Beauty is going through the menopause, the perimenopause at least, and it’s been a long time coming
Menopause is a very sensitive part of a woman’s life. The change in hormones that take place is extreme and often has an impact that lives out through a variety of symptoms affecting both physical and mental welfare. This is currently affecting around 13 million women in the UK alone! According to an article on Dazedigital, two-thirds of women they asked felt there was not enough available cosmetic treatment for menopause-related concerns. Considering women over the age of 49 spend more on beauty products than any other consumer, brands in addition have been missing out on an entire target group with specific needs that would be more than willing to spend their money on something that will help them.
This subcategory has longevity because it’s not a fad,” said Victoria Buchanan, a senior strategic researcher at The Future Laboratory in London. “It’s part of a broader movement in which skincare brands are actually bothering to understand women’s specific needs at different stages instead of just taking a one-size-fits-all approach. – Schiffer
The industry tends to dismiss consumer needs that don’t necessarily target the majority. Taking a logical perspective on the total of potential buyers that accumulate for these concerns, from menopause to different skin shades, its lack of attention hurts both consumers and the industry. That being said, these issues are slowly but surely being addressed now more than ever. Let’s look at how the industry is stepping up and giving these women what they need from skincare, haircare, and beyond.
Skincare
Sparked by a hot flash, created by science. Finally skincare made for all three stages of menopause
Over the years, there have been very few unspecified here and their skincare findings that work for women going through menopause. However, there was nowhere near enough accessibility to brands that tailored their ingredients to what these women were going through. Rochelle Weitzner, founder of Pause Well Aging launched her brand solely focused on menopausal needs six months after experiencing her first hot flash and realising the shockingly narrow limitation of relief solutions in the market; aside from the brands obvious objective to treat menopausal side effects, the range they create are all tailored to manage the three stages of menopause: perimenopause, menopause, and postmenopause.
One of their best sellers includes a cooling mist that provides relief for hot flashes. Cooling sprays, in general, made for hot flashes have actually received some of the best feedback from women going through them. Pause Well Aging also offer skincare essentials such as their collagen boosting moisturizer, and a fascia stimulating tool made to boost elasticity. As the market is slowly growing, other new skincare brands decided to tackle the symptoms of menopause too, such as Megsmenopause and B Glowing. B Glowing has a wider range of options whilst Megsmenopause creates a community touch through deeper engagement with consumers by spreading informative content.
Haircare
We age not by years, but by stories
A big part of the industry seems to expect that everyone will use the same kind of products regardless of the condition of their hair. Going through menopause your hair needs special attention specific to restorative techniques and ingredients and Better Not Younger is a haircare brand targeting specifically mature audience. Not only do they create products to help older women with age-related hair concerns, but they are encouraging a more refreshing perspective of growing old by looking at the process with a different and very true angle; promoting the philosophy that maturing should be celebrated instead shunned by looking at the many positives aspects such as class and wisdom will help menopausal women to remain confident in a society that rarely acknowledges it.
Their product range aims to properly manage age-related and menopausal concerns that will allow consumers to feel their best in their own skin. Although there is still a limit on the number of brands that specialise in addressing the needs of the more mature audience, some products have earned their holy grail status such as Nexxus Youth Renewal Shampoo. Many also claim that taking supplements, such as Viviscal, helped their hair through this time.
Beyond Beauty
Half the people on the planet experience menopause, yet even in our age of oversharing, it, unfortunately, remains a taboo topic with a limited range of products, resources and emotional support
Ofcourse, basic skincare and hair care alone will not fully combat symptoms without any internal relief. There are medication options for hormone replacement such as taking tablets or using skin patches, and whilst they might be helpful the high risk of side effects might be worth leaving them as a very last resort; especially when the treatment market is supplying natural alternatives. In November this year, P&G and M13 announced the launch of their first collaborative brand, Kindra. Kindra is one of the newest companies offering effective treatment for menopause.
They claim to provide a supportive community for menopausal women whilst selling estrogen-free ready and personalized products that go beyond skincare. From dietary supplements designed to relieve internal symptoms such as boost energy, simmer down mood swings, enhance sleep, and cool hot flashes, to lotions soothing vaginal dryness and other areas of the body, Kindra is revolutionary simply for giving these women practical and sustabile treatment options in addition to emotional support for their needs that they may feel have been overlooked.
MegsMenopause is another brand addressing the needs of menopausal women. In addition to their skincare range, they also sell a full range of food supplements and intimate products; from a cooling spray and wash to moisturizer and lubricant. Not only are the companies working on creating products that help women experiencing the symptoms of menopause but are also “providing expert and tailored advice to every individual that needs it”, as they claim from Cytoplan, a company that specialises in supplements, and is extremely interactive with their customers.
Yes, the women of menopausal age group are willing to pay more for their products but that doesn’t mean that they won’t appreciate a brand of more reasonable price lines.
Things are changing but there are still not nearly enough brands are taking menopause into consideration which presents a window of opportunity to stand out and bring something new to the market. The overall gap in the market is apparent; however, most of the very few brands who are selling these products set their prices quite high. If you look at The Ordinary, you might notice how their audience vary in terms of financial standing; they have a dedicated following of consumers who can afford a lot more as well as those who can’t.
Menopause is a significant part of a woman’s life and if it can be overlooked by the industry for that long, anything can. Some of the most important market categories that can take your brand to the next level might consist of people that you interact with all the time.
