Attitudes toward aging are changing. Now, older consumers are embracing their age and transforming what it means to be in later life; they’re leading active lifestyles, adopting new trends, and leaving conservative stereotypes behind. Subsequently, the beauty industry should sit up and listen. Today, older consumers don’t want to look younger at any cost through aggressive, expensive botox or stem cell anti-aging injections – they want products that help them look their best. The industry needs to do more to cater to a changing aging consumer and advocate for a ‘well-aging’ mindset over ‘anti-aging’ products.
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Older women feel misrepresented by beauty brands
In the UK women aged 55+ say that they don’t relate to how society and the media represent them. This is because the media tends to focus on age as the key differentiator, as opposed to lifestyles or attitudes. Instead of focusing on interests, preferences or pursuits, women aged over 55 feel they’re consistently stereotyped in relation to their age group. This condition is particularly well illustrated by older women’s perception of commercial messaging in the digital space. Today, plenty of older people use social media; however, 61% of female users aged 55+ in Spain feel that beauty content on social media is designed for young women.
Leaving aggressive botox, surgical or stem cell anti-aging treatments at the door
Mature consumers want products and messaging that’s relevant to their actual aspirations and beauty needs. The 55+ woman of today isn’t concerned with artificially halting the aging process – they want to feel great in the skin they’re in. As a result, these consumers aren’t interested in products likened to plastic surgery or aggressive stem cell anti-aging claims. Instead, they want something nourishing, effective, timeless and vibrant as they are. To reconnect with the mature consumer, the beauty industry needs to push age positivity and wellness.
Moreover, the beauty industry should ignore the changing attitudes of older consumers at its peril; the 55+ segment has tremendous buying power. According to research conducted by the Coca-Cola Company and Mass Mutual, a group of 40 million American women over 50 represent a breathtaking $15 trillion in purchasing power. These women are the healthiest, wealthiest and most active generation in history, with far more in common with their younger counterparts than the industry has given them credit for. Thus, to tap into this market, the industry needs to start speaking their language.
This is why Provital developed the Provital Stem Cells Collection. This line includes Lingostem™, a natural cosmetic asset based on plant stem cells obtained from cranberries. This active ingredient is capable of protecting and repairing the skin from UV, IR, and blue light radiation, thus limiting the effects of photoaging. Another active in the Stem Cells Collection is Citrustem™; obtained from orange stem cells, this formula restores and re-densifies the inner structure of the skin for a younger-looking appearance.
Developing an age-agnostic beauty industry
When asked what they were looking for in a skin care product, only 38% of women over 55 said they were interested in anti-aging claims (Euromonitor’s International Beauty Survey, 2016). Instead, they prioritized hydration, skin-nourishing vitamins, and added SPF. They aren’t interested in turning back time with overstated stem cell anti-aging claims of injections; instead, they want products that address their real hair and skin care needs. In many ways, preferences for hydrating, healthy and natural products are age-agnostic desires – so the industry needs to reconfigure their product development and advertising to promote beauty and well-being at every age.
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