Rise of the '˜cosmuter' - over half of Scots women do their make-up on the commute

More than half (54%) of women in Scotland admit to doing their make-up on public transport, as new research reveals the latest trend towards applying beauty products on the commute.

The study from beauty experts Cosmetify.com looked to establish whether, in today’s selfie society, women’s vanity is at the forefront when it comes to their morning make-up mantra.

And, the findings are surprising: the self-proclaimed “cosmuters” are defying this era of narcissism, with a quarter of women in Scotland admitting to leaving the house in the morning bare-faced.

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When asked the reasons for not doing make-up at home, the top reason given by 43% of women is that they sleep in too late, making Scots women the third most likely in the UK to not set their alarms early enough.

Interestingly, this number rises to 58% for women in Edinburgh.

Top locations where women sleep in too late:

2. Yorkshire (46%)

3. Scotland (43%)

4. South East (40%)

5. Wales (33%)

Getting the kids ready in the morning is another reason that more than a third (36%) of Scottish women gave for preferring to do their make-up on public transport.

This is also the top reason in Glasgow, with 44% stating that’s why they don’t do make-up at home.

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For 28% of women, doing their make-up on the commute is simply a normal part of their daily routine, however, 41% of “cosmuters” admit to feeling self-conscious and say they don’t like others watching them.

But, they needn’t worry - more than 1 in 5 (21%) actually say they find it fascinating watching other women do their make-up and even hope to pick up a few beauty techniques on their way to work.

And, while there could be fears of commuter beauty being banned in the UK like it is in Tokyo, 59% say they wouldn’t want to see make-up on public transport being made illegal.

Matt Davies, founder of Cosmetify.com said: “Commuter beauty is on the rise, but it often divides opinion, so we thought it would be interesting to find out women’s perceptions in Scotland.

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“Our research shows that, on the whole, people are very accepting of it. Women have never been as time-poor as they are today, so by doing their make-up on the way into work they can save a few extra minutes in the morning – and who knows, they might even pick up a new beauty tip from a fellow commuter along the way.”