Min Sandhu, a London based hair and makeup artist who has worked with British Vogue and Max Factor, among others, says colour, bold liners, bold shapes and glossy lips are making a comeback, but trends are continuously in flux. “[Gen Zs] don’t have a makeup look that they wear every day,” she explains. ”They are much more experimental. It has to do with embracing the different facets of their personality and their different moods and feelings.”
This attitude motivates Gen Zs to steer away from beauty brands’ traditionally hyper-polished, airbrushed and flawless advertising towards images that reflect their own flaws and imperfections. According to Y Pulse, 62 per cent of Gen Z say brands over-edit their photos, and 70 per cent say they like it when content from brands is not perfect. Brands are responding by looking for “realness” in models. “We are seeing models that are being booked because of what would have been considered an imperfection before,” Sandhu says. “We are embracing freckles, scars and stretch marks.”
Efficacy, value and education
Using social media for research, Gen Zs are savvy and knowledgeable shoppers who value product efficacy above all but keep an eye on the price. “Any product that delivers any visible results quite quickly is normally well covered and shared on TikTok,” says Dionne Cullen, chief brand officer of Deciem, in which Estée Lauder took a $1 billion majority stake in February. Deciem’s The Ordinary, a skincare favourite for teens, has thrived as a results-driven, functional brand at an accessible price.
Gen Zs have emerged as researchers “to the point of interrogation”, emphasises Tales of RDSI Research. Bread Beauty Supply’s Heim says this generation is taking back know-how into its own hands. “It’s about you as a person becoming the expert of your own beauty,” she notes.
According to Good Light’s Engert, the brand’s consumers research between five to 10 ingredients before purchasing a product, exploring all the ingredients used in a formulation. Brands are responding by trying to make that process easier, providing extra information and playing the role of educators.
Candace Craig Bulishak, president of Tarte, says that Gen Z is demanding much more than previous generations in terms of ingredients and transparency. Tarte Cosmetics
“We are unveiling ourselves and sharing a bit more,” says Candace Craig Bulishak, president of Tarte, the top-ranked cosmetics brand in the Piper Sandler Taking Stock with Teens survey for seven consecutive years. Tarte lists all ingredients on its website and shares educational and how-to videos.
Educational content works particularly well on TikTok. Bread Beauty Supply’s most popular TikTok to date, with 15,000 views, was titled “Treat your hair as fabric”, explaining how hair is actually dead, aiming to change the discourse.
Good Light’s Engert notes that TikTok is often a first touch point for customers. The provision of engaging, informative content can be a strategic move to shorten the consumer journey. “If you can do that effectively, the performance on-site — and in-store — is going to be much higher.”
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