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Instagram: 59.7k
Twitter: 10.6k
Youtube 19k

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Think Dirty® app educates users on potential toxins in household, personal care and beauty products. Just scan the product barcode and Think Dirty will give you easy-to-understand info on the product, its ingredients, and shop cleaner options!

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Millennials, also known as Generation Y, is a generational cohort born between the years of 1980 to 2000.

Being the first true digital generation, whose unique life experiences have changed the way we live, work and consume, it is believed that the lifestyles and attitudes of this generation are one of the fundamental causes of the rapidly changing world.

Since early 2016, Millennials have come to the centre of the UK media attention.

The growing interest in the topic shows in my monthly visits, too. I now get 50,000-70,000 unique visitors a month.

The Google Trends map below shows the spike in a search term "millennials" in the UK since Jan-April 2016, the time my blog started rapidly growing.

Being the most talked about generation in history, there is myriad of research conducted on Millennials in the US and in the UK.

In 2016, there were around 16.8 million 18-36 years old in the UK (about 1/4 of the whole population of 65.1 million).

In 2017 UK Millennials became the largest generation in the workforce as a record number of Baby Boomers headed to retirement.

Mainstream media accuses Millennials of being lazy, entitled narcissists, who aren't able to function without a smartphone. For more holistic view, read about Millennial characteristics and Millennial facts - the two pages, that I constantly update with objective research.
Photo credit: selectenglishfitzwilliam.blogspot.co.uk

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How Many Millennials There Are In The UK? (2017) | Lucky Attitude

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Millennials, also known as Generation Y, is a generational cohort born between the years of 1980 to 2000. Being the first true digital generation, whose unique life experiences have changed the way we live, work and consume, it is believed that the lifestyles and attitudes of this generation are one of the fundamental causes of the rapidly changing world.

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In the digital age, marketing has evolved far past the expectations that even the savviest executives could have imagined 50 years ago. Instead of simply pushing products to consumers through vast media channels, marketers now have the opportunity to listen to and engage with their target audiences like never before.

The primary catalyst for this innovative shift away from traditional marketing is heavily linked to millennials and their strong allegiance to social media. This generation is constantly absorbing new information, due to the immediacy of the Internet, and brands are using this to their advantage.

It's crucial those in charge of ensuring brand popularity understand Millennial buying behaviours and how they consume material in order to build relationships and make a lasting impact.

Is your brand aiming to hone in on the millennial market? Creating unique and original content will be one of the top ways you can make a lasting connection:
Visual Storytelling
Marketing trends that come and go, but visual content is a powerful force that demands a seat at the table.

When it comes to targeting the millennial audience, visual content is a direct highway to their heart. Not only is it more appealing, but also more effective - in fact, it is shown to be 60,000 times more effective than text.

This includes photographs, professional images, videos, infographics, or memes. The popularity of this form of content is due to its easily digestible nature. This had lead to images and videos receiving more likes, shares, and comments on social media platforms.

So let's take a look at these two powerful mediums:
Video
Younger demographics are attracted to online video more than any other medium.

According to statistics, Millennials spend 50 percent more time watching online video than TV. Thus, strategic marketers have been taking advantage of the emotional power video possesses.

Millennials consume video for a variety of reasons, whether it's for entertainment purposes, or for guidance in deciding which products and services they should purchase. A 2015 study by Animoto revealed eight out of ten millennials found video to be helpful when researching a product or service.

If you believe that video could increase the engagement between millennials and your company brand, these tips may help:

Keep it concise and to the point - if your market gets bored, they'll keep scrolling. Remember, millennials value immediacy.

Highlight the main benefit of what your product/service offers - don't get caught up in a grandiose dog and pony show, first and foremost, focus on how your product can help your market.

Consider adding a humor element - everybody enjoys a good laugh, that's why Superbowl commercials are so popular.

Image
Photographs are the cornerstone of millennial culture. With smartphones often on them at all times, this generation never misses an opportunity to take a good picture. Brands can encourage this creativity by crowdsourcing. Try prompting your brands social media followers to participate by encouraging them to take pictures engaging with your product. Successful brands will often take the highest-quality images that come from consumers and repost them onto their page, giving their audiences incentive to continue participating.

Social image-sharing platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest are high traffic platforms that are ideal for this variety of marketing.

According to Forrester, Instagram has the highest level of brand engagement (4.21%) compared with all other social platforms. Posting photos on Instagram is a way Millennials can engage with other members of their favorite brand's community. It would be a disservice to your brand to forego this type of marketing and miss out on an opportunity to connect.
Graphic Design
Graphic design goes hand-in-hand with visuals, and is a key component of content marketing. Infographics are visual models of information that grasp attention easily and receive a high amount of shares. They assist brands in repurposing their content to be more visually appealing to their audience.

In addition to infographics, charts are similar graphic tools that assist in visualizing data, identifying relationships, and using relative clues to understand the information accurately.

Both of these tools are easily digestible, so readers have no need to scroll through pages of information to find what they are looking for.

As a marketer, you should be always monitoring your levels of audience engagement. Content marketing not only drives traffic from search engines, but it gives your business a chance to show off a little personality. Millennials have challenged marketers to think outside the box, by insisting their voices are heard. Is your company up for the challenge?
Contact us to discuss how we can provide your business with amazing content!

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It's all about the Visuals: How to Target Millennials with Content - Arnold Street Media

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In the digital age, marketing has evolved far past the expectations that even the savviest executives could have imagined 50 years ago. Instead of simply pushing products to consumers through vast media channels, marketers now have the opportunity to listen to and engage with their target audiences like never before....

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I write about social media, content marketing and millennials Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Millennial Pink is actually a color that started trending in the summer of 2016 when a light pink shade surfaced everywhere from the runway to celebrity hair color. Now, this ubiquitous soft pink is found on toasters, electric toothbrushes-even in your Starbucks coffee cup.

It's been fascinating to watch a color morph into a trend. And even more entertaining to watch brands scramble to design everything they can in Millennial Pink. But why has this ordinary shade become so popular? Colors ebb and flow, but this one refuses to go away, and it continues to sell product.

For brands, predicting the next "must-have" obsession and then tastefully and authentically capitalizing on it is an excellent way to outpace the competition.

But, let's be honest. It's tough to predict the future.

Now for the good news. There are things you can do to get informed. After all, predicting a trend is really about knowing where to look before anyone else, informing thought leadership and using what you learn to guide business decisions. Here are three things your brand can do right now to spot the next Millennial Pink and incorporate it into your marketing strategies.
Image Recognition
In 2016, images were the primary media format created and shared by social users. And with 3.2 billion images shared online each day, communication is quickly becoming more visual. According to Investopedia, More than half (59%) of U.S. millennials are active on Instagram, showcasing the importance of visual platforms like Pinterest and others. In fact, Instagram can be credited with the surge in popularity of Rose wine -a drink coveted by millennials not only for its lifestyle and affordability appeal, but also, its color-Millennial Pink! Wine sipping millennials are obsessed, chanting "YesWayRose" while posting updates to social feeds using the Rose hashtag.

Consider the role of image recognition software in identifying trends across industries. For example, we know that Adobe's Stock team publishes reports based on visual trends that come out in Adobe Stock purchases-another example of how data can make visual trends more apparent.

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How Brands Can Spot The Next Millennial Pink

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Predicting a trend is really about knowing where to look before anyone else, informing thought leadership and guiding business decisions. Here are three things your brand can do right now to spot the next Millennial Pink and incorporate it into your marketing strategies.

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not bad price either
natural ingredients can be used

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MixNature - Face - Face cream - Natural Cosmetics Online Laboratory

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Ingredients: Glycerine, HyaCare 50, Keltrol CG-SFT, Aqua (Water), Ultrafeel MCT, Macadamia Oil, Tego Care 450, Avocado Oil, Natura-Tec Ultrafeel ININ, Tego Alkanol 1618, Tegin M Pellets, Babassu Oil, Jojoba Oil, Tocopherol, HyaCare Filler CL, Microcare PEHG, Gatuline Expression, D-Panthenol. Shelf life - 6 months. Strictly store in a cool place.

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Millennial judgments based on the brands’ websites and Instagram feeds.

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A few months ago I attended the launch for a new skincare product from a luxury, heritage beauty brand. I asked one of the executives how his company was trying to appeal to millennials, a group which thus far has not responded to "anti-aging" language the way previous generations have. He was pretty confident that this new product would be a great gateway into the brand for them. The price? $250.

Thinking like this by older cosmetics brands might help explain why there are suddenly tons of new indie skincare brands flooding your Instagram feed. Study after study has shown that millennials value, well, value. They want products that work but that don't cost three figures. Millennials, in case you haven't heard, are now America's largest living generation. And according to a report by TABS Analytics, they are also the "heaviest buyers" of beauty products.

Old school brands are now finding themselves competing with new direct-to-consumer brands, often founded by millennials themselves who intuitively know how to speak to their peers. Glossier is obviously the godmother of these. Even though it's not quite three years old, it has clearly inspired - or emboldened - a whole slew of new beauty brands, especially brands selling skincare.

Here's a look at six millennial-focused skincare brands, complete with commentary from millennial women. Most had never heard of any of these brands, and more than half had never even heard of Glossier. Since social media plays such a big role in marketing now, especially for indie brands with tiny budgets, I asked them to make snap judgments based on the brands' websites and Instagram feeds.

Instagram: 133,000 followers, based in Seattle

Herbivore, a natural brand, started out on Etsy in 2011 (not new, but definitely newly buzzy) and was founded by the husband-and-wife team of Julia Willis, 36, and Alex Kummerow, 29. Urban Outfitters came calling in 2013, and it's now at Sephora, Nordstrom, and multiple boutiques across the country. It's known for its graphic, minimal white labels with black font and clear bottles that let the color of the product shine through. A representative describes it as "very millennial-oriented. It was the right time and right place" for both pastels and natural product. Herbivore's most popular products are the Blue Tansy mask ($48) and the Lapis face oil ($72). The voice on the site is straightforward and conversational, if a little generic, explaining the ingredients and benefits. ("We believe skincare should smell and feel amazing and add enjoyment to your daily routine.")
What some millennials think:
"I will say this: The person doing the photos on their website should be commended. The color coordination is working for me; the layout is beautiful, down to the shadows. If I were ever going to spend seventy. two. fucking. dollars. on oil to reduce my facial redness, these photos would be the reason why." - Anneliese, 25

"Beautiful packaging, and the oils, mists, and soaps are interesting! Definitely up my alley, as I am trying to go for the natural thing." -Claire, 33

Instagram: 697,000 followers, based in Australia

Frank, founded in 2013, also pre-dates Glossier, but is at its peak popularity now thanks to a successful Instagram influencer strategy. The pouches of "natural" coffee scrubs ($18) are still best-sellers, but the brand has expanded into facial products. Its most recent launch, Shimmer Scrub, which comes packaged in a holographic pouch, had a 50,000 person waitlist and is currently sold out. Urban Outfitters is its biggest US retailer, but it's sold in over 140 countries. Its voice is one of the voiciest of all these brands. Frank is imagined as a benevolent male presence who speaks, sometimes in double entendres, to his "frankfurts," which is what the brand calls fans. " Our frankfurts have a relationship with Frank himself. Frank talks to them, and never at them. It was a refreshing change from the hyperbole of the beauty industry," writes Frank co-founder Jess Hatzis, 30, in an email. "He's cheeky and a bit of a flirt. His mission in life is to make babes feel great."
What some millennials think:
"I could potentially see myself purchasing something like this as a gift for a friend. It's impossible to not feel pandered to with a quote like 'For babes who eat glitter for breakfast,' but it works for being cute and fun, which I assume is what the brand is going for. - Jenna, 27

"I'm not overly into this whole sparkle and glitter obsession going on, so their Instagram makes me feel like I'm choking on it. But the brand seems authentic. It's flat out is called 'Frank,' and they're pretty frank about it all." - Courtney, 23

Instagram: 5,000 followers, based in ?

Feel launched a few months ago, but its founder declined to be interviewed for this story because he felt the brand was too new. But it's been making the rounds on Instagram, and Tanisha, Racked's associate market editor and a person I trust implicitly to tell me about cool things, saw it and was drawn to it. Its website greets you with this: "You're more than just a pretty face. You're also pretty whip smart. Pretty hilarious. Pretty dynamic. Pretty incredible." Feel wants to sell you emotional well-being along with charcoal sheet masks, hair texture spray, self tanner, and a floral face mist, which comes complete with a self-love mantra printed on the box and flash tattoos inside it. Millennial pink abounds, as does a vaguely '90s print on the packaging.
What some millennials think:
"This Instagram panders to me on the deepest level. What are they selling? I'll take the silk bathrobe or the pearl ring inside a fig or the dewy freckled skin, whichever it is I can get on this site." - Lizzie, 26

"The site definitely makes me want to purchase products.Any beauty message of 'looking good on the outside starts with what's on the inside' is in line with my view of beauty and makeup." - Jenna, 27

Instagram followers: 8,000, based in Australia

Co-founders Carla McGraw, 28, and Mitch Toohey, 29, launched Mint in Australia last November. It just opened up its US website this month and is also going to be making its debut at Urban Outfitters in June. It's focused on masks, which come in pouches as either powder that you mix with water or apple cider vinegar, or pre-mixed, complete with an applicator brush. Again, the message is natural and the color is pink. More categories are forthcoming. The founders feel that millennials and teens have been "a little underserved, especially in the natural department. There are some beautiful natural products out there, but $170 for a skin lotion was not attainable for most 18-year-old girls."
What some millennials think:
"The make-at-home mud mask concept is interesting, and something seems special with this Australian mud. I've been really into clay based masks lately, so this hits me at the right time. But it's pretty singular/one-dimensional in concept and marketing." - Claire, 33

"The website does [make me want to buy products] because of the information provided on the products." - Courtney, 23

Instagram followers: 59,600, based in San Diego

Kopari was founded in late 2015 by Kiana Cabell, 28, and beauty industry vets Bryce and Gigi Goldman and James Brennan. Kiana was raised in Hawaii and her dad was a pro surfer. The line is coconut oil-based, and its best-seller is a jar of coconut oil with nothing else in it, though there are multiple other face and body products that use the ingredient. It took off last year with the news that several celebrities, including Jared Leto, had invested in the brand. It's now carried at Sephora, Revolve, Free People, and on QVC. The look is beachy, the voice is perky, and the ingredient story - words like "pure" abound - is focused on clean. "We talk to them the same way we talk to your best friend: approachable, inclusive, and in an authentic way," says co-founder Bryce Goldman. "Beauty, especially natural beauty, has always had a tendency to be overly serious, but we're just having more fun talking about it."
What some millennials think:
"Loved the feel of this Instagram page! I am a big beach lover, so the beachy feel of this product was a huge plus for me. That alone would push me to research the product more and potentially buy it (if I wasn't totally broke right now)."--Ally, 22

"Their Instagram confirms that, yes, they're doing a whole beach thing. More coconuts. I'm exhausted by it. I'd rather watch Blue Crush and enjoy my Lubriderm-slicked legs in peace." - Anneliese, 25

Instagram followers: 6,700, based in South Korea

This Korean brand launched last August, but its parent company, which has a clinic in Seoul that attracts celebrities from around the world, has been around for 60 years. This is the most aggressively "millennial" brand on the list, but it seems to be working. It's carried at Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Aerie, and more stores are coming. This brand doesn't really play up the fact that it's K-beauty, but rather focuses on the ingredient story. It's meant to be fun, but also highlights the science and actually isn't afraid to talk about aging. "In Korea we know when to start and how to start taking care of our skin, versus out here it's still a new concept. I wanted to approach American women with the concept of early anti-aging skincare," says Sydney Baek, the executive vice president of the brand.
What some millennials think:
"While they are similar to the other brands with the colors, their goal of making you feel the way you do on a perfect Saturday seems different." - Courtney, 23

"There is a big disconnect between the 'feeling' of the brand versus the medical nature of the active ingredient behind it. If it weren't for the credibility factor of it being popular in Korea, I would probably discount the whole brand altogether."- Claire, 33

Obviously the handful of millennials that I spoke to are not anywhere close to representative of an entire generation, and none of them actually tried any of the products. While a compelling Instagram post might get you to try something once, ultimately it's going to have to work. But the snap judgments the women had about these brands are one clue that there probably is room for more new brands out there. Millennials, like human beings in general, do not all want the same things, despite this avocado toast stereotype that's been foisted on them. Even in the microcosm that is Racked, my co-workers, who probably recognize better than civilians when they're being aggressively marketed to, had almost violently different reactions to some of these brands, ranging from utter cynicism to the heart-eye emoji. So what ultimately makes someone want to buy?

On the surface, these brands sure look the same. So many words have been written about millennial pink, and I don't really want to write any more except to say that they feature the color either in their packaging, on their websites and social feeds, or both. Herbivore uses it to represent nature. Saturday Skin uses it to represent a "youthful glow." Mint uses it because it has a rose product and people liked it better on Instagram than green, the brand's original color. (Don't sleep on green, though, marketers. The color, ranging from minty to beachy, often shows up with millennial pink in these brands. Is it Millennial Mint? Aspirational Aqua? Supplemental Seafoam? Whatever it is, it's almost as prevalent as pink. Milk Makeup, which offers mostly makeup with some skincare, is the glaring exception in this packaging trend.)

Packaging is obviously just one part of a brand's overall messaging, though. Intangibles, like whether or not a brand reads as authentic, how it engages with customers, and how it builds community, are crucial. "What we've learned from Gen Z and millennials is that they're tired of this big brand pushing down aspirational images and want people and companies and brands to really reflect who they are," says Crystal Sai, a graduate student and research team leader in the master's program in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management at FIT. Her group has been conducting consumer research into the buying habits of millennials.

Millennials are more aware (and wary) of ingredients than other generations, according to the FIT researchers, which is why language like "natural" and "clean" is prevalent. But innovation is ultimately crucial for indie brands' survival - they should be "bringing newness to the market," according to Sai. When you get past the blush-hued chatty exterior of these brands, Herbivore has a strong natural story, Frank has coffee, Mint has mud packets, and Kopari has coconut. They're not all doing the same thing in the same way.

For Urban Outfitters, whose buyers have an eye for these brands before anyone else and stock five of the six brands discussed here, this is a key point. "Even core brands that we may have brought in, their best-sellers are not our best-sellers. [Being at Urban] gives it that edge, that credibility that it's not average," says Laura Zaccaria, Urban Outfitters' divisional merchandise manager. Being at Urban is often a tipping point for brands, as it was for Herbivore and may be for Mint.

