Why Is Anti-Aging Now A Gen Z Problem?

Cassie Sarnicky | Writer

Gen Z has unknowingly created a whole new industry. Anti-aging for young people: this youthful, health-conscious new beauty standard is best emulated by models we see in the media today.

Every celebrity seems to have a skincare brand whose aesthetic is flawless, glowing, plump, and, of course, wrinkle-free. The rise of all these skincare brands, such as Rhode Skin, Homecourt, and SKKN by Kim, reflects the younger generation's fear of aging, especially after the beginning of the pandemic. As a result, Gen Z has started using more intense skincare ingredients, all in the name of being preventive.

We know trends go in and out and back around. But, in contrast to millennials, Gen Z is focused on looking healthy and young, not staying thin. Typically, a midlife crisis deals with mortality and age desirability, but this has increased to a quarter-life problem.

Cosmetic companies used to market skin care to teens to cure acne, and fine lines were not even on anyone's radar. Then, companies realized they could market anti-aging products by teaching us about preventative measures. They sell the idea of fighting them before you even see them, and if you do, you have already lost in their eyes.

Underneath it, all millennials and Gen Z have the same anxieties, which seem to hit earlier and earlier, and continuing rigid beauty standards that keep women obsessively critiquing their appearance and spending more money on products to fix perceived flaws now, even before they start.