The culture of the 'selfie' boosts sales of cosmetics

At the beginning of April, the results of the semi-annual Generation Z survey of the investment company Piper Jaffray conducted among more than 6,000 adolescents in the United States were released. And it is that, after the obsession with knowing everything about millennials, it seems that the turn has come for all those born after the year 2000. Of all the data, Vans and Supreme are two of the brands that are growing in appreciation the most. Michael Kors remains the favorite for handbags, Amazon the shopping platform of choice, and Snapchat is the social network of choice well ahead of Instagram. But there is one that stands out: the girls of Generation Z are spending more on beauty than on clothes. With an average investment of $368 per year, this figure represents an increase of 18% year over year. In a report by Fung Global Retail & Technology entitled: "In depth: Generation Z and beauty - the symbiosis of social networks", experts point to social networks as the main responsible for this rise in demand for beauty products. Several academic studies have found connections between the use of networks and low self-esteem. Currently, a third of adolescent girls in the US feel bad when they compare themselves with others they see in their networks, according to a survey by the American Psychological Association. And brands like Estée Lauder and L'Óreal have attributed the rise in foundation, mascara, and concealer consumption to selfie culture. At the same time, this new generation that sees beauty also as a space for “liberation and individuality”, according to Beautycon Media's Fear Of Missing Out study, is pushing the beauty industry to respond in much more detail. to the diverse needs of its clients. And it is that 61% of those who participated in this study identified themselves with a niche group, so that minorities are the majority: "Beauty does not only have to do with products, or in the way you show yourself, but it is a form of cultural expression. In this sense, brands such as Rihanna's Fenty Beauty, which was launched with more than forty different shades, or the revolutionary Glossier with its direct and fresh communication, are succeeding among clients of a generation that demands a much more diverse and personalized beauty.