All of these brands have a pretty distinct voice, whether it's on their websites or in how they respond to fans on social media. From Frank's "frankfurts" to Kopari's package instructions telling you to put its product on your "bod," these brands have personalities. Mint Skin's McGraw, who herself is a millennial, says you can tell when a brand isn't authentic. "You can pick it up in a second. It's like, 'Stop, Dad. Stop doing that!'" she laughs. "It's a language and you either get it or you don't because you either speak it or you don't."

One thing probably will remain constant, though, at least for the short term. "I see the theme of this pink across all these brands showing up one way or another," says Courtney, one of the reviewers. "I can't deny that I'm a sucker for it."
Racked occasionally accepts products for research and reviewing purposes. For more information, see our ethics policy .

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Will Millennials Buy Skincare If It's You-Know-What Pink?

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A few months ago I attended the launch for a new skincare product from a luxury, heritage beauty brand. I asked one of the executives how his company was trying to appeal to millennials, a group which thus far has not responded to "anti-aging" language the way previous generations have.

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I originally wrote this article in 2016, and ever since, I have been updating at the beginning of each year, with an update on all of the Social Media demographics, statistics and facts that will help you grow your business.

We are now in 2018, and I am going to share with you what you can expect in 2018, and statistics that will shape the Social Media landscape.

I came across a piece of research from PewResearchCentre that I knew had to be shared. Their research however was based on the US market, and not the UK. If you are a business that primarily sells to the USA, take a look at this research .

After doing further research, I came across some great statistics from various websites based on the UK demographics of social media users.

UPDATE: This article was initially written in 2016, but as it is now 2018, I want to give you a breakdown of the statistics from 2016, 2017 as well as UPDATED statistics for 2018.

UK Social Media Demographics: General Statistics 2016

The United Kingdom has a population of 64.1 million and 89% of this population is an active internet user. 38 million people actively use social media and a further 50% of total population actively use their mobiles to access their social media.

Since January 2014, there has been a 4% growth in active internet users, 6% growth in social media users and 7% increase in mobile users accessing social media.

UK Social Media Demographics: General Statistics 2017

The UK population is now 65.1 million, with 92.6% of the population actively using the internet. There are still approximately 38 million people actively using Social Media, which will continue to grow throughout 2017.

Did you know that almost 80% of time spent on Social Media, happens via mobile?

With more than 56% of online adults using MORE THAN ONE Social Media Platform, Social Media usage will continue to grow substantially over the next 12 months.

UK Social Media Demographics: General Statistics 2018

Mobile has become a huge part of how people are searching online. There are now 2.56 billion global mobile social media users.

To give you an update on where, and how users are spending their time, see a visual from an infographic created by tracx.com.

Facebook Demographics 2016

Facebook is the leading social network with over 1.44 billion monthly active users worldwide and over 31 million in the UK alone. Facebook's demographic in the UK is fairly even with 49% male users, and 51% female. Did you know that 60% of the UK population has a Facebook account? Whilst Facebook's younger demographic seem to be looking elsewhere, they still have a strong 2.5million of 13-17 year olds using Facebook, along with 26% of users still in the 25-34 age demographic.

Facebook Demographics 2017

Facebook now has over 1.65 billion monthly users, and 84% of all UK adults use Social Media. The age, and gender demographics are still the same, but we are seeing more of the older generation turn to Facebook. 76% of Facebook users visit the site daily and over 2 million businesses use Facebook for advertising.

Facebook have recently launched their "Facebook Live" feature, and this will come as no shock considering 100 million hours of video content are watched on Facebook daily. Since the launch, there has been a 700% growth in video views, with people spending 3x longer watching a LIVE video than they do watching a recorded video.

Facebook Demographics 2018

There are now more than 50 million small businesses using Facebook Pages to connect with their customers. 4 million of those businesses pay for social media advertising on Facebook.

The best time to post on Facebook is 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Other optimal times include 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays and 1:00-4:00 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays.

Here are some updated Facebook Demographic statistics.

Twitter Demographics 2016

My favourite social network; Twitter has over 15 million active users in the UK and over 65% of these users are under the age of 34. Over 80% of the 15 million active users access the social network from their mobile with a further 29% checking their Twitter feed multiple times during the day.

Just like Facebook, Twitter is relatively even with 49% males and 51% female in regards to user demographic. There are over 400 million tweets sent daily, and close to 75% of users are following less than 50 twitter accounts.

Twitter Demographics 2017

Twitter usage has dropped slightly, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel as 37.5% of UK Social Media users, actively use Twitter. 81% of millennials check Twitter at least once per day which shows that daily usage from millennials is still high.
Did You Know:

Tweets with images receive 18% more clicks than tweets without images

Tweets that include links are 86% more likely to be retweeted

Your tweets have a 12x higher chance of being retweeted if you ask for it, and 23 x higher if you actually spell out the word "retweet".

66% of user-generated tweets that mention brands come from mobile users

Twitter engagement for brands is 17% higher on weekends

Tweets with hashtags get 2x more engagement

Twitter Demographics 2018

For 2018 Twitter Demographics, take a look at the below.

Pinterest Demographics 2016

Pinterest launched in 2010 and in just two years, it had increased its traffic by 789% with 200,000 UK users. As you can expect, Pinterest's demographics are less balanced than Twitter or Facebook with 62% of users female, and 38% of users male. There have been reports suggesting a stronger female usage up to 80% but no solid evidence to support this... yet. Did you know that 88% of all Pinterest users purchased a product they pinned and a further 49% have purchased 5 of more products they pinned?

Pinterest Demographics 2017

There are now over 2 million active Pinterest users in the UK, and the females are still ruling the demographics at 85%. 57% of Pinterest users are through mobile.

Pinterest Demographics 2018

Wondering what's changed around Pinterest? Here is a simple breakdown that will share the important, "need-to-know" demographics for 2018.

Instagram Demographics 2016

Last year, Instagram overtook Twitter in terms of global users (300m on Instagram, and 280m on Twitter).

90% of UK Instagram users are under 35, with a high amount of these female that are likely living in urban areas.

According to eMarketer, advertising revenue generated by Instagram will reach just under £1 billion in 2016 and by 2018, it is estimated that there will be over 106 million Instagram users in just the USA.

Instagram Demographics 2017

Instagram is a 50/50 social network in regards to gender however female internet users are 38% more likely to use Instagram compared to men at 26%. Instagram still has 300m monthly of which 90% is less than 35 years old.

Current statistics show that 51% of Instagram users access the platform daily, and 35% say they look at the platform several times per day.

Instagram released a new feature called " Instagram Stories ". Instagram Stories is benefitting from the large active user base Instagram itself enjoys, and now has 100 million daily active viewers. Rivaling the likes of SnapChat; Instagram Stories is here to stay, and has given instagram an upper hand in the world of Social Media.

Instagram Demographics 2018

LinkedIn Demographics 2016

Still the B2B social network leader, LinkedIn has over 60 million views every month in just the UK. There is a slight shift in regards to age and gender demographics with only 21% of users under the age of 35 and 79% of users are males.

Two new members join LinkedIn every second, there are 187 million monthly unique visitors and 40% of LinkedIn users check their account on a daily basis. LinkedIn is also used in over 200 countries and is available in 20 different languages.

LinkedIn Demographics 2017

80% of B2B social media leads still come from LinkedIn, and there are still two new LinkedIn users joining every second. The unique visitor count has dropped from 187 million to 106 million and the average LinkedIn user spends 17 minutes on the site per month.

For me, LinkedIn is one of the most engaging social networks which is partly down to LinkedIn Pulse. Did you know that More than 1 million LinkedIn users have published long-form content, with 160,000 long-form posts being published weekly? Just posting a piece of content with an image will give YOU a 200% engagement rate increase.

LinkedIn Demographics 2018

A lot has changed with LinkedIn over the last two years, especially when it comes to it's demographics.

Google+ Demographics 2016

Google+ has over 400 million users worldwide, with 63% of these users male, and 37% female. In the UK, 41% of users fall in the 18-24 age demographic and 29% of users fall in the 25-34 age demographic.

54% of Google+ users log into their account to stay in touch with friends whilst a further 42% use Google+ to interact with brand content. The average monthly time spent on Google+ is 7 minutes, with an average visit duration at just under 4 minutes.

Google+ Demographics 2017

Google+ has 375 million active users (this has dropped by 25 million). Google+ now has 70% male users (up from 63%).

Google+ users spend an average of 3 minutes and 46 seconds inside the social network per visit, and 22% of users visit the webinar at least once a month. Looking at age demographics, 28% of users are aged between 15 and 34. Brands are understanding the importance of Google+, as 70% of brands do actually have a presence on Google+.

With live streaming becoming a huge trend for 2017, Google made the mistake of removing Google Hangouts from its extensive feature list, but don't forget; YouTube is owned by Google, and this is going to fill the gap for businesses looking to create videos.

Rather than sharing statistics around Google+, I want to introduce another network to this list; YouTube

YouTube Demographics 2018

I hope the above statistics will help you better understand your target customer, and the social networks they use, AND how you can best utilise Social Media for your business. This brings me onto my content upgrade for this blog which is my 28 day Social Media Challenge!

28 Day Social Media Challenge

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Sources: PewResearchCentre, We Are Social, Social Media London, eMarketer, Rose McGrory, E-Consultancy, ECommerce Manager, Pingdom and The Last Hurdle, Tracx.com.

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The Demographics of Social Media Users in 2019

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I originally wrote this article in 2016, and ever since, I have been updating at the beginning of each year, with an update on all of the Social Media demographics, statistics and facts that will help you grow your business.We are now in 2018, and I am going to share with you what you can

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looking at transparency of ingredients used in products

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looking at transparency of ingredients used in products

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Women's Facial Skincare - UK - June 2017 - Market Research Report

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"No longer using wipes and moisturisers to solve every issue, women are discovering the benefits of cleansing, cleaner living, and high-quality products on their skin. A new focus on natural radiance has distracted women from other concerns such as ageing, creating a need for brands to step in and remind them.

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feel free to add any you think will be a good match, these are the ones I found/know of already 

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feel free to add any you think will be a good match, these are the ones I found/know of already 

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Over the last decade, marketers have been fixated on the millennial generation, generally defined as individuals born in the 1980s through the mid-1990s. Last year, Pew Research Center reported that this group is now the largest living generation in the U.S. with more than 75.4 million members, and immigration is expected to boost this number to 81.1 million by 2036.

With such a large consumer base, it makes sense that companies want to target millennials. As this generation continues to mature, brands will need to meet their evolving needs and situations to effectively market to them.

Fifteen members of each shared one way companies can capture the modern millennial through their marketing.
1. Be Transparent
Millennials love transparent organizations. Attract them by sharing behind-the-scenes information about what your company is working on and inviting them to give feedback about your product or service (including a freebie also helps!). Create short videos and share high-quality photos of your products, clients or employees on social media so they can relate to and connect with your company. - Meghan Godorov, Meghan Godorov Consulting, LLC
2. Get Millennial Input On Your Marketing Strategy
If there is a target generation you are desiring to reach, get out there and connect with them personally through focus groups or surveys with incentives. Millennials are more concerned with the experience rather than companies' traditional methods of marketing. Millenials must be entertained while they are educated. Marketing that incorporates both will surely reach them. - Maleeka T. Hollaway, The Official Maleeka Group, LLC.
3. Meet Them Where They Are
We need to remember that millennials communicate differently. We need to meet them where they are at. When doing a marketing campaign, using social media, gaming, fun apps and texting are crucial to grabbing their attention. We need to be thinking out of the box with our marketing strategy when our target market is millennials. - Amy Modglin, Modglin Leadership Solutions
4. Challenge Their Creativity
Have a contest to improve an existing commercial or correspondence. Tap their creative brains to make what you are doing better and more inventive. Allow them to add to the story and conversation and recognize them in real, tangible ways for doing this and you may find out that you win them, their attention and their expertise. - John O'Connor, Career Pro Inc.
5. Be Human And Tell A Good Story About Millennials
Millennials, like all others, are engaged by stories of people like us who go through journeys relevant to our lives. As such, a company's best asset is a compelling story arc of a millennial who's been a customer or employee. We want to see what it's actually like to use the product, engage with the brand, work in the company and see the company's mission and values in action. - Yuri Kruman, Master The Talk Consulting
6. Inspire Them To Act
Millennials need and want to learn, improve, and embrace opportunities, not only for themselves, but also for their families. They want to put their best selves forward, so marketing campaigns that engage and inspire them to act will be successful. This means a multichannel strategy will be necessary, using digital media and old-fashioned advertising that makes them think, feel, and do. - Barbara OMalley, Exec Advance LLC
7. Be Personal And Authentic
If you reach out in a very real and personalized manner, your interaction and engagement will lead to a better understanding of your brand. Think individualized experiences on social media! Great customer service equals great marketing. That authentic voice is what all people, millennials especially, are looking for. - Jennifer Oleniczak Brown, The Engaging Educator
8. Snap Them Up With Snapchat
Millennials are the dominant users of Snapchat, with college students ranking it as their first, daily online stop. To engage this population, it makes sense to get on Snapchat. Their audience responds best to an authentic, non-salesy, story-telling approach. With the right spokesperson and snap-reply engagement, a company can build trust, followers and customers. - Laura DeCarlo, Career Directors International

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Eight Marketing Strategies To Attract Modern Millennials

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Over the last decade, marketers have been fixated on the millennial generation, generally defined as individuals born in the 1980s through the mid-1990s. Last year, Pew Research Center reported that this group is now the largest living generation in the U.S.

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When it comes to work events, trade shows, or promotional campaigns, they can really be hit or miss. It's not solely the product that motivates people to come back to a brand, but rather the way they experience it. This is where experiential marketing comes in.

While a surprising number of people haven't heard of the concept, it's kind of a big deal - 77% of marketers use experiential marketing as a vital part of a brand's advertising strategy.

In this post, we'll be taking a deep dive into what experiential marketing is and share 14 of the coolest campaigns that break down how this strategy effectively works. By examining these campaigns, you'll be able to apply the lessons learned to your own business to get the most out of your advertising efforts.

Experiential marketing (also known as xm marketing, engagement marketing, event marketing, on the ground marketing, live marketing, or participation marketing), might sound a bit like event marketing, which makes sense - experiential campaigns do tend to be event-centric. But there are also times when they have nothing to do with a specific event, as you'll see from the examples we picked.

When an engagement marketing campaign is event-centric, it's dedicated less to the type of event - like a concert, festival, conference, etc. - and more to interactions between the brand and the customer. (If you already have an event in the works, check out this guide to adding experiential elements to it.)

What do experiential marketers do?

An experiential marketer is in charge of creating and executing on the strategy for a client's live, interactive marketing campaigns or in-person events.

An experiential marketer's role is similar to a brand ambassador, event planner, or brand manager, and typically involves the following duties:

Brainstorm innovative experiential marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness, interact with the public, and create positive brand perception

Perform market research to understand what types of experiential marketing campaigns would perform best with a specific audience

Create events or live, interactive campaigns to help businesses effectively connect with its target audiences

Lead events and take charge of logistics as it relates to event management

Track, analyze, and report on all experiential marketing campaign performance

Work with cross-functional teams including brand, creative, digital, social, and public relations

Travel to events as necessary to ensure vendor compliance and execution, sales support, and overall event success

Why Experiential Marketing Matters Today

According to Forbes, experiential marketing can bolster a lasting connection between customers and a brand. It can also allow you to collect vital data about participating consumers, which can then help you improve your strategy.

These campaigns can take an integrated approach. The primary purpose is to experience a brand in a tangible, offline way, but you'll still want an online dialogue around it.

When you consider that 87% of video marketers say video gives them a good return on their investment - and that people are twice as likely to share video content with their friends than any other type of content - it makes sense to incorporate a digital element. A branded hashtag, for example, can get people talking about the experience.

1. Warner Bros Pictures: Barbie Movie Selfie Generator

The highly anticipated film, Barbie, has been creatively marketed to fans of all ages and backgrounds - through unique trailers and immersive generative AI that let you become your own Barbie doll cover.

By visiting the website BarbieSelfie.ai, users were greeted with the message, "Welcome to Barbie Land, where you can be Barbie (or Ken). Click below to become an instant icon! #BarbieTheMovie".

Greta Gerwig's interpretation of Barbie supposedly leans into all the diverse and rare releases of Mattel toys, and their marketing team built on that idea by making an AI tool that allows users to identify as professionals in different fields, personalities, and color stories.

This marketing campaign is a good example of an experiential marketing campaign as it makes moviegoers feel good to see themselves represented in the coming Barbie movie and makes them feel as though they're a part of the Barbie fantasy experience that kids (and now adults) feel when they play with Barbie products.

It also serves as movie promotion between friends, family, and followers as those who post the photos spread the movie release date as every image has its premiere date, July 21st, 2023, on every image generated.

Takeaways for Marketers

Lean into new tech like generative AI for your next marketing campaign. Its newness and image-creation capabilities make it an engaging tool that gets attention.

Inclusion is key. The marketing team behind the Barbie movie could have strictly marketed the film to young women, but instead, it's done an amazing job of capturing the attention of all ages and identities - building some remarkable hype for this Summer.

2. Red Bull: Stratos

Red Bull has been at the forefront of extreme sports coverage for almost as long as the brand has existed. But the company brought its content marketing to new heights - a world-record height, actually.

Affectionately named Stratos, Red Bull's superterrestrial marketing campaign featured Felix Baumgartner, a skydiver from Austria who partnered with Red Bull to set the world record for highest skydive.

That record: 128,000 feet, about 24 miles above Earth's surface. Gulp.

To pull off this amazing stunt, Red Bull housed Felix in a small communication capsule and sent him up to the stratosphere using a large helium-filled balloon. And what's truly remarkable is that his ascent and preparation to jump, alone, allowed him to break another record before landing safely back on Earth (spoiler alert): Red Bull streamed the entire event online, and saw the highest viewing traffic of any live stream ever broadcast on YouTube - at just over 8 million viewers.

Want to see that experience again? Check out Red Bull's recap video below. I won't lie, I indulged in a rewatching as I wrote this article.

Takeaways for Marketers

Don't underestimate the power of suspense when hosting an event your audience can own a piece of themselves. Being able to witness something new, and maybe a little scary, is such a personal experience. And the better the result, the longer your audience will remember and reminisce over it.

Oh, and if you can put your brand in the record books while you're at it, that's pretty cool too.

