Boomer Motto: Age Naturally, But Carry a Big Cosmetics Bag

Marketers of anti-aging products and services need to walk a fine line between attitudes about aging and actual behaviors, as the latest results from "The Focalyst View"--a study of Americans between the ages of 42 and 87--have confirmed. The study was conducted by Focalyst, a joint venture of AARP Services, Inc. and Kantar, the research and consultancy arm of WPP.

Fully 42% of Boomers and "Matures" (those born before 1946), or some 50 million adults, think that "everyone should age naturally."

At the same time, about 48 million (33 million Boomers and 15 million Matures) plan to purchase anti-aging products, to the tune of over $4 billion, over the next 12 months. Furthermore, about 31 million are proponents both of "natural aging" and buying anti-aging products.

Is a huge part of the population in the throes of cognitive dissonance?

Perhaps. But it seems that in the minds of many, "fighting aging through any means that is not surgical or invasive is still 'natural'," point out the Focalyst analysts, based on a 16-page survey completed last year by 30,000 respondents from a representative sample of U.S. adults age 42 and older. (Results of the massive, wide-ranging study, which included over 1,400 data points, continue to be analyzed and released.)

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"We are seeing a true dichotomy between attitudes and behaviors around appearance and aging," particularly among Boomers, sums up Focalyst director of marketing Heather Stern.

Most Boomers have accepted the inevitability of aging, but are also willing to spend money to "look as young as they feel," Focalyst reports. And while maintaining an appearance that's as youthful as possible is important, it's also about pride in general appearance and personal image as they age.

The wisdom of positioning products as "natural" alternatives to invasive procedures, and marketing to older adults' youthful aspirations, rather than their age, have been guiding major brand strategies for some time now, of course--and the momentum shows no signs of abating.

Dove's introduction of the "Pro-Age" personal care products line, intentionally named to take the stigma out of aging, and the growing use of kickin' middle-aged spokeswomen--Christie Brinkley for Cover Girl, Diane Keaton for L'Oreal, Raquel Welch for M-A-C Cosmetics--are just a few examples.

Other beauty/appearance/anti-aging insights from the study:

* While there are notable differences in beauty attitudes and behaviors among women from various ethnic groups, Asian-American women stand out as prime prospects for anti-aging products: They are about twice as likely as other groups to buy these products.

* Women feel a bit more pressure to maintain a young appearance than men. About 65% of both Boomer and Mature women agree that it's important to remain and feel as young-looking as possible, compared with 44% and 47% of male Boomers and Matures, respectively.

* Remaining young-looking is somewhat more important to singles than marrieds, across the ages and sexes. Singles report that they're trying to lose weight most of the time.

* Overall, more than 65% agree that it's important to look well-dressed, although about 10% more women than men agree with this statement.

* Among women, being attractive to the opposite sex is important to 68% of Boomers and 51% of Matures. Even more men rate this as important: 69% of Boomers and 60% of Matures. Staying attractive to the opposite sex is just as important to married Boomers as it is to single Boomers.

* Among Boomers, only 21% of females and 7% of men perceive that they "spend a lot of money on toiletries and cosmetics for personal care." Among Matures, just 14% of women, and 7% of men, agree with that statement.

However, again, perceptions and actions diverge: On average, female Boomers and Matures plan to spend $462 and $389, respectively, on such products in the next 12 months--and men aren't exactly scrimping ($252 for Boomers, $235 for Matures). Furthermore, only 35% of men across both age groups agree that "skin-care products are for women only."

* Not surprisingly, men in both age groups are less comfortable than women with being seen as caring about how they look. Marketing strategies for men need to focus on making men feel it's acceptable for them to indulge in products/services geared to appearance, as opposed to just standard grooming/maintenance.

* Cosmetics are far from the only anti-aging tactics being used. Over 13 million Boomers and Matures said they planned to have spa treatments in the year ahead. Over 10 million plan anti-aging skin-care treatments, the same number plan to have teeth whitening, and 7 million plan to have hair removal/waxing. Far more women admit to having most of these treatments, but almost half of those admitting to teeth whitening are men.

* Presumably because surgery flies in the face of the "age naturally" aspiration, it looks like a lot of older folks are in denial about these procedures. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 65% of facelifts and 50% of Botox treatments last year were for people between the ages of 41 and 60. But only 1% of study respondents admit intending to have Botox or collagen treatments, and 1% to having plans for plastic surgery. (Respondents living in metropolitan areas, and along the East and West coasts, were more apt to say they will use these services.) Still, those declaring these intentions total more than 2 million people.

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