Img source, Very Good Light
With the rise of Generation Z, the beauty industry is a very exciting market to be apart of right now. It is an industry that is becoming more open minded, more tolerant and arguably more creative.
Generation Z, do not know of a world without the internet or mobile phones. It is their native language. They are fluent visual communicators. Growing up with the internet, meant they enjoyed greater access to information. Consequently, they are highly knowledgeable. They can see parts of the world from a tiny flat screen. In contrast, generations before would have to seek out a magazine to discover such information.
As well as growing up with the internet, this generation are the first to have parents with interracial marriages or even same sex parents.
As their world have been a far more tolerant one than before, and as the world becomes increasingly more diverse, the beauty industry has consequently responded to Generation Z’s diversification.
As such, inclusivity is a key trend that we are constantly exploring with our brands. Two examples that we find to be innovative include, Very Good Light and Cocoa Swatches App. The former is a new website dedicated to examining what it means to be masculine. All the content explores grooming, make-up and facial care. It’s aimed at 16-25 year old men who wish to be able to partake in conversations surrounding male beauty.
Img source, Cocoa Swatches App
Cocoa Swatches App, also launched in New York was founded by Ofunne Amaka. The founder has detailed in interviews about how society tries to place you into a specific box. She personally was having a hard time interacting with the beauty industry. As a black beauty consumer , she struggled with the poor product range available to her. There were no role models she could relate to. Most of the time, she would go to her local drug store and try to wing it with different foundations. Earlier this year however, following the launch of her beauty blog, she founded her app. It enables the user to search for products easily and compare colour swatches. In February 2016, she launched the Cocoa Swatches app, which makes beauty products easily searchable and shows colour swatches for comparison.
As we move forward working with our brands, we believe social media and digital marketing are powerful tools to continue the conversation surrounding inclusivity, tolerance and empowerment for both men and women.