3. Refinery29: 29Rooms

For about three years now, lifestyle brand Refinery29 has hosted the 29Rooms event: What it calls "an interactive funhouse of style, culture, & technology." As the name suggests, it consists of 29 individually branded and curated rooms - and attendees can experience something different in each one. The rooms are designed and created with brand partners, who range from personalities like artists and musicians, to consumer-facing companies like Dunkin' Donuts, Dyson, and Cadillac.

Each year, 29Rooms has a different theme, with this year's being "Turn It Into Art." Attendees, it seems, are encouraged to enter each room and use the surroundings to create something - one room, for instance, invites participants to put on punching gloves and hit punching bags that each produce a different sound when contacted to create a symphony of sorts. A truly hands-on experience, indeed.

Takeaways for Marketers

Go nuts, but keep it on-brand. An experience should be memorable, but relevant to the people attending.

Partner with creators like artists and musicians to create experiences, especially if they are recognizable within the region where you're trying to build or augment an audience.

4. Lean Cuisine: #WeighThis

It's disconcerting how many commercials today tell women to change something about themselves. Sitting on the couch and watching TV for just two minutes, I had already lost count of the number of times that message came up.

That's why it's so refreshing to see brands like Lean Cuisine, whose marketing used to center solely on weight loss, stray from diet-centric messaging. And its #WeighThis campaign is a great example of just that.

As part of the campaign, Lean Cuisine curated a gallery of "scales" in New York's Grand Central Station, and invited women to "weigh in." But here's the catch: The scales were actually small boards where women could write down how they really wanted to be weighed. And rather than focusing on their weight in pounds - or anything pertaining to body image - the women opted to be measured by things like being back in college at 55, caring for 200 homeless children each day, or being the sole provider to four sons.

What's particularly cool about this experience is that none of the participants actually interact with a Lean Cuisine product. No one was interrupted, asked to sample something, or stopped to answer questions. In fact, no one was really asked to do anything - the display itself was enough to make people stop, observe, and then voluntarily interact.

Lean Cuisine figured out what message it wanted to send: "Sure, we make stuff that fits into a healthy lifestyle. But don't forget about your accomplishments. That matters more than the number on the scale." But instead of blatantly advertising that, it created an interactive experience around the message.

Still, the experience was clearly branded, to make sure people associated it with Lean Cuisine. The company's Twitter handle and a branded hashtag were featured on the display in large text, which made it easy for people to share the experience on social media. And that definitely paid off - the entire #WeighThis campaign led to a 33% increase in positive brand perception, and earned a 6.5 million reach just during week one.

Takeaways for Marketers

Don't interrupt - especially if you're trying to grab someone's attention in New York City, like Lean Cuisine was. If you create an experience that provides value to the people who pass by it, they're more likely to participate.

Figure out the message you really want to your brand to send - that may or may not be directly tied to an actual product, and it might be something that your brand hasn't said before. Then, build an experience around it.

5. M&M: Flavor Rooms

If you've ever had a peanut M&M versus regular M&M debate, you know people can get passionate about candy. So, when M&M needed to choose its next flavor, the company chose to do so with an immersive pop-up in New York City.

The experience included "flavor rooms", which were each complete with decor and fragrances unique to a certain flavor. The pop-up also included snack and drink lounges with M&M-themed cocktails - which, I'm willing to bet, we're great opportunities for M&M to appear on different attendees' social pages.

Takeaways for Marketers

With every marketing campaign you launch, find the "fun" factor. It's easy to get caught up in how much your brand helps solve your customer's problem. But what about them, as people, would also bring them enjoyment?

Consider how you might leverage your audience for key business decisions. If they're the ones who will be buying and using your product, they're also the ones best-equipped to tell you what's working, and what isn't. An experiential campaign is one good opportunity to connect directly with your consumers and create enjoyable experiences in which they can provide perspective.

6. Benefit Cosmetics: 'A Lashtastic Virtual-Media Campaign'

In today's digital-first world, a good experience doesn't have to be in-person. But traditionally, consumers still want to test out new makeup products before purchasing - which created a challenge for Benefit Cosmetics during the worldwide pandemic, in which most retail locations were closed.

To draw attention to its new Magnet Extreme Lengthening Mascara, Benefit, working with Because Creative Experiences, chose to create an immersive experience in which users could collect tokens and exchange those tokens for discounts, mascaras, or virtual beauty consultations on Benefit's website. Best of all, they used Augmented Reality to create a fun, unique experience for their users.

Here's how it worked: Once users signed into Benefit's Virtual Reality platform, they were asked to drop their location. Next, thanks to Augmented Reality, the prospects could use their phones to find tokens in their physical space.

The campaign proved incredibly effective - including a conversion rate of over 50%, a CTR of 39.4%, and an average gamification dwell time of 2 minutes and 22 seconds.

Takeaways for Marketers:

Even adults love games. Consider how you might gamify your own experience and provide unique challenges or contests to drive engagement. In this case, the experience is fun whether or not a user purchases the product - which is key towards creating a good user experience.

If an in-person experience isn't feasible, get creative with technology, VR, or AR to create the next best thing. Nowadays, digital experiences can feel just as real as in-person. You might need to think beyond traditional social campaigns to grab your audience's attention.

7. Misereor: Charity Donation Billboard

When was the last time you used cash to pay for something?

Tough to remember, right? We're kind of a species of "mindless swipers" - globally, an estimated 357 billion non-cash transactions are made each year. And knowing how often we whip out our cards, German relief NGO Misereor decided to put our bad habit to good use with its charitable giving billboard.

It was what they called SocialSwipe. Set up in airports, these digital posters would display images of some problems that Misereor works to resolve - hunger was depicted with a loaf of bread, for example.

But the screen was equipped with a card reader, and when someone went to swipe a card - for a small fee of 2€ - the image moved to make it look like the card was cutting a slice of bread.

Even cooler? On the user's bank statement, there would be a thank-you note from Misereor, with a link to turn their one-time 2€ donation into a monthly one.

Needless to say, this experience required a lot of coordination - with banks, airports, and a mobile payment platform. Because of that, the experience couldn't just be a one-time occurrence. The people who interacted with it were later reminded of it during a pretty common occurrence: receiving a bank statement.

Takeaways for Marketers

Visually represent the impact of participating in the experience. People interacting with this display were shown exactly where their money was going - like slicing bread for a hungry family. (Infographics work nicely here, too - check out our templates.)

Partner with another brand to create an even better experience. In this instance, Misereor worked with Stripe.com for the payment technology, and with financial institutions to get a branded message on users' bank statements. (And stay tuned - we'll talk more about the value of co-branding here later.)

Don't be afraid to nurture your leads. Even if you don't use a branded hashtag to integrate the experience with an online element, find a way to remind someone that they participated.

8. Lululemon: Proud & Present

To celebrate Pride Month, Lululemon worked with MKG to create an immersive, thoughtful experience that combined an engaging social media campaign with real-life community-centered events.

First, the athletic brand asked its own employees and ambassadors to reflect on topics relevant to the LGBTQ+ community. The brand shared their responses via images and video on Lululemon's Instagram page throughout the month.

Next, the brand created an art installation at Hudson River Park that reflected those same responses. This space, which stayed in the Park for two weeks, encouraged passersbys to read and reflect. That's not all, though - Lululemon also created a community-focused yoga practice in the same park, which aimed to raise money for The Trevor Project.

Takeaways for Marketers

Consider how you might create a cohesive experience to unit your online and offline presence. In this case, Lululemon leveraged its social accounts to reach its 3.7 million followers, but then created a few special, in-person experiences to drive the point home for its New York-based community.

An experiential marketing campaign shouldn't just focus on selling a product or service - it oftentimes can, and should, focus on a larger issue. In this case, Lululemon's dedication to Pride Month increased brand awareness and loyalty.

9. Häagen-Dazs: Strawberries & Cream with Wimbledon

To draw attention to its new, limited-edition ice cream flavor Strawberries & Cream, Häagen-Dazs worked with Wonderland to create a GIF photo booth at the tennis championship Wimbledon.

The booth included a swing (playfully alluding to tennis), which encouraged famous tennis players, models, and influencers to take pictures to post on social media - a good opportunity to collect user-generated content and expand their reach quickly.

Naming itself "the official ice cream of Wimbledon", Häagen-Dazs created a commercial for the limited edition flavor, as well:

Takeaways for Marketers

Consider how you might create fun opportunities to encourage user-generated content. This doesn't have to break the bank, either - there are plenty of budget-friendly options to create small booths at business conferences that still embrace that Instagram-worthy look.

10. Facebook: Facebook IQ Live

Facebook - who also owns Instagram - has always understood how much data it has on how people use these platforms. For that reason, it created the Facebook IQ Live experience.

For this experience, that data was used to curate live scenes that depicted the data. Among them was the IQ Mart: A "retail" setting that represented the online shopper's conversion path when using social media for buying decisions. There was also a quintessential Instagram cafe, chock full of millennial-esque photo opportunities and people snapping them - latte art and all.

The campaign wasn't just memorable. It also proved to be really helpful - 93% of attendees (and there were over 1500 of them) said that the experience provided them with valuable insights on how to use Facebook for business.

But what makes those insights so valuable? Momentum Worldwide, the agency behind Facebook IQ Live, puts it perfectly: "When we understand what matters to people ... we can be what matters to them." In other words, we can shape our messaging around the things that are important to our target audiences.

And by creating this experience, Facebook was able to accomplish that for its own brand. In creating this experience, it also created a positive brand perception for a few audiences - including, for example, the people who might have been unsure of how to use the platform for business.

Takeaways for Marketers

11. Vans: House of Vans

Recently, Vans hosted House of Vans pop-up locations at skateparks within major cities like NYC and Chicago. This gave skateboarders a place to meet up, connect, listen to live music, and shred.

Vans also used these skatepark-based popups to promote the launch of their new shoe line which honored David Bowie.

With Vans being a leading shoe line of skateboarders, pop-ups in and near skateparks seem like a natural fit for an experiential marketing experience.

Takeaways for Marketers

Identify your audience's hobbies and embrace them. In the example above, Vans knew that they had a big skateboarding audience, so they crafted an event to reward them while intriguing other skateboarders.

Similarly, if you know you have audiences based in certain locations, go to where they are for your experiential campaign. This will provide less friction and make your audiences feel like you are literally meeting them where they are.

12. Rick & Morty: Rickmobile

To promote the return of the animated Adult Swim series Rick & Morty, Cartoon Network sent a car around the country shaped like Rick, a main character and mischievous time-traveling grandfather on the show. By marketing primarily on social media, the company was able to get the campaign to go viral.

People began following where the Rickmobile was via a live destination page on the adult swim site.

When the Rickmobile hit major cities, people flocked to it to take a picture with Rick's face and enter the mobile where they could purchase products related to the TV show.

Takeaways for Marketers

It's okay to embrace social media to create anticipation and excitement around your pop-up or experience, just as Adult Swim and Cartoon Network did.

Embracing weirdness, like that of a giant cartoon head driving around the country, can be a helpful way to make your event shareable or intriguing - even to people who might not follow the content or company that you're promoting.

If you can work in product sales, consider it. In this example, the network not only promoted the television show, but it also sold products related to it. So, essentially, people directly paid for aspects of a large scale ad.

13. Coca-Cola: FIFA World Cup VR Experience

In Zurich, during the FIFA World Cup, Coca-Cola placed a VR experience in front of a train station. With the experience, you could stand in front of a screen and see a popular soccer player next to you. You could then practice a soccer move with the athlete or compete in your own mini soccer tournament.

Takeaways for Marketers

While VR isn't accessible to many marketers, this experience did have a few scaleable strategies associated with it.

To give your attendees an experience of value, consider hosting an expert who can answer questions or give tips related to your marketing campaign.

Embrace major events. If you know a city or area will be highly populated due to a game or another event, consider placing a pop-up there that somehow relates to that audience or the event itself.

Clearly, taking some very calculated risks worked out pretty well for these companies. So when it comes to creating an experience with your brand, don't be afraid to think outside of the box - and don't be afraid to work together on it with someone else.

Invest some time into thinking about the ways people could interact with you, even if it seems a little nutty. If it's aligned with what you do and executed thoughtfully, people will be talking - in the best way possible.

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13 Examples of Experiential Marketing Campaigns That'll Give You Serious Event Envy

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What is experiential marketing? Discover 14 brands that are using it to engage and excite their audiences to inspire your next campaign.

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Targeting a particular generation in an advertising campaign is not a new strategy, especially with millennials. This generation has been fodder for negative stereotyping and endless jokes.

Whether these stereotypes are fitting is negotiable. What isn't up for debate is this generation's immense spending power of more than $200 billion annually. Numbers like these understandably make this age demographic a coveted audience for marketers, although not many succeed in acquiring this thrifty audience.

The majority of the millennial generation has grown up in a world inundated with flashy advertising sometimes just five inches from their face on mobile screens. Reportedly, 74 percent of this generation spends at least five hours per week engaged with online content, according to Content Science Review.

This onslaught of media has massively desensitized millennials to any traditional advertising strategies. As a result, marketers have turned to unconventional or informal ways to engage with millennials without selling something outright. However, mastering a strategy that caters to this demographic is more uncommon than not.

Let's look at some of the biggest marketing fails when targeting millennials to see what went wrong so that your brand doesn't have the misfortunate of repeating these mistakes.

Chevy understands the millennial lifestyle

Millennials are often oversimplified as one cohesive group of trendy, bearded, purple-haired hipsters with their smartphones permanently attached to their palms. This description is only fitting for a small percentage of the 75 million people who make up this generation.

This generation includes a diverse range of races, cultures and ages. In fact, it is one of the most diverse generations to date. According to research by the Brookings Institution, millennials-those between the ages of 18 and 34-are 55.8 percent white and almost 30 percent "new minority," which includes Asian, Hispanic and those of two or more races.

Furthermore, the nomadic, freelance lifestyle that millennials live reportedly only describes 26 percent of millennials, making them the stark minority.

Thus, it's easy to see how a car company aiming a commercial at such a large demographic ends up buying into these generational stereotypes. While the ad concludes with the Chevy marketer jokingly tossing away the cheesy ideas, in the end, this does nothing to lift the reductive portrayal of millennials.

AudienceBoom CEO Jason DeMers said, "It's also a good idea to avoid targeting the millennial audience as a general niche. Instead, narrow your engagement by targeting highly specific niche audiences and interacting with your users on an individual level whenever possible."

Chevy's commercial was so heavily panned by audiences that even a parody version was made.

The lesson we learned from Chevy's marketing fail: Figure out how your product might fit into their generational experience. Millennials, more than any other generation, have absorbed more knowledge about more diverse cultures and seen more places (even if through a computer screen) on opposite ends of the world. As a result, this is a generation that loves to find new experiences.

A better way for Chevy to market its car to millennials would have been to create roadmaps of various cross-country road trips for people looking for summer vacation activities. This extra touch would provide the value of a new experience to millennials all while advertising the car as the best option to take them on this experience.

Hillary wants to talk about it in three emojis or less

This attempt to engage with a generation that mainly spans from 18 through 34 is not easy to take seriously.

First, Hillary Clinton's marketing team misunderstands the role that emojis and other digital multimedia play in online conversations.

While many enjoy expressing a mood with a GIF or any emoji, a discussion on student loan debt isn't commonly a place where one would insert emojis.

For the older generations that mistake the ubiquitousness of emojis popping up in conversations as a sign of an aversion to reading, they will most likely never understand the average millennial.

Using a pizza emoji, for example, to order a pizza from Domino's is a nifty idea, but using a sad emoji to express your feelings on student loan debts to the former U.S. secretary of state is laughably ineffectual and out of touch.

After all, considering that the goal of broaching this topic is to start building engagement with Hillary supporters, not much of a conversation can be started using an arrangement of emojis.

Clinton's attempt to appeal to young people is plainly apparent with this tweet, and this marketing strategy offers no real value to the audience.

The lesson we learned from Clinton's Twitter fail: Millennials are not averse to reading. While they may not buy books in hard copy anymore, they are reading every day online.

When discussing a complex topic, it's always best to choose text over emojis.

Emojis are fun accessories to a conversation. They can enhance online conversations by offering a bit of tonality and context in a way that would otherwise be lost in text-based messages. They do not, however, replace the need for text-based messages, especially for serious topics. If the content is compelling and pertinent to their experience, this generation will participate.

Microsoft says, 'Hey, Bae <3'

Microsoft's effort to use contemporary slang to sway a youthful audience is the epitome of cringe-worthy marketing.

The biggest misstep in this email is the complete misrepresentation of Microsoft, a company that is renowned for technological innovations in software development. If you were to cross out the word Microsoft in this email, it would be impossible to guess to which business this email belongs.

Marketing 101 includes consolidating your messaging in tone and writing style so that your business is easily recognizable to consumers. All branded content should be built into the brand persona and add to it.

Not only does this email not feel like it belongs to Microsoft, but it's surely the first time anyone has read the words "bae" and "lit" in a professional work email.

The lesson we learned from Microsoft's email fail: Staying true to your brand persona doesn't mean that your promotional content can't be entertaining and youthful.

Replace the slang in this email with its proper English equivalents and this email would be a great invite. Microsoft could then replace that heart emoticon on the first line with a Microsoft-related GIF or video at the bottom of the email.

Millennials as your target demographic is too broad

The millennial generation includes approximately 75 million people spanning a 20-year age gap.

This large demographic that would struggle to remember a time before the internet is jaded to old-school advertising that puts forth any insincerity or misrepresentation to increase sales. But the overarching commonalities in the generation pretty much stop there.

If your company hopes to attract the millennial demographic, you will do well to specify your target market in a more niche group first and foremost. The label "millennial" leads brands to rely on using exhausted stereotypes in an attempt to relate to everyone as if all 75 million people belong to one exclusive club.

Learn from these companies' blunders and begin brainstorming marketing strategies that convey a sense of intimacy, sincerity or a one-sided friendship, while staying suited to your brand's image. Hopefully, your efforts will create an entertaining piece of content that offers real value and doesn't offer any of the blunders like the campaigns mentioned above.
Albizu Garcia is co-founder and CEO of Gain, which automates the collaboration process around creative and social content for major agencies and brands. Follow him on Twitter: @albizu. Image courtesy of sunabesyou/iStock.

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Cringe-Worthy Attempts to Market to Millennials

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Targeting a particular generation in an advertising campaign is not a new strategy, especially with millennials. This generation has been fodder for negative stereotyping and endless jokes. Whether these stereotypes are fitting is negotiable. What isn't up for debate is this generation's immense spending power of more than $200 billion annually.

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2016 was a year. I think that's probably the best we can say about it. It had exactly the right amount of days in it, and we have ticked off one more loop in our endless journey around the sun.

