While 2024 saw the rise of “Sephora kids”, in 2025 more beauty brands may target Gen X consumers to grow sales amid a challenging economy.
- Beauty has been relatively insulated from consumers trading down or cutting back on discretionary purchases over the past few years.
- But as financial pressure mounts and President Trump threatens tariffs, beauty sales won’t grow as anticipated—causing us to lower our US beauty sales forecast to $99.57 billion from $102 billion previously.
The Gen X factor: Further along in their careers and more likely to have older children, Gen X represents a major opportunity for beauty brands.
Gen X will drive 23.2% of global spending by 2030, the biggest share of any generation, according to NielsenIQ and GfK. They’re also 22% more likely than baby boomers to be in high-income segments, according to GWI.
To appeal to Gen X consumers, beauty brands should emphasize quality, loyalty programs, and in-store experiences
- 87% of Gen X consumers worldwide say quality is an important factor when purchasing a product or service from a brand, ranking higher than price (83%), according to March 2024 data from Genesys and Savanta.
- Gen Xers are 11% more likely than average consumers to use loyalty programs, per GWI.
- 73% of US consumers ages 55+ prefer to buy beauty or personal care products in-store, with 39% preferring discount or warehouse retailers and 34% preferring to buy directly from the company or manufacturer, per March 2024 data from Ipsos.
The bottom line: Beauty brands shouldn’t shift focus away from younger consumers, but they could boost sales and loyalty by launching Gen X-focused products or campaigns.
- For instance, Sephora introduced Sarah Creal's beauty line last September, which is aimed at Gen X consumers.
- Brooke Shields’ haircare brand, Commence, launched its first brand campaign this month, targeting consumers over 40, according to Glossy.
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