The German Government has spent €64,677 on hairstyling and make-up services for former chancellor Angela Merkel of the Christian Democratic Union (DU) since June 2024.
That is according to official information released yesterday in response to a parliamentary inquiry.
This data was given in reply to an MP from the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, with details passed to outlets including Junge Freiheit and Apollo News.
Of this total cost for hair and make-up, €36,354 was incurred in 2025 alone, equivalent to about €3,000 per month on average.
The Federal Chancellery has previously justified such expenses as “necessary expenditures” linked to the performance of “ongoing official duties” by former chancellors.
This includes public appearances, international engagements and other post-office obligations.
Travel and accommodation costs for her personal stylist when accompanying Merkel have also been covered.
In contrast to Merkel, her successor Olaf Scholz, who coincidentally has a more challenged hairline, has not incurred any further expenses in the same period.
This latest figure adds to earlier documented spending.
In 2023, it was reported that Merkel’s post-chancellorship styling had already cost taxpayers around €55,000 to €57,000 since she left office in December 2021, with approximately €37,000 to €39,780 recorded for 2022 and further sums in subsequent years.
When combined with the recent outlay, the cumulative amount for hair and make-up alone now exceeds six figures, making her the most expensive former chancellor for the federal government to date.
Excluded from the costs are the expenses for offices, company vehicles and bodyguards.
The Bund der Steuerzahler (Taxpayers’ Association) has repeatedly expressed concern, stating that such costs are difficult to justify to ordinary citizens who must cover their own grooming expenses.
Its President, Reiner Holznagel, has called for reductions to the absolute minimum and, where possible, for politicians to bear these costs privately.
In the past, the German Chancellery refused to disclose the exact costs, citing the personality rights, trade secrets and operational confidentiality of the contractor responsible for makeup and hairstyling.