Outside of that, a lot of strange things happened. Things that were definitely Not Good. Things outside of the norm.

Luckily, breaking the mold is exactly what we want when it comes to the best marketing campaigns. We're looking for the ads that stood out in an incredibly competitive space.

The best marketing campaigns of 2016 were experimental, embraced cause marketing, collaborative marketing, live video, data, and consumer insights.

Virgin - Seize the Holiday

Live video has quickly become a trend in the digital world, and this ad from Virgin Holidays jumped on that trend with great effect.

The video is brilliantly choreographed with amazing activities from several global destinations shown in quick succession.

The live aspect isn't a gimmick either; it demonstrates that there is a whole world out there, just waiting for you to "Seize the Holiday". It also quickly shows off all the possibilities in the destinations serviced by Virgin Holidays.

Pret A Manger - Little Veggie Shop

This ad might not seem as exciting and flashy as some of the others listed here, but I've chosen it for a very sound reason. Pret asked their customers for insight and acted on the answer.

Get the guide

The campaign started with an online poll asking if customers would support vegan stores. The results encouraged them to turn a central London store into a Little Veggie Pop-up.

"A lot of brands say vote for a change, when they've already made up their mind. It is just lazy. If customers are good enough to give you their time, you need to listen.

"Marketers find it hard to listen, they usually have their minds already made up. That is a mistake because if customers want to be part of you brand, you need to take them seriously."

The store ended up increasing profits and delivering on an idea that their customers wanted. In fact, it was so popular it went from a temporary to a permanent store, with popular recipes making their way into other Pret stores.

Image: Pret a Manger

Under Armour - Rule Yourself

This ad focuses on its star rather than the brand. That's easily done when you have Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time.

It's beautifully shot, with only occasional flashes of the Under Armour logo as Phelps trains. It highlights the hard work and determination needed to be successful, with the implication being that if Under Armour is good enough for someone that puts this much effort into their training, it's probably good enough for little old you.

Airbnb/Art Institute of Chicago

Another visually stunning ad, this time a collaboration between Airbnb and The Art Institute of Chicago. They recreated Van Gogh's famous bedroom to highlight an exhibition of all three versions of the painting.

It's an innovative collaboration that saw great publicity for both the art gallery and the homestay network.

OK Go & Morton Salt - One Moment

You may be familiar with Chicago-based indie-rock band OK Go. Their music videos are invariably brilliant concepts, designed for the digital, sharing age.

With 2016's One Moment, the band released a 4.2-second music video, presented by Morton Salt. The seasoning sellers have decided to embrace cause marketing under the Walk Her Walk banner.

Once the video is replayed in super-slow-mo, the video lasts the entire length of the song and reflects the message that Morton wanted to portray.

"We want to show that a single moment can contain so much wonder, so much beauty, and so much change," said OK Go vocalist Damian Kulash.

Nike - Margot vs. Lily

In January, Nike released a series of 'branded content'. Margot vs. Lily was an original series from Nike following the stories of competitive sisters Margot and Lily.

The long form ads were aimed at the millennial audience, and while it was a risk for the clothing giant to take, the data suggests the series was a big success.

H&M - Come Together

In a crowded space, my favorite holiday ad was directed by Wes Anderson, echoing the style of his film The Darjeeling Limited.

It also features one of the stars of that movie, Adrian Brody. If you are familiar with Wes Anderson's work you can instantly tell he is the director on this.

Product placement is also completely lacking, instead focusing on the beautiful visuals and heartwarming Christmas story.

Hotels.com - Skippable Ads

The best marketing campaigns often play with the format, and this effort from Hotels.com has an amusing take on the 'Skip Ad' button found on YouTube videos.

When you hit the button on this ad, the same video is played, but every character in the video is now skipping. It's in keeping with the tone of previous ads featuring Captain Obvious - we featured one in our Best Facebook Marketing Campaigns post which played with the silent video format.

The video below demonstrates the concept by flicking between the two versions of the ad.

Spotify - Thanks 2016, It's been weird.

One of the best marketing campaigns of 2016 was saved until the end. Spotify used the mountains of data they hold to produce a series of lighthearted ads that also played on the annus horribilis that was 2016.

The campaign, which will be rolled out across 14 markets, features localized messages that merge listener data and pop-culture references. It's a lighthearted way to highlight the way Spotify has been able to harness data to deliver a better experience.

Image: Spotify

Google - Year In Search 2016

How do you sum up a year like 2016? This video takes an emotional look at the year just gone, covering a wide range of events. Google's end of year review is a fitting way to wrap up our review of the best marketing campaigns of the year.

Tugs on the heart strings that one. I'm a fan of the design too, with the simple search bar seeming to say that Google is now our window to the world.

Those are our picks for the best marketing campaigns of 2016, but in truth, we had to omit a lot of great campaigns otherwise you'd still be reading this post in 2018.

Find out more

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The 10 Best Marketing Campaigns of 2016 - Brandwatch

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2016 was a year. I think that's probably the best we can say about it. It had exactly the right amount of days in it, and we have ticked off one more loop in our endless journey around the sun. Outside of that, a lot of strange things happened.

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Every day I receive dozens of emails and other messages from various companies either offering me a variety of deals or encouraging me to connect with site content. These emails are intended to cultivate my excitement and engagement, and the strategy undeniably works on some demographics. But for one important group-a group of which I'm a part-the effect is more of annoyance than of excitement.

Yes, I'm talking about millennials.

These uninvited messages are not only a burden on my inbox, but also a hassle to cancel-and usually aren't even relevant to me as a user. Instead of driving conversions, these campaigns generate resentment between company and consumer.

Millennials are a trillion dollar market and are predicted to be worth 8 trillion dollars come 2025 . we have explored effective strategies to use when marketing towards millennials Having a successful strategy in place to market to millennials is vital to a company's success. Previously, . This article highlighted important trends and desires of millennials:

1. Millennials want quick, seamless and direct access to content.

2. Millennials are significantly more likely to buy or download a product when referred by a friend.

3. Millennials are more intrigued by products that have a personal feel.

These insights are essential to the architecture of any marketing campaign, but what do they look like when used in practice? And what are the best types of campaigns to employ when marketing to millennials?

What Does a Successful Millennial Marketing Campaign Look Like?

One of the most successful mobile campaigns in recent history was Adidas' "Light You Up" Campaign. Thousands-including many from this critical millennial demographic- showed up at Penn Station to view a promotional light show coordinated by Adidas. How did they accomplish this? Adidas placed smart banners connecting people directly to details about the event on its mobile app for users in a three-mile radius. These smart banners gave millennials the direct access to content that they crave. Furthermore, unlike emails, they also allowed a display that was intriguing and generated interest without being intrusive.

The banner looked like this:

Branch powers a very similar user experience through our Journeys smart banners, and-like Adidas-our partners have seen a significant increase in user engagement and experience . The mass production of ads still work on millennials, but only when implemented on the correct platforms and delivered in an effective way.

Another successful campaign targeted at millennials was run by Honda for its Civic model. What did they do? They started with a Snapchat filter that promoted the Honda Civic brand through sharing amongst friends . Honda also produced sponsored videos on Instagram and hosted takeovers of the BuzzFeed and IGN networks.

The filter looked like this:

Honda's campaign ultimately succeeded thanks to its shareability. Shareable content is a vital factor in marketing campaigns directed at millennials, and the Snapchat filter Honda generated ultimately allowed them to enhance brand recognition without being overtly forceful with their advertising scheme.

The cost of a Snapchat filter may not be feasible for most companies or developers, but there are many ways to create shareable content. One of these is the referral system offered by Branch . Referrals render content shareable while also encouraging distribution by rewarding users who successfully refer friends. In a case study with "The League," we found that our referral system caused users to be two times more engaged and 31% more likely to convert when referred . These shareable campaigns are the key to organic growth because the user does the marketing for you.

What Can We Learn?

As a millennial myself, I can tell you what doesn't work: any mass marketing scheme that contains random links leading to random unknown content. Strategies employing such links are too impersonal, and we simply won't care. At best, we will ignore your campaign. At worst, we will unsubscribe.

The two campaigns featured above were successful not because they persistently forced their way into the lives of millennials, but because they presented their products directly and relevantly. The content was neither overly aggressive, nor unwelcome-instead, Adidas and Honda blended into existing platforms to enhance their prevalence in millennials' daily lives.

As you probably know (and perhaps have experienced), millennials do not enjoy being told what to do. A mass messaging campaign or an advertisement that interrupts my streaming is the equivalent of my mother telling me to make my bed or eat my vegetables. These schemes have not worked in the past, and will continue to not work.

Instead, success will come from advertising that is shareable, readily available, and personable. It is imperative that these values permeate a marketing strategy, and that the right tools are used to bring such strategies to life.

Branch is a mobile linking platform providing unified mobile experiences and measurement for more than 27,000 mobile apps, including Airbnb, Slack, Reddit, Tinder and Amazon. Branch's free linking platform can help you grow your mobile app through features like deep linking, sharing, referrals, mobile banners and interstitials, custom app onboarding, and unified attribution across platforms and channels. Learn more about Branch.

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Millennial Marketing Campaigns That Work | Branch Blog

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Every day I receive dozens of emails and other messages from various companies either offering me a variety of deals or encouraging me to connect with site content. These emails are intended to cultivate my excitement and engagement, and the strategy undeniably works on some demographics.

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Update: We just got word that Estée Lauder is joining the millennial-beauty race with The Estée Edit, a new lineup launching March 15 at Sephora. The collection has been created with the social media generation in mind and is inspired by current face of the brand Kendall Jenner (naturally) and beauty blogger Irene Kim, its global beauty contributor. The roundup will include both skin-care and makeup products.

Estée Lauder is one of many brands hoping to reach millennial consumers. Ahead are a few others that want a piece of your sweet (often debt-ridden) millennial bank accounts.

Related: Makeup You Can Actually Afford

When Elizabeth Arden launched its new skin-care line, Flawless Future, it did so by presenting a group of editors with statistics about millennials, garnered via a survey conducted by Wakefield Research. Funnily enough, most of us fit well within the "millennial" description, since it's basically defined as anyone born from the early '80s through the early 2000s. Essentially, we were reading about ourselves. And, the statistics were shockingly - and disturbingly - accurate. It was kind of like reading a horoscope (except infinitely more somber).

Related: The No-Fuss, All-Fierce Guide To Natural Hair

According to this survey, 62% of women think looking 10 years older would be worse than gaining 10 pounds. Also, 44% said their appearance stresses them out (which comes as a surprise to exactly no one). And, on average, millennial women say that if they could look one age forever, it would be 24. (That one hurts.)

We could wax poetic about what these results say about our generation - how we've been sabotaged since birth by clever advertising and ladymags that project a false and unrealistic beauty ideal. These are valid, and essentially inarguable, points. But, interestingly, the survey revealed that while we desire to look youthful, we're not exactly doing much about it.

Related: Luxe Lash Products

Only 24% of the women surveyed said they were currently concerned about wrinkles or lines, while a mere 17% had fears about sun damage. It seems that in our era of instant gratification, we're more worried about "now, now, now," and less about later. Obviously, we don't need researchers to tell us that this method of thinking is absolutely backwards when it comes to taking care of your skin.

Enter millennial skin care - also known as "age delay," or "early action." These collections are marketed - and, theoretically, designed - to redefine anti-aging for our fearless-but-stressed contemporaries. Click through the slideshow to learn a little bit about how skin-care companies are about to target you next - plus, which products might actually be worth a try.

Related: These Lotions Will Get You Through Winter
Shiseido Ibuki

PHOTO: COURTESY OF SHISEIDO

Many of the brands claim on their press releases to be the first to the millennial party, but as far as this editor can tell, Shiseido is the true early bird. Ibuki translates to "inner strength" in Japanese. But, Shiseido's point is not that young women need any more resolve - it's that their skin does, thanks to nasty environmental conditions. To counteract pollution and harsh UV rays, this new line uses a combination of botanical extracts not only to encourage cellular regeneration, but also to eliminate any excess buildup. Consider their Refining Moisturizer the beginner's guide to anti-aging creams.

Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturizer, $45, available at Sephora.

Caudalie Polyphenol C15

PHOTO: COURTESY OF CAUDALIE

"Free radicals are responsible for up to 80% of the skin's aging," says Mathilde Thomas, the founder of Caudalie, a luxury French beauty brand. That's why she worked with a team of scientists to produce Polyphenol C15, a collection that "contains all the ingredients needed in your 20s and 30s. It's packed with powerful, antioxidant grapeseed polyphenols and vitamin C that will stop free-radical damage." Plus, it has an instantly plumping hyaluronic and a super silky texture. You can't go wrong with any of its key products, from the dry oil to the eye contour, but the serum is positively divine - especially since C works to beat dark spots and acne scars you may have earned in your earlier years.

Caudalie Polyphenol C15 Anti-Wrinkle Defense Serum, $62, available at Caudalie.

Clarins Multi-Active Day

PHOTO: COURTESY OF CLARINS.

Clarins explains that the "multi-active woman leads an incredibly busy life." But, because stress is so terrible for the skin, she may experience early wrinkles - which means she needs a non-comedogenic moisturizer to correct any damage that's been done (and prevent future damage). Clarins' range includes creams for normal to combination, dry, and all skin types. The hero ingredient? An extract from Ambiaty, a shrub "growing on the high plateaus of Madagascar" that stimulates the skin for a more wide-awake complexion.

Related: Celeb Favorite Drugstore Beauty Products
Vichy Idéalia

PHOTO: COURTESY OF VICHY

The folks at Vichy, the iconic French pharmacy brand, claim that seven out of 10 women engage in "at least one skin-sabotaging behavior each day." Among said behaviors? "Lack of sleep, late nights at the office, and scarfing down take-out." (You can put the R29 beauty team down for all of those!) Their solution for the stressed, tired young woman are Idéalia Life Serum and Idéalia Eye Contour, two products designed to energize the complexion. Our bet is on the former, which has a base of Vichy thermal water and features a salicylic-acid derivative that micro-exfoliates the skin, while golden pearls create an instant burst of radiance. Try it in the mornings, and skip moisturizer if you're oily or combination.

Vichy Idealia Life Serum, $44, available at Vichy.

Natura Bisse Essential Shock

PHOTO: COURTESY OF NATURABISSE

Unlike the other collections featured in this piece, Essential Shock is less concerned with stress than it is with...estrogen. Apparently, you start to lose a whole lot of it after you turn 30, causing thinning and drying skin - a phenomenon known in the beauty biz as "the estrogen effect." The secret recipe in Natura Bisse's line is comprised of a "proteoglycan-derma complex" and an "aminoessence cocktail"-the former increases volume and collagen production, while the latter stimulates regeneration and fortifies lipids on the skin's surface.

Natura Bisse Essential Shock Cream, $115, available at Barneys New York.

Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Powered By Ceramide

PHOTO: COURTESY OF ELIZABETH ARDEN

"What's suitable for a woman in her 50s is not suitable for someone in her 20s and 30s, because she's experiencing different aging symptoms than those experienced by more mature women," says Art Pellegrino, the VP of research and development at Elizabeth Arden. "We think of this line as the first step into anti-aging for young women living busy lifestyles, and that's what makes it so amazing." According to a 2013 survey from the American Psychological Association, millennials are the most stressed-out generation - and that affects women more than men. Elizabeth Arden's signature ceramide is meant to counteract these effects, since it "supports the skin's matrix." The Caplet Serum contains the highest amount of the ingredient, and it has produced the strongest clinical results, with 67% of women saying it "visibly reduced signs of stress and fatigue." The label says to use it both day and night, but since it contains "skin brighteners and pore refiners" (read: mica and silicones), stick to layering this one under your day cream instead.

For the rest of these new-age items, visit Refinery29.

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Skin Care Products Designed Specifically for Millennials

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Update: We just got word that Estée Lauder is joining the millennial-beauty race with The Estée Edit, a new lineup launching March 15 at Sephora. The collection has been created with the social media generation in mind and is inspired by current face of the brand Kendall Jenner (naturally) and beauty blogger Irene Kim, its global beauty contributor.

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'I don't have time' is what I overheard not once, but twice, in just 3 blocks on the sidewalks of NYC. We're all tired, stressed and short on time, but this new beauty line is a must-have to beat signs of aging and breathe life back into your skin.

I get it - I'm super stressed, too. I feel bad complaining when I have a great job, attentive friends, a caring husband and more, but balancing those things can be hard. I'm trying to make a conscious effort to spend some time on me and relax, even for a few minutes, every day.

As much as I would love to get a massage every day to relax , that's not possible for 99 percent of us - it's only possible for Mariah Carey ;). But little things can go a long way, and Philosophy is helping remind women - and men - that a simple deep breath is all it takes to refocus and recenter yourself.

My job is filled with stressful situations - going on live TV, writing a ton of original content and interviewing celebrities - it can be overwhelming at times. While I don't always have time to fit in a deep breathing yoga class, I've found a way to incorporate a small, calming ritual into my everyday life.

Millennial Skincare - What To Shop For Gorgeous, Glowing Skin

As a beauty director, skincare and makeup are part of my routine. I test and try tons of products, but this new line from Philosophy really caught my eye. It's called Take A Deep Breath, and not only do they have an oxygenating gel face cream and eye cream, the line also features key makeup products like a cushion foundation, a cushion blush and a liquid highlighter.

The gel cream feels amazing on the skin, especially in the summer, when temps are scorching and skin gets super sensitive. The eye gel is calming and doesn't irritate the delicate area around eyes. The cushion foundation is perfect for every day, because it offers coverage, but it's not too heavy. Plus, it has SPF 20, which is vital to preventing lines and wrinkles.

The cushion blush is super pigmented - a little goes a long way. The buildable coverage comes in 4 gorgeous pink and coral shades, and it actually makes your skin look better as you wear it.

The sheer liquid sunshine bronzer is my personal fave, though. The highlighter is easy to apply and illuminates your cheekbones in the best way. It's so natural-looking and gorgeous!

The best part is that every time I look at the packaging, I'm reminded to take a moment for myself - I Take A Deep Breath - and I feel like I can conquer anything.

Are you going to check out this new beauty line, HollywoodLifers?

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The #1 Product Every Millennial Needs To De-Stress Her Skin & Life Right Now

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'I don't have time' is what I heard not once, but twice, in just 3 blocks on the sidewalks of NYC. We're all tired, stressed and short on time, but this new beauty line is a must-have to beat signs of aging and breathe life back into your skin.

