It's more common to hear people say, "it probably isn't doing much, but you never know." This is similar to people buying lottery tickets, "I doubt I'll win, but you never know."
"I just enjoy it, ok?" is probably what someone would say to get rid of a pestering husband. :)
An alternative is that bringing up this type of topic ends up sounding like some form of:
"Hey, you know all that stuff that stresses you out everyday? Well, regarding one of the less important ones, you are doing it totally wrong and I want you to correct yourself."
Even you are technically right, there is very little upside to bringing it up, especially out of nowhere. Assuming, of course, they aren't doing anything wildly dangerous.
Not if there are negative externalities associated with this hobby (i.e. fast fashion) which leads to ecological collapse and depletion of resources.
So most product will produce a small effect.
On top of that they smell good (rich), which is probably also an important part of the experience.
You really can't "red pill" people, and the closer they are to you the lower the chances of success.
You can, however, ask (non leading) questions and listen. If you can't start by being curious, don't expect them to make that leap first... and thats really where you have to start before you can change your mind.
its a completely emotional topic too, logic flew out the window already
theres a reason why marketers make huge bucks on cosmetics and diet pills.
No it is not.
I think the personality types you generally find in tech, which are so focused on what we can produce / output, don't understand that consumption is a perfectly valid hobby or interest for people to have.
I'd wager very few people actually buy the miracle claims on the products. I think they instead just find it fun. I gave my SO a lot of crap before realizing that some people just find stewardship of an object enjoyable. There's a whole subculture related to it. The ownership, displaying, and usage _is_ the hobby.