It is really interesting to discover how different generations shop across the beauty and wellness industry. Each generation brings its own distinct beauty preferences, influencing everything from the brands they trust to the channels they shop through and the products they choose. As the beauty industry continues to expand, age demographics play a critical role in shaping trends and consumer behaviour.
By tailoring product offerings and marketing campaigns to the unique needs of each age group, brands can drive stronger sales and foster lasting customer loyalty.
Gen Z (born 1997–2012) are true digital natives, spending a significant portion of their day on social media. Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube dominate their online experience – with nearly 20% of Gen Zers reportedly spending over five hours a day on TikTok alone.
These platforms fuel a constant stream of viral beauty trends, from slugging to hair oiling, shaping how and what they buy. Retailers like Sephora are key destinations, with standout favourites like Rare Beauty and Drunk Elephant drawing strong followings. Gen Z gravitates toward brands that reflect their values: cruelty-free, eco-friendly, and transparent about ingredients.
Millennials (born 1981–1996) are true wellness enthusiasts, valuing immersive experiences, bespoke products, and above all, self-care. They view investing in their health and beauty rituals as essential, and their loyalty goes to brands that share their values and offer personalized solutions. Subscriptions have always been second nature to them, whether through store loyalty programs like Boots or beauty boxes like Birchbox. They embrace the convenience of Amazon Prime for next‑day delivery, but also frequent brand websites and specialty retailers such as Sephora, Space NK, and Lookfantastic.
Gen X (born 1965–1980) are the discerning quality seekers of the beauty and wellness space. They favour long-term results over fleeting trends, focusing on “ageless beauty” and investing in advanced skincare, hair repair, and proven cosmetic treatments. Less swayed by social media, they rely on expert reviews, word-of-mouth, and in-store sampling to guide their choices. When it comes to shopping, they prefer trusted environments – frequenting department stores, premium beauty counters, and smart pharmacies like Boots or John Lewis that offer both quality and expert advice.
Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964) prioritize trust, tradition, and simplicity in their approach to beauty and wellness. They tend to stick with prestige and legacy brands they’ve trusted for years, gravitating toward familiar names like Estée Lauder, Lancôme, L’Oréal, Clinique, and Elizabeth Arden. This generation values knowledgeable service and prefers in-store experiences that offer expert consultations and attentive customer care. Their routines are straightforward and product choices lean toward classic formulas and packaging rather than trend-driven innovations. While they’re open to wellness- particularly in the form of supplements or skin rejuvenation, they remain cautious of fleeting fads. You’ll often find them shopping at department stores like John Lewis and M&S, traditional brand counters, trusted pharmacies, and even TV shopping channels.
The definition of “beauty” has evolved significantly across generations, shaped by shifting cultural values, technological advancements, and economic realities. For Boomers, beauty was rooted in tradition and elegance, defined by polished looks and trusted legacy brands. Gen X emphasized practicality and long-term results, embracing “ageless beauty” over anti-aging. Millennials redefined beauty as self-care, prioritizing wellness, personalization, and conscious consumption. Gen Z, meanwhile, sees beauty as a form of self-expression—fluid, inclusive, and driven by authenticity.
As the beauty and wellness industry continues to evolve, understanding generational nuances isn’t just insightful – it’s essential. Brands that listen, adapt, and tailor their approach to meet the unique values of each generation will be the ones that build lasting loyalty and shape the future of beauty.
Working with Bespoke Advantage
Bespoke Advantage is a London based international beauty brand consultancy. We are a team of experts, associates and business partners specialising in supporting our clients – award-winning entrepreneurs, well established beauty and wellness businesses, retailers, investors, trade bodies and embassies – in developing and growing their brands across the beauty and wellness marketplace. If you are looking to launch a beauty or wellness brand or you are looking for support in expanding your brand across markets, get in touch, we would love to hear from you – Get in touch.
As a beauty and wellness consultancy, we develop a comprehensive strategy for your business by understanding your vision (and the marketplace) and then delving into the details to create order and structure neatly packaged up to deliver you commercial results. We design brand identities and visual elements, manage your product development, build your go-to-market strategies to help you to engage with your ideal customers.
We are proud to support our clients from different regions of the world – from Saudi Arabia, to Dubai, Sri Lanka, Africa, Australia, the US, Canada, Europe and the UK – from entrepreneurs, to multi-award-winning beauty and wellness brands, retailers, investors, distributors, embassies and trade bodies. And we work with you across the retail sector, and the professional sector, including the hair care market, professional nail care market, spas, salons, hotels and the aesthetics market – here’s a snapshot.
If you would like to discuss your ideas with us, get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
As an international beauty and wellness consultancy, we are proud to work alongside clients from different regions of the world – Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Sri Lanka, Africa, Australia, Canada, US, Europe and the UK . We love collaborating with entrepreneurs, multi-award-winning beauty and wellness brands, retailers, investors, distributors, embassies and trade bodies across the retail sector, and the professional sector, including those selling into the hair care market, hotels, spas, professional nail care market and aesthetics market.
If you need support with devising a new strategy, developing a new product range, designing your packaging or rebranding your current product range, managing your PR, or with planning your market-entry into international markets, get in touch, we would love to hear from you.
Bespoke is a brand management expert with deep industry knowledge, extensive experience and a comprehensive understanding of the beauty and personal industry in the UK and Europe, complemented by an extensive network of contacts in the relevant market segments. Bespoke’s expertise, experience and contacts significantly contributed the success of the UK/Europe project with the companies that Bespoke assisted successfully entering or well on track to enter the UK and European markets. The Bespoke team was very professional, responsive and obliging and always delivered within timeframes. It was a pleasure to work with them.
Working with Janet over the past year has been a real pleasure, she has fantastic industry experience and knowledge of the UK beauty market. She has delivered a number of webinars for my clients looking at how to enter the UK market, providing an overview of the market and how to build a strategy. She took the briefs we provided and added real value to them, included key insights and information that my clients have found incredibly useful. Feedback on these sessions has been very positive. Janet is a clear communicator and has always delivered as agreed and on time. We are continuing to work together on other projects and I very much value the conversations we share.
‘Janet has a wealth of experience across retail, buying and marketing. She conducted a full strategic review of our cross functional business and the travel retail market to develop a comprehensive buying and quality control strategy that was signed off at board level. I highly recommend her as an asset to any business.’
‘As a Queensland-based company, we were determined to tap into the European market and establish a strong presence. From the very beginning, Bespoke Advantage demonstrated a deep understanding of our export goals and objectives. Their comprehensive knowledge of the European market, coupled with their extensive network of contacts, enabled them to connect us with key decision-makers and influential stakeholders in our target countries. Their strategic guidance and insights were invaluable in shaping our export strategy and positioning us for long-term success.’
‘Through Janet’s management skills, expertise and proven track record on the job she successfully managed the purchasing of our retail operations and ensured the integrity of our brands in-stores. Her enthusiasm and total dedication, delivered results in any project she was involved in.’
‘Janet has excellent beauty market knowledge. Level headed with clear vision, direction and the ability to drive business forward, Janet led the teams through a complete product design change advising on what the key marketing messages should be, incorporating her technical knowledge and beauty expertise.’
‘Absolutely fantastic course. Condensed learning from Janet, an expert in developing beauty brands. Also, valuable introductions to expert professionals, in the Masterclass sessions. In 12 weeks, you will learn from Janet, what would take years to learn by yourself. A very worthwhile investment’