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Guest Post: Georgia Selih, High Style Life

The term "millennial skincare" has slowly snuck into various internet articles, commercials etc. but what exactly is millennial skincare? Many brands are now upping their game to fill in the gap between the teenager-oriented cosmetics that are more blemish-prone and the anti-aging offerings that are not exactly what people in their twenties need. The result of this is young skin that continues to look young throughout the years. Here is how they do it.

Stress

You are probably familiar with the fact that stress can accelerate the aging of your skin up to ten years, right? But, when it comes to people in their 20s without any kids and a mortgage, people might ask what exactly is the problem. Well, let's just consider the passing out drunk during weekends and working on the career during the rest of the week factor. Also, there is the environmental stress, aka pollutants, heavy makeup (more about it in the next paragraph), etc. All those factors can lead to enlarged pores, rough skin texture, and breakouts, which is something we want to prevent at all costs.

Anti-aging

In a generation of social media, makeup gurus, ridiculously good makeup products and selfies, it is clear that anyone can look absolutely flawless with the help of makeup. After all, everything revolves around looking fine in Instagram photos, right? This is exactly why the makeup industry has now beaten both the skincare and anti-aging market. Who needs an anti-wrinkle cream when you can apply a moisturizing primer that holds your makeup and fights against wrinkles at the same time.

However, millennials are still responsible enough to take care of their skin even though they may constantly hide their flaws under makeup. They know that even though makeup is good, it is still an unnatural product. Sure, the quality is way better than the makeup our moms used when they were our age, but it can do some damage as well. In other words, we still need to use theskincare productsthat will fix that damage. In the next few paragraphs, you will learn all about the millennial must-have skincare routine.

SPF

UV rays are our one-way ticket to Wrinkletown or even Skincancerville. Our fellow millennials are well aware of that, so they always make sure that they are using skincare products with at least SPF 30.

Exfoliate

Exfoliation is basically the removal of the dead skin cells that are still sitting on the surface of your skin. It leaves your skin smooth and makes it easier for all the skincare products to penetrate its surface. You can do it yourself and it is super easy.

First, put a soft terry cloth under warm water and place it on your face for just a few minutes. Warm water is going to open up your pores.

Next, squeeze some cleanser on the surface of the cloth and rub the cloth on your face in circular motions starting from your nose all the way to your forehead.

Rinse your face, pat it dry and apply some moisturizing cream immediately after.

Moisturizers

Moisturizers, especially the ones rich in sodium hyaluronate, like Ultraceuticals moisturizer cream, protect your skin from all the rough elements in your surroundings. Use a lighter one during summer months and a heavier one during winter. If you have extra dry skin, start off by using an alcohol-free toner that gives your skin all the water it needs. Use it after cleansing and apply moisturizer afterward.

Makeup Cleansers

Remember the story about makeup? Well, you need something that is going to take those 50 layers off as well as remove all that dead skin and surface debris while calming your skin down at the same time. Avoid harsh scrubs at all costs and choose moisturizing, non-drying cleansers that will replace all your nighttime creams, or opt for Garnier micellar cleansing water with glycerin and triple purified water.

That would be it! Are you going to implement these tips into your skincare routine? Let us know in the comments below.

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Millennial skincare - anti-aging products to SPF must-haves

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Guest Post: Georgia Selih, High Style Life The term "millennial skincare" has slowly snuck into various internet articles, commercials etc. but what exactly is millennial skincare? Many brands are now upping their game to fill in the gap between the teenager-oriented cosmetics that are more blemish-prone and the anti-aging offerings that are not exactly what people in their twenties need.

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Women in their twenties are pretty savvy about beauty these days. Blame HiDef, crystal clear pictures on TV, zoomed-in hi-res photos on the red carpet, and, well, the Internet in general, where any Gen Y-er can find a beauty tutorial or a product review in seconds. Young women know and care more about their skin than ever. And beauty companies are taking note.

"Younger women now are realizing the consequences from seeing aging in older generations in their family and they now want to do everything they can to prevent line formation in the future," said Dr. Fredric Brandt, New York City and Miami-based dermatologist, and founder of the Dr. Brandt skin care line. "Everything," even includes injected treatments like Botox .

Skin-care companies, including Dr. Brandt's, have responded accordingly, launching products specifically formulated for Gen Y skin. Shiseido's Ibuki range and Dr. Brandt's Xtend Your Youth (XYY) line just hit stores this fall. Both lines are packed with some pretty cutting-edge active ingredients focused primarily on prevention and protection (as opposed to correction, which is what older skin usually needs). But does this demographic need their own skin care?

"If you have been careful as a kid, as many people now entering their twenties have-because their parents knew about sun protection-then the only thing you might need is sun protection and not to smoke, not to pick, and not to yo-yo diet," explained Dr. Heidi Waldorf, director of Laser and Cosmetic Dermatology at the Mount Sinai Medical Center in NYC. "But if you've had a lot of sun [exposure] or you've had acne or other skin issues, then certainly it is very reasonable in your twenties to start using things."

Lifestyle is a factor, too. Late nights , bad diets, and stress can wreak havoc on younger skin. For this age group, Dr. Waldorf recommends sun protection , antioxidants to prevent cell damage, light moisturizers, products with salicylic acid or retinols if you're battling acne, and gentle facial cleansers-the goal shouldn't be squeaky clean skin, because that means your skin is too dry.

Speaking of washing your face, there's been quite a bit written lately about the implications of not washing, such as this horrifying case study reported by the in which a woman decided not to wash her face for an entire month and her skin looked 10 years older at the end of said "study." Dr. Brandt's advice? Don't skip that step.

"[One of the biggest mistakes younger women make] is not cleansing properly which keeps their pores cleaned out and prevents bacteria from leading to inflammation, which is another cause of future aging," Dr. Brandt added.

Dr. Brandt put his money where his mouth is-or actually, where your face is. The Xtend Your Youth line includes three products that range in price from $32 to $59-a face cream, an eye cream, and a cleanser called XYY Dual Fusion Water that had a group of beauty editors oohing and aahing at the launch. It's an antioxidant-loaded liquid cleanser and makeup remover that leaves skin soft and radiant. (My bottle is long gone, and I'm, um, not the intended demographic.) The two creams contain an anti-oxidant blend that provides 12 hours of protection, according to the company.

Shiseido's Ibuki line , which ranges in price from $24 to $45, includes a starter kit, two cleansers, a serum, an eye cream, and three different moisturizers-one of which contains SPF. Botanical extracts in the products help to prevent cell shrinkage, which-according to the company-helps keep skin more resilient and ultimately more healthy-looking. The products have a fresh, clean smell and the Refining Moisturizer is light enough for daily use, even if you tend to the oily side. I was impressed with how well it absorbs.

You could argue that young women can get anti-oxidant and moisturizing products from a variety of brands, which is definitely true, but it's certainly easier when it's packaged up all in one place just for you. After all, it's confusing at the beauty counter, especially when it comes to skin care. Whether or not millennials will use some of their hard-earned cash to pony up for fancy skin care aimed at them remains to be seen, but I'm betting other companies will follow suit.

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Do Millennials Really Need Their Own Targeted Line of High Tech Skin Care? Beauty Companies Think So

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Women in their twenties are pretty savvy about beauty these days. Blame HiDef, crystal clear pictures on TV, zoomed-in hi-res photos on the red carpet, and, well, the Internet in general, where any Gen Y-er can find a beauty tutorial or a product review in seconds.

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The year 2015 was a transformative one for the cosmetic industry worldwide with major changes redefining traditional standards. With digital advances, new technologies, trend patterns unfolding to create steady alters on the long run and media/marketing channels shifting power from brands to consumers, the market dynamic is evolving faster than ever.

So what's in store for 2016? We've put together a list of the top trends to look out for in the coming 12 months.

The key trends in a nutshell

Experiential technology : Digital retailing and devices reshaping the beauty industry

Neo Marketing & Media : Inching away from traditional codes

The 360° of Wellbeing : The Uberization of Beauty through the Natural category

Asianification still going strong: The K-Beauty impact on the Western market

The Millennials and the +60 lost generation : Sensploration-driven & the power shift

From Niche to Mainstream : How indie brands are reinventing the cosmetics market

Topshop Uk, Virtual Reality Front Row Experience.

EXPERIENTIAL TECHNOLOGY AND DIGITAL RETAILING IN 2016.

Virtual reality and digital retailing are expected to be taken to a whole new level in 2016 by entering the mainstream. Indeed, the conventional shopping experience is shifting to high-tech, and whilst stores are still the main touch point in the decision making process for buyers, launches leading the way such as Sephora's 3.0 store and Facebook's first commercial virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, are creating new shopping experiences. Online and in store, virtual reality is adding more resources to the business and new selling opportunities. Think Interactive terminals, mural tablets, digital shelves and baskets, selfie mirrors, digital distributor and real-time visualisers. In this super-connected era, a plastic shopping cart is so 2015 as the customer service experience becomes an interactive and personalised one. To succeed, it will thus be vital for brands to place digital at the heart of their strategy, not as a parallel or accessory option, but by integrating it entirely into their business to enhance the shopping experience, extending their reach and meeting with the buyers' changing habits.

In 2015, we also witnessed the editorialisation of retail, kick-started notably by Net-à-Porter through their printed issues of Porter Magazine. As this opens such a wide array of commercial possibilities for brands, this retailing trend will most likely strive in 2016 to become the advent of entirely shoppable virtual realities.

These technological advances are having a big influence on how we want to use beauty too. In 2015, beauty devices emerged strongly on the beauty market and whilst they remain niche, the line between beauty and technology is blurring ever more. Consumers are becoming increasingly familiar with using I-tech to control their health and well-being and are now looking for equivalents within beauty brands. This is putting diagnostic tools, tech devices and wearable technology at the for-front of beauty in 2016, as the consumer is seeking more control, functionality and futuristic experiences.

DOLCE & GABBANA selfie advert collection with the Hashtag #DGfamily.

NEO MARKETING & MEDIA IN 2016.

By now, social-media platforms like Instagram and YouTube have changed the way brands market and consumers purchase, even going as far as creating new demand for specific products to suit social-media savvy users, such as instant perfecting creams, BB creams, and quirky animal printed face masks too. We are slowly shifting away from traditional media and big-money ad campaigns, in favour of digital and fast communication.

User-generated content: The Product Review insight

Digitial platforms and social media are not only offering new opportunity for brands to communicate, they are also offering precious insights into the customer's needs and wishes, almost instantly. Whether through selfies, vlogs, or instagram posts, the feedback can be so easily monitored that it is similar to having little focus groups where the brands hear what customers like or dislike on a one to one level, enabling the brands to stay up-to-date on what is in demand and what is a big flop. This change is creating a shift from traditional marketing consumer behaviourism -targeting based on ethnicity, age group, etc. - to a wider and more diverse approach where brands must reimagine their strategy in order to formulate and market according to needs, tastes and day-to-day events ( think "first-date face masks" or "job interview creams). Today consumers know they can be heard, and being heard is precisely what they want so they seek brands that respond this.

360° of wellbeing; Athleisure, farm to face, Uber-ization of Beauty are major trends in 2016.

The 360° OF WELLBEING IN 2016.

This year's big skin-care trend isn't about what you apply on your face, it's what you're sipping, what you're eating, how you exercise and how you monitor your health. Consumers aspire to a 360° of wellbeing with life, nature and revivalism being the key words with a strong environmental awareness leading the way. The global market of organic personal care for instance is growing at an average rate of nearly 10%, and if this current rate of growth continues, market researcher Grand View Research predicts the market value will reach USD$15.98 billion by the year 2020, at a CAGR of 9.8%. And the natural category also continued to register similar growth.

This movement is impacting all the facets of the beauty industry, from ingredient sourcing, packaging and product usage as the consumer changes his perception of consumerism and the importance of eating well, " you are what you eat", as they are increasingly making the connection between skin care and nutrition. In 2016, we expect to see the related micro-trends that appeared in 2015, such as fermented beauty, farm to face, superfood beauty and nature lab beauty to become huge in the upcoming 12 months. Interest in the natural ingredients and the process behind the beauty products is on the rise too, and the consumer is more inclined than before to get involved in the process of creating his products. This has brought traditional beauty remedies into the mainstream, with a focus on artisanal production, small batch beauty brands and beauty kitchen, by "cooking-up" homemade beauty products. Brands will therefore need to adopt a more health-oriented approach to product positioning and formulations and highlight a more artisanal approach to production, whilst offering the buyer the possibility to participate into making the products at home.

Beauty product shops at every corner in Myeong-dong, Seoul.

ASIANIFICATION FEVER STILL GOING STRONG.

It's safe to say that 2015 was the year of K-beauty, and this Korean fever looks set to grow even stronger in 2016. K-beauty is 7 years ahead of the rest of the world in product development and innovation, as it is strongly backed up by government investment, so the high speed at which Korea is created new trends and innovative products is far from close to slowing down and the West will keep a high interest - for instance, Macy's announced it was opening a K-beauty shop in partnership with Peach& Lily in its Queens, New York.

Because the Korean philosophy is to respect the skin and improve it from the inside out - through potent innovation and pure, botanical extracts, it resonates with western consumers and even if some k-products are quite daring compared to our standards, it is the innovation that is compelling. Indeed, Korea is such a super-connected digital country, the beauty conversation amongst consumers helps the brands to improve and innovate. Korea has the fourth-fastest internet speed in the world (the US ranks 11th as a frame of reference), so consumers' expectations and thoughts about beauty brands/products are so quickly shared with each other, providing product creators with a speedy feedback, enabling further innovation to meet the expectations of these skincare-savvy and communicative consumers. For a nation that works hard at everything they do, it is merely natural that this ethic should apply to beauty too.

In such a super competitive global market, boosted by globally demanding and skincare-savvy women, Korean beauty brands must imperatively deliver on all fronts. Thus, after the BB creams and the sheet masks, we can expect the next trends to be coming straight from Korea too. The main trends that are expected to boom are waterless products, weird textures (such as jellyfied oil or pressed serums), masks as always ( splash masks, spray masks, rubber masks, you name it), and food-inspired beauty product.

Millennials and the Rise of the 'Experience Economy.

THE MILLENNIAL AND THE +60 LOST GENERATION.

Experiences' trump "things"

According to a report from Luxury Society, 70% of United States-based Millennials now look for experiences that "stimulate their senses" , over actually buying products. Experience is the biggest trend to be found among the Millennials generation that will continue to grow stronger in 2016, as live events, concerts and social gatherings fuel their appetite for life. One in four Millennials would indeed rather spend more on a real-life experience, where excitement and memories may be share on social networks. However, their aim to disconnect with materialism must not be taken as a threat but as a growing opportunity for businesses to leverage on creating experiences to increase value on products and connect with the consumer on a highly emotional level. Brands that are built on experience or offer experience through a strategy won the hearts of buyers in 2015. This was particularly striking on Instagram, with brands such as Charlotte Tilbury' #TILBURYtransformation, a taxi driving around offered make-overs, or Soap and Glory's Glory girls, touring the UK, vamped up the streets of Britain.

The over 60 years old: Only as old as ones attitude

Together they represent some 32 million strong members of a generation that remain brand's last frontier. Loaded with free time to spare and wealthy, the +60 retired women are more hip than ever, self-confident, worldly and quite fed up of being put aside. Part of a generation that worked hard to earn a living, they are now battling to remain visible and heard by brands as they are breaking the stereotypes of grannies in orthopaedic sandals. As for the cosmetic industry, this generation comprises 40% of the total cosmetics-using population of women aged 15-89, in Japan, and further research reveals that 90% of these women use skincare on a day to day basis, which is a high percentage than the younger generations. Up to recently, brands had yet to offer products targeting this generation and shift the communication to address their needs too. This is a trend we expect to see grow in 2016, as life expectancy is only increasing. There is a gap on the market where brands such as White hot Hair or Kanebo Cosmetics' Twany Glow skincare line for +60 are timidly filling.

FROM NICHE TO MAINSTREAM

According to Kline, the US cosmetics and personal care industry is currently worth around $43bn and is delivering growth of just under 3% per annum. And the increasing influence of niche brands across both the luxury and mass segments is currently transforming the competitive landscape. Indeed, niche brands are growing at the fastest rate within the U.S. prestige beauty market, giving bigger brands quite the challenge, according to data from The NPD Group. More data from Kline research suggests that indie brands were estimated to have accounted for 7.3% of the total market in 2014. The rise of these niche brands can be attributed to their ability to translate social media exposure into revenue and notoriety by applying small budgets for a high impact. As these brands are small and thus more flexible, they can move faster and be more innovative, catching up on micro-trends and ultimately delivering new products in a short amount of time, which is crucial in a fast-paced environment.

These niche brands then use a plethora of new marketing tools to build momentum and communicate with a louder and broader voice than traditional (and expenssive) marketing strategies. And it pays off. Too Faced Cosmetics, earned an estimated value of $68.6m, Anastasia Beverly Hills an impressive $65.4m and e.l.f. earned $28.5m (according to data from Tribe Dynamics).

It is for all of these reasons that the big multinational cosmetic companies have been keeping a close eye on indie brands and buying up the top performing ones in 2015. And with indie brands growing stronger, 2016 is expected to see many more M&A over the coming months, as big companies will try to develop new and faster growing revenue streams.

Written by Amanda Bühler.

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The year 2015 was a transformative one for the cosmetic industry worldwide with major changes redefining traditional standards. With digital advances, new technologies, trend patterns unfolding to create steady alters on the long run and media/marketing channels shifting power from brands to consumers, the market dynamic is evolving faster than ever.

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Survey: Millennials Want Cleaner Beauty Products

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They may not be able to decide which color #thedress is, but millennials have most certainly made up their minds when it comes to beauty. They know what they want and how much they're willing to spend for it, and that usually means value without sacrificing quality. In other words, they want the biggest bang for their buck.

A new report released by Bank of America surveyed 1,000 millennial women, ages 18 to 29 years old, to find out what influenced their purchasing habits. For the majority of women, 80 percent to be exact, "value" and "product quality" were deemed most important with "color and options" coming in right behind at 50 percent. Other options like "saw on social media" and "brand is cool" did not poll nearly as high, ranking at a mere 10 percent each.

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"It's not just about price, it's about what you get for what you're paying for. Millennials have to prioritize purchases with a desire to buy more, but have to be careful with what their spending," Olivia Tong, research analyst and director of U.S. cosmetics, household and personal care at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, told TODAY.

When it comes to what brand these women like to buy, CoverGirl is ranked first with Maybeline coming in second followed by Neutrogena, Clinique and MAC, respectively. Pricier and less accessible cosmetic brands, like Chanel and NARS, did not rank as high.

