Knowledge is power

A new generation of consumers is driving real change in the beauty industry. Dubbed ‘skintellectuals’, these shoppers are keeping brands on their toes, as the market adapts to meet their demands for radical transparency. Market researcher Mintel reported that 40% of US consumers think that brands must do a better job of explaining what ingredients they use and why, while active ingredients influence the online purchase decisions of 31% of consumers of skincare products1. Particularly women claim to be paying more attention to ingredients, a trend that goes beyond formulations, to include packaging, too.

Skintellectuals generally belong to Generation Z (also called ‘zoomers’ or ‘centennials’), born between 1995 and 2012. They are a unique cohort with defined personality traits. They are creative, hyperdigital, inclusive, and acutely conscious of the world around them, including the products they buy.

In typical Gen Z style, they are shaking up the industry and driving the change among brands. Knowledge is power and they want the ability to choose the best products for their individual needs. Not taking product claims for granted, they are getting smart about the science behind cosmetics. The pandemic spurred this quest for information among a wider audience. 

Today, the growing ranks of skintellectuals are actively seeking and sharing information on cosmetics products. Most of them are just entering the work-force, but they have a powerful voice. Young influencers visit cosmetics trade shows and consult professionals and other sources. They then use their social media channels to engage with millions and pass on their knowledge, laughing at themselves for what they used to buy or believe in a couple of years ago. This absolute transparency and willingness to learn every single day gives them credibility. 

Some influencers, like Hyram for example, have created a whole career by educating consumers. No wonder they end up launching their own brands: they have already analysed so many products and ingredients and observed people’s reaction to them. By the time they decide to launch their own, they know how to create the ideal product for their audience, that has been learning and growing alongside them and shares their ideas. 

Brands’ responses

The purchase decisions of skintellectuals start by breaking a product down to its ingredients. This has made brands step up their game to provide further information on what each jar or bottle contains. 

Cosmetics companies now freely offer a host of information on every ingredient out there. They are publishing helpful articles which might compare different ingredients for the same purpose, like moisturisation. In short, brands that manage to teach current and aspiring skintellectual consumers hit the target by educating them, without overwhelming them.

Besides information, brands must ‘walk the talk’, if they do not want to be subject to boycott. Miraculous claims that did not produce the promised results have led to brands being publicly discredited. The same applies to misleading packaging claims, too – skintellectuals want no more hype, no more greenwashing, just plain-speaking information.

This demand for transparency primarily impacts ingredient lists. Legally, all physical products need to include a visible ingredient list and the beauty industry is looking at food labelling for best-practice examples. Online, however, some retailers and brands choose not to show the full ingredient list, and this is where they will lose skintellectuals’ interest. 

Besides their composition, the origin of ingredients is increasingly being questioned. An ingredient with the same INCI name as another may be derived from different source, such as a lab, plant, mineral, or animal. Revealing the origin helps refine choices. A brand may even explain why it decided to go for a synthetic choice instead of a natural one.

Consulting ingredients and their origins are the first steps in gathering information. Committed skintellectuals will drill down deeper and seek data on testing. Publishing basic test results is fairly common practice, but we have started seeing some next-level testing being shared by brands.

Impact on packaging

It is not just ‘What is in the jar?’, either. It is also ‘What is the jar?’ The scrutiny of cosmetics extends to packaging, too. The environmental impact of plastic waste in particular is driving consumers to learn more about this essential component of beauty products, even more so among skintellectuals. Like beauty brands, packagers are subject to demands for sustainable product development and transparency.

In terms of packaging to support formulas that are increasingly natural or organic in origin, airless solutions provide a high level of protection. They enable the use of less artificial preservatives, shield the formula from external contamination and extend shelf life.

To support brands’ sustainability claims, packagers must deliver circular solutions that produce less waste. Quadpack’s  strategy of positive impact packaging looks at mono-material designs, refill concepts, light-weighting and alternative materials like wood, cork and biocomposite Sulapac.

All of this can be said, of course, but skintellectuals need proof. With much greenwashing and disinformation, it can be a challenge for both brands and consumers to learn the facts. Quadpack’s own rating system helps brands navigate the options, ranging from ‘minimal sustainability’ to ‘positive-impact packaging’, based on sustainability attributes and a life-cycle assessment (LCA) score.

As the name suggests, LCAs provide a complete analysis of the impact of a product during its life span, from origin to end. They measure environmental indicators such as carbon footprint, circularity of the materials, energy and water consumption, litter potential and a host of other factors. All of it is factual and undoubtedly the most transparent vehicle of communication about packaging.

Conclusion

Skintellectuals want information; the more brands open up and inform – about the formula, as well as the packaging – the more they are appreciated and respected. The upshot of it all is that the growing tribe of Generation Z is driving a revolution in the beauty industry. We are entering a new era of openness and honesty. The effects are already apparent, with search engines for beauty ingredients and customised beauty routines, and brands sharing quantitative data on product labels and websites. It is a case of power to the people through information. Brands explain, consumers choose. And with the ethical mentality of Generation Z, that’s not only good news for consumers, but may also help create a better, cleaner, and kinder world. 

References:

1 Mintel report ‘Facial skincare US 2022’