Organised by the Openstreams foundation set up in 2019 by Lan Vu, founder and CEO of Beautystreams, the forum brought together 26 organisations from 15 countries across 6 continents, including scientists, longevity experts, journalists, representatives of national associations and executives from companies such as Amazon, The Estée Lauder Companies and L’Oréal.
Changing the discourse
In conjunction with the event, an online report was compiled by Beautystreams. It presents exclusive data from a survey of over 1,000 consumers in seven countries (Brazil, China, France, India, Morocco, Nigeria and the United States).
The questions addressed concerned consumers’ expectations of beauty products in an ageing society, the impact of social networks on the perception of ageing and attitudes to “anti-ageing” terminology.
The survey revealed that the majority of respondents were attracted by other terminologies, such as healthy ageing (50%), well ageing (23.3%) and pro-ageing (20%).
Health & Appearance
Among the concerns linked to ageing, deteriorating health and changes in physical appearance are the most common responses, enhancing the category’s prospects, though with variations depending on different regions of the world. Not all consumers perceive themselves as “old” at the same age, and this varies by country. The global average is 59.4, but Brazilians put it at 53.3, French at 60.4, Americans at 64.5 and Nigerians at 70 or older. Globally, only 7.3% consider that “appearing old is more about one’s mindset,” with most prioritising appearance.
Around the world, natural grey hair is becoming more and more accepted, but gender bias persists as it remains less tolerated among women.
In summary, the report urges the global beauty industry to view the topic of longevity as a pivotal shift to address in light of the ageing global population. It provides professionals with insights into key directions to pursue, such as evolving terminologies, greater inclusivity in representing age, tailored responses to all life stages, as well as science, ethics, and transparency.