"Higher-end brands used to be only at department stores and now you have places like Sephora and Ulta where you can get those products. There is a lot more diversity in price," said Tong. "Clearly there is a desire that as their purchasing power grows to buy more and spend more on higher end brands. They have to be careful and thoughtful with what you're buying. Places where you can try products like Sephora do really well."

For shopping, Milliennials tend to stick to mass merchants like drugstores or multi-brand beauty specialty stores.

A deeper look at the report shows that Neutrogena is the top skincare brand and OPI the most popular for nail care. And nails are definitely something millennials care about.

NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 07: Manicures with OPI nail polish are seen during the ELLE Magazine And OPI Celebration of Leandra Medine's New Book, 'Man Repeller' on October 7, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for ELLE Magazine) Getty Images file

The survey found that 50 percent own more than eight bottles of nail polish, with many responding said that they owned many more than the eight-bottle limit the survey included. The majority aren't ready to shell out for a professional manicure, as 33 percent reportedly do their own nails regularly. Only 11 percent said they never polish their nails.

"Nail polish is an area where you can buy a lot if you want more colors and not spend as much like with perfume," said Tong who mentioned that millennials like to have multiple color options.

Tong shared that one surprising aspect of the survey is the number of participants who use fragrances. The results show that 35 percent use perfume every day with only 15 percent never using scent at all. The most popular brand was Marc Jacobs with celebrity-inspired fragrances dipping in populararity. For example, Taylor Swift's fragrance is the only one with more than 10 users in the study. In general, it's less about perfumes and more about body mists, according to the report.

So what does this mean for the future for the beauty industry?

"The thing to remember is that it's still early for millennials. Purchasing power has a lot of room to grow and when it comes to women, they are the one's buying for the household," said Tong.

Millennials top beauty brands

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What beauty brands are big with millennials? See the top 25 brands they love

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They may not be able to decide which color #thedress is, but millennials have most certainly made up their minds when it comes to beauty. They know what they want and how much they're willing to spend for it, and that usually means value without sacrificing quality.

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Waso

Historic brand Shiseido is over 145 years old, but old dogs can learn new tricks. This July, they introduced their new Waso line, a skincare line designed specifically to treat millennial skincare needs, such as dryness, oiliness, and visible pores.

And amazingly enough, the inspiration came from an unusual place: traditional Japanese cuisine. That translates to the color scheme of packaging in products-wasabi-colored packaging for oil-free lotion and salmon-colored packaging on the brilliant color-correcting SPF day lotion; but also in the ingredient lists-honey in the gentle cleanser, soybean curd in the polisher, and carrot for nourishment in the day lotions.

Frances Grant, Senior Vice President of Marketing for Shiseido said young consumers will connect with the items because they were "designed specifically for unstable, unbalanced skin in young adults, ages 18-25." And it's "paraben-free, mineral oil-free and features ingredients...selectively chosen for their purity and celebrated in their simplest forms."

And if that's not convincing, maybe the lower price point will sway you-$28 for cleansers, $32 for exfoliators, and $38 for most face creams.

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Brands Are Now Creating Millennial Focused Skincare | Domino

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Waso Historic brand Shiseido is over 145 years old, but old dogs can learn new tricks. This July, they introduced their new Waso line, a skincare line designed specifically to treat millennial skincare needs, such as dryness, oiliness, and visible pores. And amazingly enough, the inspiration came from an unusual place: traditional Japanese cuisine.

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The study also sheds light on the generation's relationship with social media (80% use a smartphone), who they identify as celebrity role models (Ellen Degeneres and Michelle Obama), and their optimism about the future (75% think they will be happier in 2020).

Meredith Corporation partnered with marketing consultancy Insights in Marketing on the study. That firm gathered data last October by conducting an online survey with over 2,500 women, ranging in age from 18 to 67.

The price of beauty ​
The Women 2020 study found that more women in the Millennial generation say that looking beautiful is important than women in the Baby Boomer generation.

Good news for the beauty industry though, in both age groups a majority of women affirms that it is important to look beautiful: 73% of Millennials compared to 57% of Baby Boomers.

The price of a personal care or cosmetic product is more likely to influence a purchase among the younger women, according to this study. "Price is a purchase driver," ​asserts Meredith. " 60% of Millennials buy based on price while only 38% of Boomers consider it." ​

It's not clear from the results that Meredith shared with the press, though, just how each group is using price to make purchasing decisions. Those numbers may mean that lower priced items sell better with Millennials. It's just as likely that as a group, Millennial women are using price point as a metric by which to gauge the quality of product.

Under the influence ​
Research continues to show that consumers trust the word of a professional or peer when it comes to buying beauty. A recent academic study on cosmetics ads in women's print magazines found that, "advertising claims that make use of endorsers, like dermatologists, performed best," ​ reported Cosmetics Design ​. Product superiority claims, ads with clinical evaluation results, and those with subjective language didn't fare so well.

Meredith's Women 2020 study found that a significant percentage of Millennial women both "trust influencer recommendations and share their own reviews." ​The report shows that 75% try beauty products based on a recommendation and that 55% frequently make product recommendations to others.

Social, mobile, natural​
Millennials are of course also known for being social, mobile and into natural looks when it comes to beauty. Agile brands, like Nudestix are meeting these consumers on their own terms.

The indie brand, launched last May, has a good handle on the Millennial consumer journey and sees color cosmetics as an accessory: "Beauty must fit into our clients lifestyle and not be disruptive or complicated...applying a lipstick is an accessory to the overall look just as earrings would be," ​Jenny Frankel, Nudestix founder and CEO told Cosmetics Design ​ late last month.

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Millennial buying power is set to transform the beauty business

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The study also sheds light on the generation's relationship with social media (80% use a smartphone), who they identify as celebrity role models (Ellen Degeneres and Michelle Obama), and their optimism about the future (75% think they will be happier in 2020). Meredith Corporation partnered with marketing consultancy Insights in Marketing on the study.

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5 Skincare Brands Millennials Are Loving Right Now

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Millennial women are changing the way we look at skincare, and joining the less-is-more school of thought. Credited with relying less on cosmetic treatments and more on countering the effects of aging from the inside out. And there are several beauty companies dedicated to helping those 20-somethings.

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Is so-marketed 'millennial skincare' another commodity we don't really need? Possibly not. Beauty brands are upping their game to bridge the gap between the cosmetics aimed at teens (primarily blemish-prone products) and anti-ageing offerings - which are not yet necessary for early 20s complexions. The result is skincare intended to offset stress to keep young skin looking young. Think of it as future-proofing your face.

Generation stress

Elizabeth Arden's recent research found that stress could accelerate skin ageing by up to 10 years. Somewhat scary. But without kids and a mortgage, what's our problem? Partying and heartbreak while attempting to career-climb is as significant, and then there's environmental stress, which doesn't discriminate by age while being harder to fight the older we get.

Once-supple skin can have a quarter life crisis with enlarged pores showing up and smoothness replaced with a rougher texture that can't reflect the light. Bye-bye radiance. During this transitional time in your life it's common for blemishes to reappear alongside dehydration lines and - being over-scheduled and time-poor - suddenly looking after number one becomes a low priority when it should be high.

Stepping-stone skincare

This is where age delay cosmetics come in. They're clever and convenient, plus nicely priced to make an investment justifiable. Try these:

No7 Early Defence Skincare is about early action. The new Day, Night (£19.50 each) and Eye Cream (£13.50) all feature its patent pending protection technology 'Double Defence'; a powerful antioxidant complex to fight against daily damage.

Origins Skin Renewal Serum (£32) is a result of the brand's research into not only lifestyle, but also biological and physiological changes that occur under the skin's surface in our 20s. It promises to refine the complexion, balance sebum production (to combat oiliness) and give skin its glow back.

Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future is a range designed to pep-up fatigued skin in the short and long-term, replenishing it with lipids that keep skin youthful (like ceramides ,which deplete with stress). There's a Moisturiser Cream (£33.50), Eye Gel (£29.15) and the potent Caplet Serum (£40) for complexion protection.

TRY EATING THESE SUPERFOODS TO FIGHT PREMATURE AGEING FROM THE INSIDE-OUT

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We're now being sold 'millennial skincare' - but WTF actually is it?

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Is so-marketed 'millennial skincare' another commodity we don't really need? Possibly not. Beauty brands are upping their game to bridge the gap between the cosmetics aimed at teens (primarily blemish-prone products) and anti-ageing offerings - which are not yet necessary for early 20s complexions.

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Heaven Skincare founder Deborah Mitchell on the five skincare trends that will take the industry by storm next year and how you can tap into them

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Now that we've rounded up the most wearable fashion trends for 2018, we're turning our focus to the biggest news in skincare. Increasingly, customers are wanting to recreate professional results at home and devote the same TLC they put into caring for their face to the rest of their body. From bespoke skincare to fancy-schmancy at-home devices, we forecast the newest trends for 2018.

Trend #1: Bespoke Skincare

A trend that picked up a lot of steam this year, bespoke skincare-meaning it's customized to a specific person's skin-will gain even more traction in 2018. Brands like Blend and Boost and Subtle Green review your skin's needs through a skincare analysis or survey, then create moisturizers and other products tailored just for you. And bigger companies are also getting in on the custom trend- Clarins recently launched DIY Boosters-you can add a few drops to your day-to-day cream when your face needs a hit of energy or hydration.

Trend #2: Gem-Infused Skincare

Skeptics, be warned-if New Age isn't your thing, you're going to want to skip over this trend. Fuelled by celebs like Gwyneth Paltrow (whose Goop blog recommended "8 essential crystals" for "energy" and other purported benefits), 2017 saw gems making their way into skincare in a big way despite the fact that, as the New York Times pointed out, "little, if any, scientific evidence exists to substantiate crystals' efficacy." If you still want to give crystals a shot, some of the popular stones being used include amethyst-which, it's claimed, is good for inflammation-while malachite and tourmaline are said to have "detoxification" and "energizing" properties.

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From Natural Lashes to At-Home Everything, Peep the Five Biggest Skincare Trends of 2018

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Now that we've rounded up the most wearable fashion trends for 2018, we're turning our focus to the biggest news in skincare. Increasingly, customers are wanting to recreate professional results at home and devote the same TLC they put into caring for their face to the rest of their body.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Now that we've rounded up the most wearable fashion trends for 2018, we're turning our focus to the biggest news in skincare. Increasingly, customers are wanting to recreate professional results at home and devote the same TLC they put into caring for their face to the rest of their body. From bespoke skincare to fancy-schmancy at-home devices, we forecast the newest trends for 2018.

Watch: How to do an easy DIY undone braided bun

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The Five Biggest Skincare Trends For 2018 - Chatelaine

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Now that we've rounded up the most wearable fashion trends for 2018, we're turning our focus to the biggest news in skincare. Increasingly, customers are wanting to recreate professional results at home and devote the same TLC they put into caring for their face to the rest of their body.

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With non-stop product launches and a never-ending stream of trends born on social media, the beauty industry thrives on newness, but some movements are very significant. Last year may have kick started the anti-pollution stance in beauty (still going strong, by the way), and this year saw probiotic products and spiritual skincare have their moments (mostly wrapped in millennial pink packaging), while the wider conversation centred on overdue diversity in the beauty-sphere. But how will these develop for 2018? And what's next? Here are ten of the biggest trends to have on your radar.

1. All kinds of masks

Thanks to its selfie-appeal and the rise of Insta trends such as the #SundayFacial, face masks are going nowhere - just ask Superdrug who has seen sales double as they struggle to keep up with demand. In 2018 the mask market is further branching out, and getting more sophisticated. Dr Gary Goldfaden - the dermatologist behind brand Goldfaden MD, says to expect "more body specific masks for the chest, arms and breasts", plus presumably the hands, given that Swiss Clinic has recently launched a new Hand Restoring Dry Mask. "Trending masks will target specific problem solution needs as well as ageing issues," he adds. A case in point are micro-channelling patches, such as Radara 's 3D-printed eye patches that claim to erase crow's feet. Similar, are new self-dissolving micro-needle masks, which "feature tiny micro-needles formed from active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid," explains Daniel Issacs, Formulation and Development Director, Medik8. "When applied to the skin, these needles create microscopic pathways to increase the absorption of the sheet mask serum."

2. Treating your body as you would your face

"Body skincare will become as important as skincare for the face," predicts GP and skin specialist, Dr Anita Sturnham. Expect to see - and actually use - cleansers, serums and acid exfoliators for the body, in addition to moisturisers with SPF. Consider it the Brazilian approach to anti-ageing; they tend to beautify the body's largest organ from top-to-toe. Sure, their weather calls for more exposure of flesh than ours, but given that the skin is prone to dryness and irritation in colder climates, we actually have more reason to keep it hydrated, and therefore healthy. Start now with the Paula's Choice Resist Skin Revealing Body Lotion 10% AHA and the Clarins Renew-Plus Body Serum.

3. Environmentally-friendly products and packaging

Beauty isn't an industry celebrated for its eco credentials, but that looks set to change. "I expect to see more of a shift towards plant based plastics in 2018 and glass, too, as the consumer becomes more aware of the harm plastic is causing when not disposed of safely or recycled," says Marie Lavabre, founder of 'clean' beauty brand KINN. There's also a move towards using less water in products (the industry's most used ingredient), given that demand could outstrip supply. Look now to Lush's packaging-free Naked range, which boasts richer ingredients and less water. Meanwhile, the 'cleansing reduction' movement has spanned to showering and bathing less, as people realise that over-washing isn't good for the planet or the skin.

4. Skincare supplements

Dr Sturnham is convinced that "introducing a supplement into our skincare will become commonplace." She recommends taking marine collagen in powder form (not liquid, "as they break down"). Try Beauty Complex mixed into your smoothies, which she says, "is supplied by highly regarded leaders in collagen research and production, backed by clinical trials." Facialist to the famous (including Meghan Markle), Nichola Joss, recommends Lumity supplements, which were created by Cambridge University graduate Sara Palmer Hussey PhD. The day and night capsules contain a clinically-tested blend of anti-ageing nutrients, helping protect against oxidative stress and damage.

5. Bespoke everything

Perhaps the biggest all-encompassing beauty trend is that for bespoke. In a shift that neatly mirrors the industry's late move towards greater diversity, brands are putting you first. From a personalised approach to make-up (such as Trinny London's computer-generated prescription of products) and Eyeko's bespoke mascara service, to skincare which tackles anti-ageing at its source, by factoring in DNA analysis - in beauty brand ALLÉL's case. It's no longer one-size-fits-all.

6. Gender neutral beauty

While it may be all about you, it's not necessarily all about your sex in 2018 as the growing conversations on gender impacts all areas of beauty. It's nothing new in fragrance, where many old and new launches are positioned as unisex. "This actually goes back to the roots of perfume where fragrances were made to be worn by both men and women," says Andrew Goetz, founder of brands Atelier Bloem and Malin + Goetz. Moving things forwards elsewhere in beauty are new haircare brands like Løre Originals who hope to make 'his and hers' products a thing of the past, as does teen skincare brand Sam Farmer - set up by a stay-at-home dad turned cosmetic scientist. Then, of course, there's the likes of Deciem (including The Ordinary and NIOD), Aesop and Grown Alchemist - the coolest beauty brands on the block who are too concerned with performance to worry about whether they're for guys or girls.

7. Active beauty buys

With a Google consumer survey finding that 78% of us don't know what products to use before and after exercise, it's a no brainer that brands like Pretty Athletic have developed skincare exclusively for active women, while Clinique is adding a high-performance range to it's line-up called Clinique Fit. The products target exercise-specific concerns (from clogged pores to redness), and other gym-bag essentials are coming thick and fast from brands boasting breathable make-up. E.l.f's new Active range includes a Workout Ready Eyeliner Pencil, Sweat Resistant Mascara and Brow Duo, plus a Lip & Cheek Palette that they promise won't clog pores when you workout, plus Primark Beauty is relaunching its targeted Work Out make-up range in the spring.

8. Go-go gadgets

Portable beauty tech makes advanced anti-ageing more accessible and in 2018 you won't only pop your hair tools into your weekend bag, but light therapy masks and microneedling devices too. Most popular is probably the derma roller, of which has seen a 345% increases in saves on Pinterest. Our favourite is the GloPRO Microneedling Regeneration Tool which while great for the face also comes with a body head to address other problem areas. Following up the launch of its revolutionary light therapy mask to treat acne comes Neutrogena's new Light Therapy Targeted Acne Spot Treatment for spots of bother. For eyes, devices like the SENSSE Eye Massager, utilising sonic high frequency vibration, and Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare's light therapy mask SpectraLite EyeCare Pro promise to smooth smile lines fast. Expect others brands to follow suit.

9. Canabiskincare

Every year a forgotten ingredient tends to return to the forefront, and for 2018 it seems cannabis will set the industry alight. Co-founder of Cult Beauty, Alexia Inge, explains that, "The legalisation of Marijuana [in LA] has led to a flurry of research on the effects it has on the human body. It's widely celebrated for its medicinal properties, but one of the unexpected side effects was the discovery of how amazingly calming and anti-inflammatory certain cannabinoids are on the skin". Next year, Cult Beauty are launching some cannabis-based brands including MGC Derma in January and Marley Natural in March. This comes as Malin+Goetz recently added a Cannabis eau de parfum into its range celebrating the ingredient, and The Escentric Molecules released Escentric 04 with cannabis as one it its notes.

10. Water weight foundations

Will the contouring trend finally rest in peace next year? Well the steady rise in weightless foundations, with water-light textures, looks set to put the focus firmly back onto complexions in celebration of real skin (albeit, a heightened version of it) instead of a full-coverage, matte visage with clearly sculpted cheekbones. There's much hype around The Ordinary's forthcoming Watercolours foundation, with a formula that's thinner than water and a look that's "super natural" on the skin. Equally affordable is Rimmel's most lightweight long-wearing formula, the Lasting Finish Breathable Foundation, while in the luxury line-up Estee Lauder's Double Wear Nude "water fresh make-up" is flying the flag. When it comes to colours, we won't take less than all-inclusive (even Pinterest are reporting a 378% increase in searches for "complexion matching") with expectations for Fenty Beauty 's 40 shade range to become the norm for all.

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10 big beauty trends to watch out for in 2018

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With non-stop product launches and a never-ending stream of trends born on social media, the beauty industry thrives on newness, but some movements are very significant. Last year may have kick started the anti-pollution stance in beauty (still going strong, by the way), and this year saw probiotic products and spiritual skincare have their moments (mostly wrapped in millennial pink packaging), while the wider conversation centred on overdue diversity in the beauty-sphere.

