Anti-ageing may not reflect consumer sentiment – age management is better

Speaking at the in-cosmetics event in Paris, Jamie Mills, senior analyst at Canadean, says perceptions of age are changing and that ‘age management’ is a more correct term, as why should consumers be ‘anti’ age?

Age related cosmetic concerns are still the top priority for today’s consumer, but not everyone believes the term ‘anti-ageing’ to be effective in line with their age management goals, according to Mills.

Embracing age​

Last year, following the release of the new Star Wars film: The Force Awakens, 59-year-old actress Carrie Fisher was subjected to criticism online from those commenting she had aged badly since the release of the original film in 1977.

She took to Twitter to respond, stating: “Please stop debating whether or not I aged well. Youth and beauty are not accomplishments, they are temporary.”​

Many people jumped to her defence highlighting the issue of gender equality in ageing and stating that more people are embracing their age.

Youth perception​

Mills states that age often comes with a negative perception as youth is the new global currency and is linked to success and being attractive.

She says celebrities and the media often add to this as perceived age shown in the media is often younger than the person’s actual age, such as in glamourous magazine photo shoots.

“These insecurities then lead to consumer concerns , and we are now seeing that the claim ‘anti-ageing’ is now widespread across beauty and personal care,”​ says Mills.

“As such we are now seeing 3 approaches to ageing: curative – tackling existing signs; preventative – preventing development of further signs; and embracement – acceptance of age and embracing it.”​

All of these approaches give brands a great opportunity to capitalise on the market and consumer desires, and this has seen the emergence in particular, of anti-pollution, general protection, and SPF+ in the anti-ageing category, in recent times.

Mills adds that customised age management, such as more tailored products, digital tools to help consumers monitor health, diagnostic wearables, and integrated systems all hold great potential in the market.