How Gen Z is reshaping beauty

To receive the Vogue Business newsletter, sign up here. The beauty industry is being transformed by Gen Z’s enthusiasm for and approach to beauty. Engaged in the category from a young age, the digitally native demographic has a different appreciation for products and ingredients. Why isn’t there a single definition of Gen Z beauty, and how can brands respond more proactively? That was the subject of conversation at Vogue Business’s event, in partnership with Amazon Beauty, on 10 October in New York. The evening reception, held in Neuehouse on Madison Square, invited guests from the rapidly accelerating $500 billion beauty sector. These include executives and thought leaders from beauty groups including L’Oréal, Estée Lauder Companies, Coty, Shiseido and Orevon; luxury companies such as Tom Ford and Brunello Cucinelli; brands including Glow Recipe, Makeup by Mario and Beauty Pie; consultancies Accenture and NielsenIQ; and academic institutions including New York University and Parsons School of Design; and many more. Vogue Business senior retail, marketing and beauty editor Kati Chitrakorn hosted, moderating conversations with Amazon US’s general manager of beauty, baby and technology Melis del Rey, and Unilever’s CEO of beauty and wellbeing for North America and CEO of SheaMoisture Cara Robinson Sabin. During the event, del Rey shared how her two-decades-long career in beauty led her to Amazon, where she is now responsible for driving it to become the most trusted beauty destination in the US. Amazon has a diverse range of brands to cater to its vast audience base, but a recent priority is becoming a leading channel for premium beauty sales, which can be achieved by “delivering an elevated experience” for customers, she explained. Gen Z is one key focus. Unlike previous generations, they’re digitally native, Amazon’s del Rey said. “They’ve grown up with Amazon and have probably experienced it since they were young and to their early adulthood.” For this demographic, shopping is a much more considered activity, she believes. “Honest customer reviews, reliable inventory and the convenience of free, fast shipping are all the important components.” Social influence is another crucial part, she added. “Gen Zs utilise social media in everything they do, especially when it comes to education and discovery of new products. Today, we work with more than 2,000 influencers and specifically design content, both for social media but also through Amazon Live, such as our live shopping channel. There is an entertainment opportunity for us to tap into.” The convergence of entertainment, education and product sales is a recent development, agreed Unilever’s Sabin. She pointed to a documentary series launched by SheaMoisture earlier this year; aimed at closing the racial wealth gap, the programme trailed three entrepreneurs who had received $100,000 in grant funds and offered a truthful view of running a business today — “the good, the bad and the ugly”, she said. Consumers, especially Gen Z, expect more from brands beyond selling a product, explained Sabin. “They really want to know what a brand stands for. They want to know what you believe in and if your values are aligned with theirs. So, the way we see it trickle down is that in today’s economy, you can’t win with just good products. That’s table stakes, but you also have to be offering more.” Unilever views beauty and wellbeing through the framework of “purpose, science, desire”, according to Sabin. “Purpose is what you stand for other than the physical product. Science is about efficacy. And desire is about appealing to the consumer, whether it’s through relevant programmes or entertainment.” she explained. “[This] mantra is really how we are trying to cultivate our brands to win in the future.” Social platforms like TikTok have ushered in new opportunities for virality, so it’s not always about launching new products, Sabin added. “Vaseline has been around for over 150 years; to see it trending on TikTok with slugging, which isn’t new — but Gen Z thinks it’s new — blows your mind. We’re seeing these platforms really ignite trends, which then trickle down to search results.” The event was also an opportunity to celebrate the forthcoming launch of the Vogue Business Beauty Index, a first-of-its-kind study evaluating key themes in the industry, across consumer sentiment, digital, ESG and innovation, and to toast Vogue Business’s beauty editorial offering, including the weekly Beauty Edit newsletter and Beauty Trends Tracker produced in collaboration with Spate. To attend future Vogue Business events, become a Member today. Comments, questions or feedback? Email us at feedback@voguebusiness.com.

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