A Beauty Brand’s Guide for Marketing to Millennials and Gen Z
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Every generation leaves its mark on the beauty industry. And Millennials and Gen Z have certainly done that – reshaping how we look at beauty as a whole concept.
They’ve redefined how we connect with brands as consumers and how we reach them as brand owners and marketers. That’s why today, we’ll look at what makes these two generations tick, with me as your trusty companion.
Not to brag, but I might just be the perfect guide to marketing to Millennials and Gen Z, as I was born right on the cusp of generational change. Half of the sources count me as one, and half say I’m the other. I might just take the best of both worlds, right?
Take my Zillennial (Millennial + Gen Z) hand and let’s go!
Defining the Generations: Millennials and Gen Z
Before we jump into marketing to Millennials and Gen Z, let’s get to know them first.
Let’s start with the eldest of the two generations we’ll look at today, Millennials. This generation was born roughly between 1981 and 1996. That makes the oldest Millennials 44 years old, but the youngest — 29 years old, and as of last year, they were the largest generation in the US with a 21.8% share.
One of the cornerstones of the Millennial generation is that they were born and grew up between two defining eras: the analog and digital periods. The Millennial demographic has also been described as more open-minded than their predecessors, which was most likely influenced by the hyperconnectivity and online globalization that the rise of the Internet enabled.
Source: Unsplash
Whereas Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, was the first cohort that had never seen a world without the Internet and smartphones, making them real digital natives. This gen is between 28 and 13 years old now. They were just a little behind Millennials in numbers, being the second-largest generation in the US, 20.81% of the population.
Gen Z continues the open-mindedness trend of Millennials, but takes it a step further by actively advocating and promoting the importance of issues such as mental health, inclusiveness, and diversity.
Decoding Values Among the Generations
Millennials’ Values
The Emotional: Authenticity, Community, and Experiences
Millennials know full well the invaluable connections you can make on the web. Still, they long for genuine, in-person relationships.
Source: Unsplash
What makes the '80s and '90s kids different is that they want to see authenticity and realness in brands throughout. They’re over the polished branding preferred by the older generations and lean toward brands marketing beauty products in a more humanized and real way. The same works with the products consumed, as they want openness when it comes to the ingredients used and their impact.
A good example of being very open about both their own ingredients, as well as debunking myths in skincare, is The Ordinary. Transparency is a definite part of their mission. Plus, they offer extensive guides about their products, layering skincare, and regimens.
Echoing the hyper-connected world, Millennials long to be part of something bigger. This extends beyond social and economic factors, including the communities built by the brands and products they support. The result: broad online chat rooms have evolved into niche forums and groups, where like-minded fans share their honest and unfiltered experiences, reviews, and product photos.
Millennials also appreciate brands that create experiences and memories. Just look at Lush. They’ve successfully balanced aesthetics and sensory experiences with their in-store pamper stations and colorful, tactile product displays, gaining a loyal fan base over many years.
The Ethical: Brand Stories, Sustainability, and Social Impact
For Millennials, a brand's story and ethics matter just as much as its products. That’s why you should make brand storytelling a priority.
Source: Unsplash
Tell your customer about yourself, the founder, where you come from, and how the idea was born. Millennials often shop with brands that somewhat mirror them and their values, so they need to know what you stand for to truly identify with your brand. Forever remember: Millennials choose brands that create familiarity and a human connection.
The Internet and social media have not only connected Millennials with peers worldwide but also exposed them to the realities and impacts of climate change as they grew up. That makes your average Millennial sustainability-oriented, expecting real action from brands in terms of sourcing, ingredients, and packaging. The terms cruelty-free and recyclable can’t be thrown around easily. For Millennials, it requires proof of and action.
If you sell private label cosmetics or other private label products, you have a chance to show your Millennial customers where your values align, as the on-demand model tends to be more environmentally-friendly than traditional models.
Source: Selfnamed
This generation also believes that brands should do more with their platform rather than just sell. They appreciate brands that speak out on social issues. In their mind, engaging with social causes and organizations like NGOs will only fuel their loyalty and respect for your business.
Take Dove as an example for a brand with a clear focus on social issues. Their Real Beauty campaigns push back against AI and digitally altered bodies in ads, encouraging girls and women to feel confident in their own skin.
Gen Z Values
The Emotional: Radical Transparency, Purpose, and Inclusivity
Like their older counterparts, Gen Z values honesty, but they tend to see it in a more absolute, all-or-nothing way. They demand complete transparency from brands, starting with ingredient lists, and actively fact-checks claims before purchasing. Having grown up online, they know the importance of verifying information and expect brands to be equally transparent.
Source: Unsplash
A brand like Paula’s Choice knows its audience. That’s why they have a whole section on their website’s main menu dedicated to Beautypedia – articles and posts about ingredients and skincare concerns.
Source: Paula’s Choice
One of the Gen Z trends in beauty is skinimalism with shorter but more efficient routines. This shows their dedication to purpose over perfection and empowerment over fitting into beauty standard boxes.
That’s why brands like Glossier thrive among Zoomers with their Skincare first. Makeup second.™ approach. They focus first on skin health, then let customers express their individuality through cosmetics.
Inclusivity in shade ranges and marketing is a non-negotiable for Gen Z. They expect beauty brands to reflect reality. This means making products accessible for people who look like themselves and their friends who have different skin tones and bodies.
