Catering to the skin of Generation Z

They are described as “activists” with strong opinions and high demands. They are extremely engaged with the environment, for instance. They experience high rates of anxiety and depression, seemingly higher than other generations. A potentially important reason for this is that the cultural stigma that may have kept earlier generations from openly discussing and seeking help for mental health challenges appears to be much less of an issue for Generation Z. Gen Z’ers are much more willing to talk openly about their problems.

Gen Z’ers have a dominant presence on the internet and, through that, have a large influence on daily life of all people. Unlike older generations, they have literally grown up with the internet and with smart phones. They are the ‘iGeneration’, they are the true ‘digital natives’. Social media is their ‘sphere’ and the “Fear of Missing Out” a behavioural driver. An essential add-on to the above is that Gen Z’ers worry about their appearance and feel constantly judged, in part because their lives are broadly shared online. The way they look, their image is extremely important to them.

Skin care products intended for use by Generation Z consumers need to fit all their demands. Interestingly, although from the above it might be concluded that Gen Z’ers might be rather superficial, they are actually far from that. They are heavily engaged with everything they do, this includes their ‘activism’ and their worries about things like the environment, politics and ‘big industry’. They have high demands and this includes their use of, for instance, skin care products. They want these products to fit their lifestyle and beliefs. Their scepticism toward ‘big industry’ is probably an important reason for why we see a large boom of ‘indie brands’ in the cosmetic market, small and independent brands with a strong message and which are able to communicate with Gen Z’ers in a way they appreciate. They are interested in safety and naturalness of their skin care products. They are extremely communicative about cosmetic ingredients which they deem unsafe. The internet is awash with the opinions of young consumers and the cosmetic industry, small, but now the big companies as well, are picking that up. They are important drivers behind the natural and ‘clean’ beauty skin care market.