On Teen Beauty: Why I'm So Intrigued By Gen Alpha's Skincare Obsession
Did you know Gen Alpha (anyone born after 2010) is set to be the largest generation and outpace Millennial and Gen Z’s shopping power?
According to recent reports from CNBC and Vogue Business, the ascent of Gen Alpha within the beauty industry is about to skyrocket—which will have immediate influence on sales this holiday season. This is so interesting to me. The rise of tween + teen beauty beckons me because I can put myself in the mindset of this young consumer so easily.
A Lil History on *My* Beauty Obsession
I am the youngest of three daughters and, growing up, I was keenly aware of what my sisters were interested in. It won’t come as a surprise that nearly everything they did was interesting and exciting to me. When Kate got a hair crimper, I was her first test subject. When Brooke started wearing makeup, I wanted to also. There’s photo evidence of this, actually. The below photo is my fourth-grade school picture and I am wearing brown lip gloss a la Bonne Belle (it tasted like hot chocolate). I snuck it to school in my Lisa Frank backpack and put it on right before they took my picture.
My fourth grade photo wearing Bonne Belle Lip Gloss much to my mom’s distress.
An aside: My mom almost certainly did not know this lip gloss was so pigmented and she would have never let me wear it in a school photo. When we received the photo samples for ordering, she questioned what I was wearing on my lips and I denied, denied, denied. I’m Panamanian! That’s my natural lip color! We still laugh about it to this day. And doesn’t my career in beauty just make sense now, mom?
I also had my own beauty interests, of course—a rhinestone hair bedazzler, every flavor of Lip Smackers, body glitter, sparkly hair scrunchies that I’d put around my perfectly braided space buns before dance class. But my sisters were the first influencers in my life. I trusted their taste and opinions completely, and I always took interest in the things they were exploring—even if it wasn’t exactly suited to my age. Certainly the brown lipstick incident falls into this category.
Now, as the industry reports that Gen Alpha is asking for moisturizer in place of toys this holiday season, I can’t help but think of the rise of social media and the relationship between this generation and the social creators they trust, admire, and emulate—just like I did with my own sisters.
TikTok’s Big Sister Advice
If you’ve spent time on TikTok, you may have come across creators who are giving big sister advice on a whole plethora of topics: skincare, makeup, friendship, self-confidence. In these posts, they give straightforward, no-BS advice from the perspective of an older, wiser, more experienced friend who is looking out for you. Just like a big sister would.
When I think of the rise of tween + teen beauty, my mind goes to this type of content. If you’re growing up without siblings or with siblings who are just interested in different things (fair), the internet is ripe with creators who can help your explore new interests and steer your path. (That is obviously a very generous description of what social media offers young people. There are plenty of downsides, too.) So, for those Gen Alphas who are interested in beauty and want more information about what to use, where to get it, and why it’s cool, TikTok’s big sister advice is like my experience of living in a house with Brooke and Kate pre-social media: it’s easy to absorb.
And big sister advice may just be the hook that gets Gen Alphas engaged with the rest of these creators’ content. From there, they might be served posts that are intended to resonate with the creator’s peers—after all they aren’t just making content for the youngest members of their audience. I can picture a scenario in which a 20-something creator is explaining what Paula’s Choice’s BHA Toner has done for their acne or how Charlotte Tilbury’s new eyeshadow palette is their obsession. Neither product is made for tweens. Neither product is right for tweens. But it’s always the things we can’t have that become the most coveted possessions.
And that’s precisely why creating products for tweens + teens specifically is smart. By doing so, we can give them an experience that is safe, creative, and a baby step to the products they see the beauty creators they admire using.
The Rise of Teen Beauty and My Big Sister Advice (From a Little Sister)
The brands that will get it right will understand that tween + teen beauty is inherently different from the rest. Product safety is paramount, but it’ll also be important to resonate with Gen Alphas both on a product experience level (through unique textures, natural scents, innovative packaging) and on an emotional level (understanding their mindset, instilling confidence in them from a young age, treating beauty as a thing to explore and play with—not a necessity).
From the POV of a former tween who was interested in beauty early on, I’m super excited to see the teen beauty space grow. I shared on LinkedIn last week that I am keeping eyes on Indu Beauty because it’s fulfilling something for my inner child. If Limited Too had made beauty in the 2000s, I imagine it would be something very close to Indu—and I, without a doubt, would have been begging my mom to let me try lip gloss again and get it right. With a clear, shimmery shade.
From the POV of an adult who has worked in the beauty industry for many years, I feel especially protective over this demographic. Gen Alpha does not need skincare or any products to make them better, more worthy, or valuable. And I believe it’s our responsibility to communicate that beauty at their age is intended to be a creative pursuit, a form of self-care, or something similar. Yes, beauty businesses exist to make money, but beauty brands exist to create emotional connections with the clients they serve. And we should be looking out for this demographic like their industry big sisters.