The Ethical: Value Alignment, Activism, and Small Creators
Zoomers view their purchases as an extension of their identity, voting with their hard-earned dollars for what they believe in. Gen Z wants brands to share the same values, be it on sustainability, equality, or self-love. If they feel like the brand is steering away from what they have in common, the best-case scenario is that they’ll disengage. Worst case? The brand gets publicly “canceled.”
In some ways, this generation is quite similar to Millennials — only bolder and more direct. So you’ll need to put your money where your mouth is, championing causes and initiatives you’ve said your brand supports.
From the get-go, Selena Gomez’s brand Rare Beauty has done just that. Selena started the business as a way to address mental health and self-acceptance. And now, she’s paying it forward with the Rare Impact Fund that makes mental health and education accessible to young people.
Gen Z’s also shifted the way we look at influencers. They do still watch and follow big names, but micro-influencers and small creators are the ones Zoomers trust the most. It all ties into the appreciation of authenticity, as smaller influencers are more real and unpolished, earning the valuable trust.
How the Generations Consume and Engage With Content
Millennials
Curated and Educational Experiences
Millennials were the generation that experienced the rise of blogging, Youtube, and early-day influencers. All of this has shaped how this gen perceives media. They prefer content with a curated and educational angle, allowing them to see the value in what they’re consuming.
That’s why tools that offer depth and reliability are still powerful for reaching Millennials. Think blogs, email marketing, and the classic early-2010s duo – Facebook and Instagram – from when Millennials were coming of age.
Long-Form Content and the Importance of Storytelling
As I mentioned, for Millennials, Youtube was the place to be – and it still is. They grew to love long-form storytelling, like video essays and podcasts that dig deep instead of chasing quick trends.
Gen Z
Short-Form and Live Content
Zoomers, on the other hand, turned the world upside down by popularizing short-form video content on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. This paved the way for authentic yet short content that captures your attention in seconds.
And Gen Z also somewhat revolutionized live content, eagerly following creators that mainly focus on livestreaming. This allowed them to interact with influencers in real time.
Highly Interactive Formats
Gen Z loves being part of the livestreaming ecosystem, but it doesn’t end there – they also want to actively engage through polls, Q&As, and challenges.
This generation doesn’t view interaction as a one-way street either, but more as a collaboration between them and your brand. As a beauty brand, it’s best to approach it as a conversation, where you can ask honest and direct feedback from the customers. You can also keep it fun by offering gamified experiences like AR effects, quizzes, and filters.
Looking Into the Future: What Will Gen Alpha Bring
Gen Alpha, born starting in 2013, is the generation that follows Gen Z. One of the key events shaping their worldview was the COVID-19 pandemic – they were very young when it began but are now entering their teen years.
We already live and work among the groundbreaking and rule-changing generations of Millennials and Gen Z, but who knows what Gen Alpha will bring? Well, there are some predictions!
According to consumer trend research, it’s expected that Gen Alpha will make us blend boundaries between digital and physical worlds. For them, AI-driven solutions, AR experiences, and virtual influencers won’t be anything unusual, but the norm. And the technological impact will be even more apparent with expectations for super-personalized beauty recommendations and picks.
Gen Alpha will most likely blend the traits of their Millennial parents and Gen Z, standing somewhere between the fun of playing with digital environments and the purpose of being ethical and conscious of their choices (AI, sustainability, etc).
If you’re looking to be an early adopter of Gen Alpha marketing, I suggest you start looking into the future of personalized beauty technologies.
Final Thoughts
It’s no secret that Millennials and Gen Z have both reshaped the beauty industry. It’s like Millennials broke the barriers and got the ball rolling but Gen Z took that legacy to the next level.
If there’s one takeaway from this article, let it be this: stay real, stay human, and stay true to your brand. If all else fails, I promise you, this is what’ll help you come back to good terms with the Zoomers and Millennials.
And if all else really does fail (hope not) … I have good news! Gen Alpha is just around the corner to create yet more new trends, follow their own values, and rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Millennials and Gen Z might seem like they’re similar, but there are some notable differences. Firstly, Millennials are now in their early forties and late twenties, whereas Gen Z are between 28 and 13 years old. Even if they share similar characteristics, their attitudes and choices inevitably differentiate.
When you’re marketing to Millennials and Gen Z, keep in mind that both value authenticity. For Millennials, that means transparency about products and ingredients. For Gen Z, it’s about seeing real faces, real textures, and real skin.
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The biggest mistake a beauty brand can make when marketing to Millennials and Gen Z is being too perfect and polished. Both of these generations embrace realness and reject the outdated, standardized beauty ideals.
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The best platforms for marketing to Millennials and Gen Z are Instagram, Youtube, and TikTok. You can also reach Millennials on Facebook, but you’ll never see Zoomers there.
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Yes, there definitely are overlapping strategies for marketing to Millennials and Gen Z. Both of these generations value realness and transparency. They’ll buy from brands that align with their values and are eco-conscious.
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All beauty brands, including those that sell private label cosmetics, can market toward Millennials and Gen Z, as long as they share their values.
Your private label products have an especially good chance among Gen Z, as they’re buying more private label beauty products than the generations before them. You can go in-depth and learn about Gen Z on our blog article on this topic.
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