Can’t tell your Drunk Elephant from your Summer Fridays? No judgment here – it just means you’re over 13. And if you’re a parent of a tween, a global beauty brand, or even a marketer, the soaring popularity of these brands should make you break out in hives.
The beauty biz is having an identity crisis – Generation Alpha is taking over. The tween wave seems obsessed with “bougie” skincare. And it’s not only the parents freaking out over the credit card bills. Those oases of calm at Sephora are being overrun by gaggles of girls swooping on employees for samples to create “skincare smoothies”. The fallout is darker than yesterday’s mascara – many products loved by Gen Alphas contain actives like retinol and niacinamide meant for adult skin. Not ideal for still-developing tweens.
But we can’t blame the kids – the blame lies with the influencers. Mini social media stars as young as seven share intricate routines, while experts say skincare is now a daily essential, not a luxury. Born between 2010 and 2024, Gen Alpha is glued to social media. They’re taking notes from pint-sized influencers like North West and lapping up skincare advice from their millions of followers.
So how are the legacy beauty brands (also referred to as mom brands by my tween) reacting? To be generous, you could say “adapting”. More cynically? Cashing in on a highly lucrative new market. Estée Lauder recently launched a Gen Z and Alpha collection called Nutritious on TikTok featuring only three products. Cha-ching! Silver lining? We can take notes from the OG of this phenomenon, Drunk Elephant founder Tiffany Masterson. With smart hashtags, varied content and consistent posting, her social media playbook is legendary. And the creamy, dreamy products? Even this Gen Xer has been dipping into her daughter’s Drunk Elephant stash… Ssh!
Mindful Musings
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