Minimalist make-up, science-led skin care and that shade of pink have long been at the forefront of the beauty industry’s output for a millennial consumer, but recent mismatched campaigns and unexpected ambassadorships are signalling that the generation is often overlooked and misunderstood when it comes to beauty brands.
This situation leaves a huge market somewhat up for grabs, with millennials (born between 1981 and 1996) struggling to truly connect to brands despite being the US’s biggest beauty spenders, with social media marketing agency Sociallyin reporting an average annual spend of US$2,670.
This puts this demographic ahead of trend and discovery drivers Gen Z, and means they spend 5.4% more than boomers ($494 per year).
But the money and effort invested into capturing this audience signals that the industry is neglecting nurturing millennials despite their clear affinity with beauty and wellness.
Why millennials are misunderstood
While beauty brands are constantly investing in marketing skewed towards Gen Z, and more mature lines to appeal to a Gen X and baby boomer customer base, millennials feel almost overlooked as slathering a campaign in ‘millennial pink’ is no longer enough to garner engagement.
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Retail expert Wizz Selvey explains that this is “because millennials are harder to ‘market’ in a headline”, and the breadth of age can straddle different life stages.
Selvey adds: “Gen Z brings cultural relevance and virality. Boomers bring wealth and longevity.
“Millennials sit in the middle and that makes them less obvious, but not
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