If you're getting a bikini wax in Brazil, you're likely to find that the cost is rising. And if you're an economic policy maker, that's a problem.

As with more prosaic services ranging from car repair to dentistry, the price of waxing is rising faster than most components of the nation's economy. That's pushing inflation above the government's target and may force central bank President Alexandre Tombini to prolong interest-rate increases this year.

Price increases for services, which make up 24.1 percent of Brazil's benchmark inflation index, outpaced all other categories in the past two months, according to data released May 11 by the bank. They rose 8.57 percent in the year through April, the fastest pace in at least 15 years.