Mintel identifies teens as the new cosmetics consumers
Mintel’s team of global beauty and personal care analysts has developed an acronym to identify a new generation of beauty consumers. Aged 16-20 (born between 1998 and 2002), they are Approaching adulthood, Video driven, Influencer aware and Digital natives, or ‘AVIDs’.
- Approaching adulthood: This group is gaining independence, whether by entering the workforce or choosing higher education. They now have money and responsibility to make their own decisions.
- Video driven: Their beauty education is ongoing and never ending. They grew up with video tutorials on every kind of beauty look, which has encouraged them to be more creative and experimental.
- Influencer aware: While previous generations grew up with magazines and celebrities for beauty inspiration, along with social media, these pop culture elements are now combined with influencers – aspirational but accessible figures that connect with consumers on a variety of platforms.
- Digital natives: They are naturally ‘internet smart’ – cautious over data sharing, aware of hacks and concerned about how brands are tracking them. This affects what they share online: mistakenly associated with the ‘selfie generation’, they are actually less likely than their Millennial counterparts to post pictures online.
Charlotte Libby, Global Beauty Analyst at Mintel, says: “Technology has a strong impact on AVIDs’ lifestyles. Besides traditional teenage-related struggles, this generation is facing a new set of negatives that the beauty industry would do well to address.
“A distorted image of beauty, thanks to constant use of photo filters, has been exacerbated by the dominance of social media. AVID consumers are, therefore, placing greater importance on the fun aspects of beauty, not only the appearance-altering ones, and are drawn to brands that offer creative, entertaining and multisensory products and retail experiences.”
Eighty per cent of UK AVIDs have bought beauty products in the last year but they don’t know yet what they like or want, although they are eager to learn. Indeed, 61% of them are interested in having their skin/hair analysed, or in taking a personality quiz to identify their beauty needs (60%). Meanwhile, 58% like to watch videos of other people using the beauty/grooming products they own.
Mintel research shows that only 10% of AVID consumers have bought a customisable beauty product in-store or online, highlighting that they may lack confidence in knowing their specific beauty needs.
Fun retail experiences play a crucial role for this generation: over half of UK AVIDs (53%) show an interest in attending a special event at a beauty retailer, such as an exercise class or an expert talk.
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