A new government study says women are paying more than men for personal care products like deodorants and body sprays.
They are calling this the “pink tax.” Call it perspiration or call it sweat, Americans don’t want to smell like it.
We spend roughly $3 billion a year on deodorants, body sprays, perfumes, and colognes.
The new study says ounce for ounce, women are the ones paying through the nose.
Deodorants may do the same thing for men and women, but the packaging is often different–different shape, different size, different advertised smell.
And ounce for ounce, it is a different advertised price.
The Government Accountability Office study found women pay an average of 39 percent more for the same amounts of underarm deodorant.
Women are paying 38 percent more for body deodorant and 37 percent more for shaving cream.
And ladies are paying 25 percent more for body spray.
So why do companies charge women more?
The study says they have apparently found that women are willing to pay a higher price for different packaging and different scents.
Of that nearly $3 billion dollars, about half is spent by men on underarm deodorant.
California, by the way, is one of the few states that has a gender discrimination law applying to prices.
But it only covers services like dry cleaning and hair salons.