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K-beauty will make room for J-beauty

In 2017, demand for Korea's innovative skincare and make-up products - think sheet masks infused with snail mucin and cactus, creamy compact cushions and powerful hybrid essences - continued to climb, with sales increasing 66 per cent worldwide, according to Larissa Jensen, global executive director and beauty industry analyst at NPD. Demand for K-beauty shows no signs of slowing down, thanks to the increasing traction of the "glass skin" trend - think skin that looks eerily translucent.

Eight Beauty Innovations We Have Korea To Thank For

However, K-beauty is poised to face some stiff competition from J-beauty next year. "So much of what is exciting in K-beauty originally stemmed from Japan," explains Anna-Marie Solowij, former British Vogue beauty director and co-founder of niche retailer Beauty Mart. "With a struggling economy and South Korea investing in beauty R&D, K-beauty stole the limelight. Now, with Japan's economy recovering, it will reassert itself."

Victoria Buchanan, strategic researcher at The Future Laboratory, also predicts that the "classic aesthetic Japanese principles of kanso, shibui and seijaku - simplicity, understated beauty and energised calm, respectively - will come to the fore in beauty offerings that come out of the country."

Read next

"Natural" will give way to "clean"

The wellness movement has transformed our approach to physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing. Now, it's set to revolutionise our approach to beauty. Mounting evidence that certain ingredients - be they topical or ingested - have negative health implications has put skincare products under the microscope. Brands such as Tata Harper, Goldfaden MD and Goop are leading the charge.

The Lazy Girl's Smart Guide To Keeping Fit In 2018

The term "clean" is not to be confused with "natural", a term widely criticised for its ambiguity. "Products and brands 'free of' harmful ingredients are considered 'clean'," Jensen explains. That includes silicones, parabens and sulfates (especially SLS). "Many natural brands inherently do this, but a brand can be 'clean' without being 'natural'".

Margaret Mitchell, buying director of Space NK, adds that the desire for "clean" is not limited to the "natural" beauty consumer: "It's irrelevant. Everyone wants clean."

Your beauty regime will be simplified

While the Korean influence may still be fuelling the birth of new beauty categories - essences, ampoules, overnighters - 2018 will conversely see a beauty movement that is all about simplification. Expect to see convoluted multi-step skincare processes eschewed in favour of multi-purpose products.

The difference between the new-school multitaskers and their predecessors? Formulations. The new tide of technologically advanced beauty polymaths are rolling out the 3-in-1s in a way that has not been done before. Sarah Coonan, head of beauty at Liberty, says this has been driven by brands such as Lixir: "Their Universal Emulsion, [which is] a day cream, night cream and primer, was a big hit this year." Lisa Payne, beauty editor at Stylus, agrees: "The launch of Lixir and its snowballing influence have sounded the death knell for complex and lengthy multi-step routines. In 2018, consumers will be most excited by brands that sell a compacted range of products that advocate simplicity and ease."

Products will fight pollution

The next wave of skin aggressors on everyone's radar are thanks to pollution, so expect to see anti-pollution skincare ranges multiply. In the UK alone, sales of anti-pollution prestige skincare products amounted to £3.1 million in the second half of the year.

City-Smart Skincare: The Vogue Guide

Brands are also working on products that combat other environmental "skin stressors" including air conditioning and heating, captive bacteria (found in closed buildings and on public transport) and the blue light from our computer screens. According to Mitchell, "These are all having a negative impact on the quality of our skin and people are finally waking up to it."

Brands will be more inclusive

Issues across the political, economic and religious spectrum - from Trump in America, to Brexit in Europe, the nuclear threat in Asia and continued strife in the Middle East - have caused us to take a closer look at diversity and inclusivity, making them major focal points of 2017.

The launch of Fenty Beauty, Rihanna's all-shades-included brand, boldly led the beauty conversation. While the formidable reach of the LVMH-backed superstar cannot be denied - according to a Tribe Dynamics Cosmetics report, the brand generated $72 million worth of earned media in its first month - it also silenced industry naysayers who for years have insinuated that "black doesn't sell". Industry analysts such as Payne agree that it has set the tone for all other beauty brands: "Fenty brought the need for inclusivity into the spotlight in a way no other brand has." June Jensen, director of NPD Beauty UK, is also unequivocal about the Fenty influence: "Expect to see many more brands following this strategy in 2018".

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Five Trends That Will Transform Beauty In 2018

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In 2017, demand for Korea's innovative skincare and make-up products - think sheet masks infused with snail mucin and cactus, creamy compact cushions and powerful hybrid essences - continued to climb, with sales increasing 66 per cent worldwide, according to Larissa Jensen, global executive director and beauty industry analyst at NPD.

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I recently attended the WWD Beauty Summit, probably the most important conference in the beauty industry since the most senior executives and interesting startups are there. The focus of the event was how much the industry is changing and almost all the discussion and presentations were about the changes affecting the industry.
The Signs of Change
Almost none of the industry leaders and upcoming independents ignored the indications of the change in the market.

Camillo Pane, the CEO of Coty, talked about speed. "Brands are created at the speed of light," he said. "The beauty industry is becoming increasingly complex. Our instinct is to dislike complexity. But we either embrace it, or we're not going to be around."

Marc Rey, the President & CEO of Shiseido Americas, pointed out that traditional makeup was down 1.3% in 2016. But independent brands were up 42.7%. His implication was that the growth of independent brands was a reflection of a change in consumer tastes that everyone in the business has to respond to. The question is how.

Kat Von D of the eponymous beauty company talked about how the barriers to entry have been lowered, creating a competitive threat to the established players. "It's like music, everyone can do it now so in order to succeed you actually have to be f**king good." She also talked about how customers have changed. Referring to the growth of the cruelty-free market she said, "millennials really do care."

Mike George, the president and CEO of QVC, recognized the threats coming from sources that are much bigger than the beauty industry itself. He said there is a "collapse of institutional and brand authority." He believes there are four reasons for the changes:

Erosion of trust in society

Race to the bottom (he's referring to everyone trying to compete by selling at the lowest price)

Craving for authenticity

Shifting sources of influence.

He was very down on e-commerce. He said, "E-commerce creates a race to the bottom where price is the primary attribute and retailers devalue the role of brands. In beauty we've resisted that but it's hampered so many categories." I disagree with him on that one. While there is certainly lots of price competition for comparable products in e-commerce, whether it's online or in traditional stores, my observation is that consumers want unique products and experiences and they will pay for them when they're what the consumer wants. It makes me wonder whether QVC is feeling squeezed by e-commerce and the possibility that video on demand over the web will threaten their franchise.

He also talked about changing boundaries in the beauty business, referring to several phenomena:

Masstige (inexpensive but marketed as luxury)

The desire of consumers to have beauty products along with health and wellness products all together in one

Creating spa experiences at home.

All those phenomena involve an overlap in categories that used to be discrete.

He lamented the way technology is impinging on the way consumers want to live. "With all technology, we see consumers craving to bring humanity back to an increasingly impersonal world and increasingly impersonal shopping experience. We need to find ways to simplify the overwhelming complexity of the world we live in."

Jo Malone, the founder of the beauty brand of the same name who has now founded another brand called Jo Loves said, "I speak to teenagers and I ask them, "What do entrepreneurs mean to you?" She said the teens tell her three things:

"They set goals and walk towards them and fulfill them with warrior-like tactics"

"They're people who change the language of the world and cause people to want to drop everything and follow them."

"They question and challenge everyone and everything but they deliver world-changing products and concepts and they add a lot to our lives."

Malone summarizes these three answers into three words: passion, resilience and creativity. She also believes that we have to "change the way we create fragrance." She thinks about fragrance all the time. During a presentation by Vicky Tsai of the brand Tatcha regarding modern day geishas' beauty habits, Malone asked her, "what do Geishas smell like?" (Tsai told her, "They smell like babies.")

Malone believes that millennials (which she used to believe was "something you planted in your garden") aren't just looking at their phones when you see them zombie-like in public places. "They create a community and their own language and their own world and communicate and consume in a different way." Referring to consumers' ability to do your marketing for you by communicating with each other on social media, she said, "They take it all up and spread the word for you. You think they're not taking it in but they are. They don't want to be just your consumer, or be entertained by you, they want to create with you, they want to touch the heartbeat and be part of the creative process... they want to be part of it."

Fabrizio Freda, the President & CEO of Estee Lauder, noted that the last time he spoke the conference was in 2010 when there was no Instagram and now there are 700 million Instagram users. "We are shifting channels and preferences that are profoundly changing the industry. We aren't simply moving from point A to point B, change is flowing like the current of the ocean." He noted that many of these changes are enormous opportunities. In the U.S., "women are spending more [on beauty products], 13% more on foundation, 18% more on concealer, 35% of women use more than five makeup products every day and 80% use three skin care products every day..and six mascaras are sold per minute in the U.S... Younger generations are defining the culture with images of self-expression. They take more pictures in a day on average than their parents took in a year. Sixty-five percent of teens rely on social media to discover and select beauty products. By lowering the barrier to entry, we are encouraging an entrepreneurial fire." He added that the average home has 1.2 detergent brands and 12 beauty brands. "Volatility and the pace of change are not diminishing. What we're living through is not a moment in time, it's the new reality." Freda believes that the changes require stability. He said, "The art of leading through change is understanding what has not changed and how to leverage our historical strengths."

Amy Regan of Skinfix, a young, new company with a suite of products that, like the name says, repair skin, talked about product itself as a sign of change. She said, "Seventy-three percent of millennials say they want natural skin care products. We think this category will get more awareness as CVS gets out of synthetic [skin care ingredients]... When you deal with a skin condition, there's a heart connection that's special and powerful."

Regan believes that good skin will become more important in culture. "The incidence of eczema has tripled since the 1970's. Seventy-percent of questions that pharmacists are asked relate to skin care. Skin care is about beauty meeting wellness. That's the future of this industry. Consumers want things they feel good about putting on themselves and their children...When a customer has a need for their parent or child does, it affects your quality of life when it's itchy and painful. When a consumer finds something that works for them, we get five-star reviews and we're top-rated on QVC."

Alan Ennis, President & CEO of Glansaol is a different kind of business model entirely. Glansaol is what the private equity world calls a "rollup." Their business model uses investors' money to buy up a range of smaller, independent companies so they have a "platform" of brands serving a spectrum of customers. The goal is to grow all the businesses and either sell to a bigger company in the industry or take it public. Today, Glansaol owns Laura Geller, Julep and Clark's Botanicals.

Glansaol is all about product. Ennis, who was previously CEO of Revlon at age 39, says, "The path to a successful company used to be predictable. If a brand was in a department store, it had demonstrators. The big brands were leading the charge and they defined what consumers would be using. Celebrities defined what would happen and that was intentional because consumers wanted and aspired to be a celebrity. We used traditional media... But today it's an evolving recipe. The pace of change is so fast that what's true today probably won't be true tomorrow. The brick-and-mortar places have become Sephora and Ulta and not department stores. The bigger brands are in slight decline and the independent brands are growing. Authenticity has taken over from celebrities because consumers don't believe celebrities. They want something from a friend, colleague or a family member and not from a billboard. And social media has taken over from traditional media. My sense as to where we'll be tomorrow is that we're not in an evolution, it's a revolution and how do we leapfrog ahead of our competitors so I can intercept the consumer where she makes her purchase."

Then he talked about his own evolution saying, "When I left Revlon I asked myself what will I do to make a difference? I could have joined another large beauty company and I had a choice to be a divisional GM or CEO or to do something different. I chose the path less traveled. I didn't want to write another chapter in someone else's book I wanted to write a new book." Ennis' organization is unique in having a combination of entrepreneurial businesses under one roof without a legacy brand. It will be interesting to see if he can make it work.

One of the clearest signs of change in the industry, especially on the technology side, was the presentation by Parham Aarabi, Founder & CEO of Modiface. Modiface is an app that lets you see yourself in different lighting conditions, with different makeup and different hair colors. If you're not familiar with it, here's a quick YouTube on it below. Just keep in mind when you watch it - you're conditioned to think that the change in background lighting is happening in the room but it isn't, everything that changes in the video other than the movement of the model's head is changing only in the app. Right now, 75 of the top 100 beauty brands are using Modiface.

Karin Tracy, Head of Industry, Beauty/Fashion/Luxury/Retail at Facebook, was there to convince people to market on Facebook's properties and she made a very compelling case. She didn't say this but her most compelling case was herself. She was previously the publisher of InStyle magazine and she left there to go to Facebook. When a person in a position like she had at InStyle moves to a social media company it tells you something important is happening. But she was more specific than that. About change in the industry, she pointed out that Facebook has 1.9 billion users, Whatsapp has 1.2 billion, Instagram has 700 million and Facebook messenger has 1.2 billion. All those companies are owned by Facebook and 20% of the time spent on the internet is with one of those brands. On those combined platforms there are 60 million businesses and every day there are 526 million posts that relate to the beauty industry.

"Imagine," she said, "that the phone has become one joined real world where offline and online are merging together...we have technology linking Facebook to how we're driving sales offline...we see people's preferences whether they're online or offline shoppers. We have the ability to serve personal and relevant messages that are appropriate for the channel they want. The consumer is the channel... You tell your story here and take this idea of aisle or storefront..to the palm of your beauty consumer's hand."

All of the companies who presented, and all the people I spoke to at the conference, recognized the enormous changes that are occurring in the industry. They all recognized the changes are being driven both by consumers' tastes and habits changing as well as by technology. But no two people expressed it the same way. Everyone had a different observation about what the changes are. That implies very different responses which is exactly what they presented.
Why Women Like Beauty Products
You may think the question of women liking beauty products is silly, they like beauty products because it makes them look better. Well yes, but on a deeper level, an emotional level, the people in the beauty industry had a number of opinions.

Camillo Pane, the CEO of Coty said, "beauty is being beautiful the way you are." That may sound circular but it isn't. What he's talking about is having women accept the way they look in a satisfied way rather than only seeing their physical shortcomings as so many women are taught to do. He's also addressing the way sellers of products have historically approached women to motivate them as customers, getting them to focus on the things they don't like about the way they look. It's a whole change of mindset. "I believe in the power of self-expression for makeup," he said. "Thirty percent of consumers see the beauty industry helping their self-confidence." What he's really saying is 70% of women don't, and that needs to change.

Marc Rey of Shiseido explained it as, "Millennial women are confident, caring, connected and open to change." That's very kind of him to say but I question whether he's right about that. He also said, "the level of consumer intimacy is insane [in the beauty business]" and he's dead right about that. That intimacy, that connection to women's self-perception is a key defining characteristic of why women like beauty products.

Kat Von D identified with her customer as people just like her. "I'm just a makeup fan. Makeup makes us feel a certain way. These are the products of my heart." She started her beauty line because she said to herself, "how amazing would it be if you could create stuff just because. I create stuff because I say 'how cool would that be.' It's not based on vanity, it's based on self-expression. I like myself best without makeup but I love wearing makeup. There's no formula to it, I think I just am." She is a paradox. She has an authentic appeal, way beyond anything an advertisement can convey. That makes her less commercial which makes her commerce so successful. I spent an hour with her talking and you can feel how much she loves what she does and you walk away believing that if she didn't love it she wouldn't do it.

Tarang Amin, the CEO of e.l.f. Beauty, talked about consumers who love their products not because it brings them closer to feeling beautiful. "I love the passion and engagement of our consumers...[but] the unattainable aspect of beauty can be intimidating. Our approach is the opposite. We want to be as inclusive as possible and we want to make our company like our consumers."

In the second part of this series, I discuss what these companies and some others are doing to deal with all the changes in the industry.

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How The Beauty Industry Is Adapting To Change

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I recently attended the WWD Beauty Summit, probably the most important conference in the beauty industry since the most senior executives and interesting startups are there. The focus of the event was how much the industry is changing and almost all the discussion and presentations were about the changes affecting the industry.

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July 28, 2017

"Millennials". A word you see thrown around with increasing regularity these days, in the form of articles and news reports that scream headlines like "How To Keep Millennials Motivated In The Workplace" and "Why Millennials Can't Hold Down Their Jobs", and, we kid you not, "Millennials Are Influenced More By Dogs Than Marriage & Children When Buying A Home" (actual article we just saw).

Similarly, it's a word we're seeing pop up more often in the beauty press releases we've been receiving from the various brands. Increasingly, the largest beauty brands from around the world are launching skincare lines that they are telling us are "made for millennials".

What does that mean, though? From what we've observed so far, it seems like "millennial skincare" entails products that are, for one, multitasking, because millennials are supposed to be time-strapped with no time for the complicated regimes favoured by the generation before.

Secondly, given that these are products targeted at women in their early to late 20s, focus is less on anti-ageing but more on preventive care. Textures and scents are lighter, because millennials grew up being warned by beauty articles that products should always let your skin breathe easily.

Thirdly, and perhaps most crucially, aesthetic value is key. Being a generation that has witnessed the birth and rapid evolution of the biggest social media networks of today, millennials appreciate well-designed packaging - maybe for some, just so it will look good for the 'gram - but social media influencers, and the visuals they fill all our social feeds with daily, have raised standards for what's considered aesthetically-pleasing.

LANEIGE's new Fresh Calming Line is targeted at those in their early twenties, and the bottles are very Instagrammable indeed.

Still, millennials aren't going to be fooled by a product that's all looks, and no substance. Rising costs of living accompanied by a persistent gloomy economic outlook globally have trained millennials to adopt a frugal approach to buying beauty; hence $100 creams won't always cut it, and the drugstore brands are doing so well. It's not that millennials aren't willing to fork out the money; it's just that if they do, the product better deliver.

It is undoubtedly NYC brand Glossier that led the way into conquering the millennial skincare market, getting it right since its inception in 2014 with clever social media marketing, and colouring their product packaging in a particular pastel pink that has become known as the "Glossier pink", or on a more general scale, "millennial pink".

More importantly, it was the ethos of the brand that has made it so appealing to millennials: that "skin is in", and you shouldn't be hiding your complexion under makeup. By creating pared-down products that focus on getting skin properly hydrated and looking naturally "glowy", skincare suddenly seems so much more effortless, as well as authentic - and for a generation learning to celebrate individuality and not always hide flaws, Glossier has become an extremely appealing brand.

This trend has grown so much that recently, even the established, more traditional beauty brands have entered the millennial market. Shiseido just this month launched WASO, a completely new product line that is rooted in natural, edible ingredients like carrot, soybean and honey. Echoing Glossier, the Japanese brand says WASO is about "championing authentic beauty", via simple products that are free of "additions, distractions or apologies".

