Gone are the days when pretty packaging and getting a famous celebrity to endorse skincare products would help brands get the desired traction. As the market is getting increasingly dominated by Gen-Z consumers, they are disrupting the manner in which skincare and beauty brands market their offerings. Gen-Z is a generation that is certainly not easy to please and does not go with the face value of products. Skincare brands today are dealing with a bunch of highly informed and socially aware consumers who would not settle for anything but the best!
However, once you get past an initial barrier and impress the younger audience, you are bound to earn loyal customers. Gen-Z consumers associate themselves with the products they use and are, therefore, very passionate about the same.
Here are some of the most noteworthy ways in which the younger generation is disrupting the skincare and beauty industries:
Steering Away From External Beauty
The younger group of consumers are not obsessed with external beauty. You can not persuade them to buy your products if they are limited to making them look good. Gen-Z consumers are comfortable with the way they look and are not willing to hide the color and texture of their skin with beauty products. For them, skincare and beauty are about nourishing their skin from the core instead of mere beautification.
This has made some of the biggest skincare brands around the world revamp their branding strategies. Brands selling beauty products have started refraining from using aspirational models with unnaturally beautiful and glowing skin. Instead, there is an inherent notion of inclusiveness and comfort in the products marketed by the companies.
If you are willing to please the Gen-Z consumers, make sure you aspire them to optimize the way they look instead of changing the same.
Focus On Environment-friendly And Sustainable Products
Being the generation that is at a greater risk as compared to its predecessors, Gen-Z is more conscious of the environment. The younger customers are increasingly aware of the ingredients used in the skincare products used by them and advocate the use of eco-friendly products. If a skincare or beauty brand uses ingredients that may potentially harm the environment, the Gen-Z consumers would not associate with the same.
A Strong Social Stand
Gen-Z consumers are socially inclined and have strong values that are difficult to shake away. They believe in taking an active stand against all forms of social discrimination and inequalities. Their strong social values often extend to the products they use and the brands they associate themselves with.
The younger generation of consumers often see brands as extensions of themselves and prefer seeing themselves in the products they use. If they see a brand having values that are in sync with theirs, Gen-Z consumers would naturally get attracted drawn towards them. This is the reason companies raising their voice against discrimination and showcasing their social values on social media are showered with love by teenagers and young adults.
Unlike the millennial and Gen-X audience, the younger generation’s love for a brand is not limited to the products. They see a brand as an individual that has its own personality, choices, and preferences. This makes the relationship between brands and consumers more intimate than it ever was.
Reduced Influence Of Celebrities
Over time, the influence of celebrities on consumers has significantly reduced, especially in the skincare industry. You can no longer engage the Gen-Z audience simply by making a popular celebrity endorse your products. It is important to understand that this is a generation that is not aware of a world without smartphones and the internet. Gen-Z is the most well-connected and well-informed generation that needs more than a celebrity to convince them.
This is the reason why skincare and beauty brands around the world have been approaching social media influencers to endorse their offerings in a subtle way. Instead of creating an aspirational image of themselves, the influencers bank on the relatability factor while endorsing skincare. The goal here is to make the endorser look just like anyone else instead of someone who is difficult to approach.
Along with social media influencers, the Gen-Z audience is also stimulated by their peers to try new products. The age-old tactic of word-of-mouth works better than celebrity endorsements when it comes to marketing skincare products to teenagers and young adults. The younger generation is perpetually connected through digital platforms and if one of the consumers is mighty impressed by a skincare product, the remaining are bound to get on the bandwagon!
Obsession With Technology
The Gen-Z audience has grown up in a world full of gadgets and advanced technologies. Being extremely tech-savvy and experimental, modern consumers are willing to incorporate technology in almost everything they do, and skincare is no exception.
Gen-Z consumers would naturally gravitate more towards brands that use advanced tech and modern gadgets for manufacturing their products, providing skin care services, or marketing their brand. For example, using AI skin analysis allows consumers to obtain tailor-made recommendations and suggestions for the products that best suit their skin types. This is why skincare and beauty brands across the world have started focusing on providing their audience with immersive experiences with the help of AI, VR, and other modern technologies.
Importance Of Representation
Gen-Z consumers repel the notion of selling skincare and beauty products as an attempt to promote fair skin and well-toned bodies. This generation believes in the spirit of inclusiveness and equal representation, whether it is in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation, or class. The Gen-Z audience is always more likely to engage with brands that focus on equal and fair representation.
The Final Word
These were some of the major ways in which the Gen-Z audience has disrupted the skincare and beauty industries, making brands rethink their strategies to cater to modern consumers. With high moral ground and inclination towards inclusiveness, the Gen-Z consumers are by far the most progressive audience targeted by skincare and beauty brands.