August 27, 2019

The Future of the Beauty Industry (UK)

Attitudes towards beauty are changing. The #bodypositive movement continues to gain momentum with proponents stating we shouldn’t be shamed for how we look, whatever shape or size – and it’s a trend brands can’t afford to ignore. 

In our previous research, we found that 70% of consumers don’t care about fitting societal ideals of attractiveness. This means that brands still pushing one concept of beauty are at risk of becoming irrelevant or getting burned.

On the other hand, it can be hard to get inclusivity and diversity right in what can be a highly sensitive environment. A prime example is Gillette Venus’ ad; it featured models with skin pigmentation and extensive tattoos, but the brand didn’t get the pat on the back it was expecting – it came under fire for showing a woman shaving her arm hair.

At the other end of the scale, shaving brand Billie has been lauded for showing real pubic and underarm hair in its marketing. The response highlights how many consumers don’t feel accurately depicted in beauty and grooming marketing, they’re looking for something that feels real.

We wanted to explore this further; to dig deeper into modern attitudes to beauty, and better understand how brands need to shift their propositions. To do this, we surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,000 working age people in the UK*. 

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