Unsurprisingly, WASO is incredibly photogenic, featuring various pastel tones on minimalist tubes, bottles and jars. It is revealing of how important product design is in reaching out to millennials, that Shiseido has decided to shine the spotlight on WASO's packaging designers, Mao Kaomai and Akira Muraoka from their headquarters' Advertising & Design Department. As they explained, including a hole into the caps of the WASO products is "because of the way millennials prefer to use skincare products while doing other things", so this design element represents "the idea of being able to grab the package and go, or attach it to something else".

For the millennials willing to spend a little more, there's Dior Beauty's Hydra Life, also new for 2017. Dior has always been one of the main players in the luxury skincare market, and the debut of Hydra Life shows that they believe a certain segment of millennials are willing to invest a bit more in their skin. Besides the obviously younger aesthetic, Dior has also taken care to highlight the highly sensorial aspect of its product textures: moisturisers in "sorbet" form, jelly masks, and watery cleansers. All of these serve to convey the notion of hydration, the aspect of skincare that millennials seem to be the most obsessed about.

How Dior has chosen to market the Hydra Life range is also telling: through paid social media posts on the feeds of the most prominent online influencers, because if there's a quick way to enter the millennial consciousness, it's via Instagram.

Creating products that are "Instagrammable" isn't just limited to pretty packaging; increasingly, it's also about how the products look when applied on the face. This might have all begun with the K-beauty animal sheet masks that were all the rage a few years back - basically, if a skincare product creates a selfie-worthy shot, millennials will want it. That explains why strange Instagram beauty trends pop up with regularity.

Clinique made a smart move by creating the Double Bubble Purifying Mask among the recent additions to their Pep-Start franchise. This goes on as a purple gel, and bubbles into a full face of foam in seconds. That's something millennials are going to be tempted to post onto Instagram Stories or Snapchat, and the brand knows that so well that they even created a face filter that superimposes an animated mask of bubbles on your selfie, available for download on the BeautyPlus photo app.

From here on out, we're certain we're going to have more beauty press releases containing the words "millennials" coming our way, probably featuring packaging dressed up in more iterations of pastels, each line more Instagrammable than the last. As long as brands keep to the direction of nurturing healthy skin in millennials, and continue to be aware that only products of superior quality will do - especially in this increasingly competitive landscape - it's not a bad trend at all.

After all, for all the bad press millennials get, at least this is one bright spot.
nia, $42 to $69, available at Sephora ION.
LANEIGE Fresh Calming Line, $30 to $48, available at LANEIGE boutiques and counters,Zalora and Lazada.
Glossier, US$12 to US$45, available atglossier.com (freight forwarding service is needed to ship to Singapore).
Shiseido WASO, $40 to $55, available at Shiseido counters.
Dior Hydra Life, $62 to $110, available at the Dior Beauty store and counters.
Clinique Pep-Start, $28 to $50, available at Sephora.

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An Examination Of Millennial Skincare Lines

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July 28, 2017 "Millennials". A word you see thrown around with increasing regularity these days, in the form of articles and news reports that scream headlines like "How To Keep Millennials Motivated In The Workplace" and "Why Millennials Can't Hold Down Their Jobs", and, we kid you not, "Millennials Are Influenced More By Dogs Than Marriage & Children When Buying A Home" (actual article we just saw).

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A few months ago I attended the launch for a new skincare product from a luxury, heritage beauty brand. I asked one of the executives how his company was trying to appeal to millennials, a group which thus far has not responded to "anti-aging" language the way previous generations have. He was pretty confident that this new product would be a great gateway into the brand for them. The price? $250.

Thinking like this by older cosmetics brands might help explain why there are suddenly tons of new indie skincare brands flooding your Instagram feed. Study after study has shown that millennials value, well, value. They want products that work but that don't cost three figures. Millennials, in case you haven't heard, are now America's largest living generation. And according to a report by TABS Analytics, they are also the "heaviest buyers" of beauty products.

Old school brands are now finding themselves competing with new direct-to-consumer brands, often founded by millennials themselves who intuitively know how to speak to their peers. Glossier is obviously the godmother of these. Even though it's not quite three years old, it has clearly inspired - or emboldened - a whole slew of new beauty brands, especially brands selling skincare.

Here's a look at six millennial-focused skincare brands, complete with commentary from millennial women. Most had never heard of any of these brands, and more than half had never even heard of Glossier. Since social media plays such a big role in marketing now, especially for indie brands with tiny budgets, I asked them to make snap judgments based on the brands' websites and Instagram feeds.

Instagram: 133,000 followers, based in Seattle

Herbivore, a natural brand, started out on Etsy in 2011 (not new, but definitely newly buzzy) and was founded by the husband-and-wife team of Julia Willis, 36, and Alex Kummerow, 29. Urban Outfitters came calling in 2013, and it's now at Sephora, Nordstrom, and multiple boutiques across the country. It's known for its graphic, minimal white labels with black font and clear bottles that let the color of the product shine through. A representative describes it as "very millennial-oriented. It was the right time and right place" for both pastels and natural product. Herbivore's most popular products are the Blue Tansy mask ($48) and the Lapis face oil ($72). The voice on the site is straightforward and conversational, if a little generic, explaining the ingredients and benefits. ("We believe skincare should smell and feel amazing and add enjoyment to your daily routine.")
What some millennials think:
"I will say this: The person doing the photos on their website should be commended. The color coordination is working for me; the layout is beautiful, down to the shadows. If I were ever going to spend seventy. two. fucking. dollars. on oil to reduce my facial redness, these photos would be the reason why." - Anneliese, 25

"Beautiful packaging, and the oils, mists, and soaps are interesting! Definitely up my alley, as I am trying to go for the natural thing." -Claire, 33

Instagram: 697,000 followers, based in Australia

Frank, founded in 2013, also pre-dates Glossier, but is at its peak popularity now thanks to a successful Instagram influencer strategy. The pouches of "natural" coffee scrubs ($18) are still best-sellers, but the brand has expanded into facial products. Its most recent launch, Shimmer Scrub, which comes packaged in a holographic pouch, had a 50,000 person waitlist and is currently sold out. Urban Outfitters is its biggest US retailer, but it's sold in over 140 countries. Its voice is one of the voiciest of all these brands. Frank is imagined as a benevolent male presence who speaks, sometimes in double entendres, to his "frankfurts," which is what the brand calls fans. " Our frankfurts have a relationship with Frank himself. Frank talks to them, and never at them. It was a refreshing change from the hyperbole of the beauty industry," writes Frank co-founder Jess Hatzis, 30, in an email. "He's cheeky and a bit of a flirt. His mission in life is to make babes feel great."
What some millennials think:
"I could potentially see myself purchasing something like this as a gift for a friend. It's impossible to not feel pandered to with a quote like 'For babes who eat glitter for breakfast,' but it works for being cute and fun, which I assume is what the brand is going for. - Jenna, 27

"I'm not overly into this whole sparkle and glitter obsession going on, so their Instagram makes me feel like I'm choking on it. But the brand seems authentic. It's flat out is called 'Frank,' and they're pretty frank about it all." - Courtney, 23

Instagram: 5,000 followers, based in ?

Feel launched a few months ago, but its founder declined to be interviewed for this story because he felt the brand was too new. But it's been making the rounds on Instagram, and Tanisha, Racked's associate market editor and a person I trust implicitly to tell me about cool things, saw it and was drawn to it. Its website greets you with this: "You're more than just a pretty face. You're also pretty whip smart. Pretty hilarious. Pretty dynamic. Pretty incredible." Feel wants to sell you emotional well-being along with charcoal sheet masks, hair texture spray, self tanner, and a floral face mist, which comes complete with a self-love mantra printed on the box and flash tattoos inside it. Millennial pink abounds, as does a vaguely '90s print on the packaging.
What some millennials think:
"This Instagram panders to me on the deepest level. What are they selling? I'll take the silk bathrobe or the pearl ring inside a fig or the dewy freckled skin, whichever it is I can get on this site." - Lizzie, 26

"The site definitely makes me want to purchase products.Any beauty message of 'looking good on the outside starts with what's on the inside' is in line with my view of beauty and makeup." - Jenna, 27

Instagram followers: 8,000, based in Australia

Co-founders Carla McGraw, 28, and Mitch Toohey, 29, launched Mint in Australia last November. It just opened up its US website this month and is also going to be making its debut at Urban Outfitters in June. It's focused on masks, which come in pouches as either powder that you mix with water or apple cider vinegar, or pre-mixed, complete with an applicator brush. Again, the message is natural and the color is pink. More categories are forthcoming. The founders feel that millennials and teens have been "a little underserved, especially in the natural department. There are some beautiful natural products out there, but $170 for a skin lotion was not attainable for most 18-year-old girls."
What some millennials think:
"The make-at-home mud mask concept is interesting, and something seems special with this Australian mud. I've been really into clay based masks lately, so this hits me at the right time. But it's pretty singular/one-dimensional in concept and marketing." - Claire, 33

"The website does [make me want to buy products] because of the information provided on the products." - Courtney, 23

Instagram followers: 59,600, based in San Diego

Kopari was founded in late 2015 by Kiana Cabell, 28, and beauty industry vets Bryce and Gigi Goldman and James Brennan. Kiana was raised in Hawaii and her dad was a pro surfer. The line is coconut oil-based, and its best-seller is a jar of coconut oil with nothing else in it, though there are multiple other face and body products that use the ingredient. It took off last year with the news that several celebrities, including Jared Leto, had invested in the brand. It's now carried at Sephora, Revolve, Free People, and on QVC. The look is beachy, the voice is perky, and the ingredient story - words like "pure" abound - is focused on clean. "We talk to them the same way we talk to your best friend: approachable, inclusive, and in an authentic way," says co-founder Bryce Goldman. "Beauty, especially natural beauty, has always had a tendency to be overly serious, but we're just having more fun talking about it."
What some millennials think:
"Loved the feel of this Instagram page! I am a big beach lover, so the beachy feel of this product was a huge plus for me. That alone would push me to research the product more and potentially buy it (if I wasn't totally broke right now)."--Ally, 22

"Their Instagram confirms that, yes, they're doing a whole beach thing. More coconuts. I'm exhausted by it. I'd rather watch Blue Crush and enjoy my Lubriderm-slicked legs in peace." - Anneliese, 25

Instagram followers: 6,700, based in South Korea

This Korean brand launched last August, but its parent company, which has a clinic in Seoul that attracts celebrities from around the world, has been around for 60 years. This is the most aggressively "millennial" brand on the list, but it seems to be working. It's carried at Nordstrom, Urban Outfitters, and Aerie, and more stores are coming. This brand doesn't really play up the fact that it's K-beauty, but rather focuses on the ingredient story. It's meant to be fun, but also highlights the science and actually isn't afraid to talk about aging. "In Korea we know when to start and how to start taking care of our skin, versus out here it's still a new concept. I wanted to approach American women with the concept of early anti-aging skincare," says Sydney Baek, the executive vice president of the brand.
What some millennials think:
"While they are similar to the other brands with the colors, their goal of making you feel the way you do on a perfect Saturday seems different." - Courtney, 23

"There is a big disconnect between the 'feeling' of the brand versus the medical nature of the active ingredient behind it. If it weren't for the credibility factor of it being popular in Korea, I would probably discount the whole brand altogether."- Claire, 33

Obviously the handful of millennials that I spoke to are not anywhere close to representative of an entire generation, and none of them actually tried any of the products. While a compelling Instagram post might get you to try something once, ultimately it's going to have to work. But the snap judgments the women had about these brands are one clue that there probably is room for more new brands out there. Millennials, like human beings in general, do not all want the same things, despite this avocado toast stereotype that's been foisted on them. Even in the microcosm that is Racked, my co-workers, who probably recognize better than civilians when they're being aggressively marketed to, had almost violently different reactions to some of these brands, ranging from utter cynicism to the heart-eye emoji. So what ultimately makes someone want to buy?

On the surface, these brands sure look the same. So many words have been written about millennial pink, and I don't really want to write any more except to say that they feature the color either in their packaging, on their websites and social feeds, or both. Herbivore uses it to represent nature. Saturday Skin uses it to represent a "youthful glow." Mint uses it because it has a rose product and people liked it better on Instagram than green, the brand's original color. (Don't sleep on green, though, marketers. The color, ranging from minty to beachy, often shows up with millennial pink in these brands. Is it Millennial Mint? Aspirational Aqua? Supplemental Seafoam? Whatever it is, it's almost as prevalent as pink. Milk Makeup, which offers mostly makeup with some skincare, is the glaring exception in this packaging trend.)

Packaging is obviously just one part of a brand's overall messaging, though. Intangibles, like whether or not a brand reads as authentic, how it engages with customers, and how it builds community, are crucial. "What we've learned from Gen Z and millennials is that they're tired of this big brand pushing down aspirational images and want people and companies and brands to really reflect who they are," says Crystal Sai, a graduate student and research team leader in the master's program in Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management at FIT. Her group has been conducting consumer research into the buying habits of millennials.

Millennials are more aware (and wary) of ingredients than other generations, according to the FIT researchers, which is why language like "natural" and "clean" is prevalent. But innovation is ultimately crucial for indie brands' survival - they should be "bringing newness to the market," according to Sai. When you get past the blush-hued chatty exterior of these brands, Herbivore has a strong natural story, Frank has coffee, Mint has mud packets, and Kopari has coconut. They're not all doing the same thing in the same way.

For Urban Outfitters, whose buyers have an eye for these brands before anyone else and stock five of the six brands discussed here, this is a key point. "Even core brands that we may have brought in, their best-sellers are not our best-sellers. [Being at Urban] gives it that edge, that credibility that it's not average," says Laura Zaccaria, Urban Outfitters' divisional merchandise manager. Being at Urban is often a tipping point for brands, as it was for Herbivore and may be for Mint.

All of these brands have a pretty distinct voice, whether it's on their websites or in how they respond to fans on social media. From Frank's "frankfurts" to Kopari's package instructions telling you to put its product on your "bod," these brands have personalities. Mint Skin's McGraw, who herself is a millennial, says you can tell when a brand isn't authentic. "You can pick it up in a second. It's like, 'Stop, Dad. Stop doing that!'" she laughs. "It's a language and you either get it or you don't because you either speak it or you don't."

One thing probably will remain constant, though, at least for the short term. "I see the theme of this pink across all these brands showing up one way or another," says Courtney, one of the reviewers. "I can't deny that I'm a sucker for it."
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Will Millennials Buy Skincare If It's You-Know-What Pink?

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A few months ago I attended the launch for a new skincare product from a luxury, heritage beauty brand. I asked one of the executives how his company was trying to appeal to millennials, a group which thus far has not responded to "anti-aging" language the way previous generations have.

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Perhaps you've heard: Millennials have a devotion to all things unicorn and a penchant for a certain shade of pink, but there's one thing they're simply not into: anti-aging products - at least not nearly as much as the generations before. But often, the implication when this fact is talked about is that they're so focused on the here and now that they're unconcerned with staving off aging. Not so. "Millennials are the highest buyers, the heaviest buyers of skin care," says Kurt Jetta, the CEO of TABS Analytics, which does an annual beauty buying survey. "As far as the actual number of people in the market and the number of times they're buying, that has been growing pretty steadily."

In other words, young folks are still spending money on making sure their face is a glow-y, Instagram-worthy dream. They're just spending it differently than previous generations have. They're still buying the basics like cleansers, moisturizers and acne creams. But beyond that, the biggest categories seeing growth, according to marketing research firm the NPD Group, are the products that get your face ready for makeup, such as social-media-friendly masks, lip treatments and exfoliators. Kind of what you'd expect from the selfie generation.

But that doesn't mean that no one cares about wrinkles these days. It's just that now it's all about prevention, rather than treatment - and besides stocking up on more sunscreen with higher SPF levels, that means often heading to the dermatologist for Botox, fillers, peels and laser treatments. In fact, a recent survey by Skin By Lovely found this to be especially true of women aged 30 to 34: Nearly 47 percent had already tried injectables, as compared to only 28 percent of women 35 to 39 and 11 percent of women aged 40 to 49. "This group understands that it's easier to prevent than reverse signs of aging," says the company's founder, Lovely Laban. In this case, the splurge seems worth it. "The long-lasting results fillers deliver make the cost manageable and something they can plan for."

What that means outside of the doctor's office is that beauty brands are going to have to pivot to keep bringing in dollars - and they're going to need to do so quickly. The first shift seems to be incorporating a wellness angle, the beauty equivalent to the athleisure trend of finding ways of working self-care seamlessly into everyday life. "Beauty shoppers in general seem to seek products that promise to improve their skin health over the long term, not just cover up blemishes in the moment," explains Zoe Leavitt, a tech industry analyst at CB Insights.

One category aiming to bridge the ideas of wellness and beauty is natural beauty. When it comes to skin care, there's a feeling here of less hocus pocus with anything that comes from the earth rather than a lab. Particular drivers, according to Mintel, include vitamin C, fruit-based ingredients, oatmeal and honey.

Value is another major factor for millennial beauty shoppers. While skin care used to be a big driver in the prestige space, lower-priced products in mass stores like Target and CVS are now getting more love, according to multiple market reports. This could explain why L'Oréal just snapped up Valeant's wallet-friendly CeraVe, AcneFree and Ambi brands. Price consciousness could also be a factor in Glossier's success; while it's not a mass-store brand, price points for the startup's face serums - a notoriously expensive category - are more accessible at $28 a pop.

Besides appealing to millennials on a budget, lower price points have advantage here: They give folks the opportunity to try out a lot of stuff something young people are known for these days (proof: The TABs study found that "heavy buyers" purchased from more than six different skin care brands in last year). Plus, says Jetta, "They don't like to be told what to do, that is probably the most dramatic difference in the way millennials interact with beauty versus any other category you track." That means the days of three-step skin care systems are largely over - people don't want to be beholden to a whole regime set out by one brand.

So how are skin care companies going to push forward? Likely with more cute, cool and fun-to-use Korean-inspired products (see: CVS's recent K-beauty addition.). Another area you're going to see a lot more of: Food-based formulas. "Startups are starting to offer products based on acai, kombucha, charcoal and other ingredients we're more used to seeing in food - the idea is to seek beauty from the inside out," says Leavitt. Is poke-bowl eye cream in our future? Perhaps.

But perhaps the real keyword here is simplicity. Says Jetta, "Most women just want basic products that work well for a good price." Consider it the new golden rule of skin care.
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What's Really Going on With Millennials and Skin Care?

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Perhaps you've heard: Millennials have a devotion to all things unicorn and a penchant for a certain shade of pink, but there's one thing they're simply not into: anti-aging products - at least not nearly as much as the generations before.

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Cherry Healey investigates the claims made by the cosmetics industry about their products.