration, not by name
The cost difference between ingredients is enormous: some humectants cost a few euros per kilo, while some peptide complexes cost thousands of euros per kilo and are used at fractions of a percentage point. So what makes the difference isn’t an active ingredient simply appearing on the label, but the concentration at which it’s used, which is precisely the information promotional messaging rarely gives you.
That’s why, when we develop a formula at LeLang, the question isn’t just which active ingredient to include: it’s what percentage to use so it really does what it promises. I’ve written about this in detail in what happens before an active ingredient goes into a cream.
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Safety, which is mandatory and comes at a cost
Every cosmetic placed on the European market must have a safety report prepared by a qualified assessor, be notified to the European cosmetics products portal, and have an identified responsible person. Then there are the tests consumers don’t see: stability, compatibility with the container, and preservative efficacy testing. These are fixed costs that a reputable company incurs for every single product.
The container, which isn’t just an aesthetic detail
An airless system or glass with a good light barrier protects ingredients that oxidize, and costs several times more than a simple tube. I talked about this when I explained why a heavy jar isn’t a luxury.
The channel, which in our case is a person
We chose pharmacies and parapharmacies as our sales channel. That means staff training, product samples, and time for advice: it’s the value you experience whenever someone catches a mistaken routine before you buy it.
“The price of a cosmetic doesn’t tell you how effective it is. It tells you how it was made. Those are two different questions, and it’s worth asking both.”
How we built LeLang’s Black Friday
We also do Black Friday, once a year. L’abbiamo built it around three rules, the same ones I suggest you look for in any offer.
- The starting price is the usual price. The discount is calculated on the price list you’ll find all year round, with no price increases in the weeks beforehand.
- The discount is clear and the same for everyone. One percentage off everything, excluding protocols, with no different prices from product to product to decipher.
- L's free gift is a full-size product. With a €40 purchase, you’ll receive the SkinAge Advance mask with pink clay, ceramides, Q10, and tripeptide-5: a treatment that becomes part of your routine, not a sample.
The LeLang Black Friday 2026 calendar
From November 1 to December 2, at partner pharmacies and para-pharmacies: 25% off everything, 30% off purchases over €100 (excluding protocols), plus a free SkinAge mask.
From November 1, anyone subscribed to the mailing list can shop right away on the website: 25% off everything with the exclusive code, excluding protocols, plus a free SkinAge mask with a €40 purchase.
If there’s a partner pharmacy or para-pharmacy nearby, you’ll find the LeLang Black Friday offer there, along with advice at the counter: find the nearest one. If there isn’t one in your area, you can find all the terms and the sign-up list for receiving the code on the website: LeLang Black Friday.
And there’s one thing that doesn’t expire in December: a consultation where you look at what you’re using now and decide what to remove before adding anything. It’s free all year round.
The five things to check before buying
- Check the reference price: the price shown must be the lowest in the previous thirty days, not a theoretical list price.
- Check the size and the PAO. A discounted large size isn’t a good deal if it has a short shelf life after opening and you won’t finish it: the open-jar symbol on the label tells you how many months the product stays stable after opening.
- Buy what you’re running out of and what you need to complete your routine, not something you’ve never tried. The risk with discounts is stocking up on products you never start using.
- Evaluate kits carefully: three products at half price that you only use one of cost more than that one product alone.
- If a high-strength active is the reason for buying, ask about its concentration at the counter: it’s a reasonable question, and the answer will help you choose.
A note that always applies, not just these days: no cosmetic product treats a skin condition. If you have an active inflammatory condition, your point of contact is a dermatologist, and an impulse purchase is the least useful variable in that situation.
Where the discussion ends
I have nothing against promotions: we run one too. I just believe a promotion should explain the product, not replace the explanation. I think it's more respectful to tell you how a price is determined and let you decide: if knowing that helps you choose more calmly, you've made a better purchase either way.
That's why we chose pharmacies and drugstores as our channel: at our partner pharmacies and drugstores, someone looks you in the eye and asks what you're using right now. It's the opposite of a banner, and it works better.
Elisa Avalle is the founder of LeLang Skin Care and specializes in dermocosmetics at the University of Barcelona. She founded the brand in the Langhe region for Italian pharmacies and drugstores.
Sources for this article
01 Consumer Code, Article 17-bis, on announcements of price reductions and the obligation to indicate the lowest price applied in the previous thirty days
02 Directive (EU) 2019/2161 on better enforcement and modernization of Union rules on consumer protection
03 Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products: safety report (Article 10 and Annex I), notification to the European portal (Article 13), mandatory label information and period after opening (Article 19)
04 Observations gathered during skincare consultations and in-store training sessions conducted by the author
On the site: LeLang Black Friday · how I choose active ingredients · the heavy jar · peptides in cosmetics
