Marketing Efficacious Anti-Aging Products

Popular culture has always extolled the beauty of youth; unfortunately, in today’s society, the other half of the equation—the wisdom of age—seems outdated. Instead, consumers are aiming to look like the airbrushed, 20-to-40-something celebs on high-def and in the pages of the tabloids. At the same time, they’ve bought into the eco-friendly movement, seeking more natural solutions to problems facing the environment at large, and their own problems in the vanity mirror.

“The driving force behind the growth of the anti-aging cosmeceutical market is society’s infatuation with staying young,” said Suhail Ishaq, vice president, BioCell Technology. “Baby boomers are looking for safer alternatives than the common solution such as surgeries and pharmaceutical drugs. People are also more educated, informed and understand the importance of natural alternatives.”

Vladimir Badmaev, Ph.D., M.D., vice president of medical and scientific affairs, Sabinsa Corp., agreed with the assessment, noting Ponce de Leon’s dream of a “fountain of youth” continues to attract interest. “The pursuit of youth has become a global preoccupation with consumers, especially from the Baby Boomer population,” he said. “A growing appearance-consciousness is fueling the global anti-aging market. People of all professions and walks of life are under pressure to look good and to live healthier lifestyles.”

This obsession with appearance and youth is certainly driving demand for anti-aging products, which are projected to rise to sales of $30.7 billion in 2009, according to Steve Holtby, president, Soft Gel Technologies Inc. (SGTI). He suggests marketers specifically target their promotional efforts to the Boomer demographic. “These individuals, who belong to one of the most affluent generations, are willing and able to pay for products that provide anti-aging benefits,” he said.

At the same time, while demand started with the Boomers—and continues to be the mainstay of marketing endeavors—the target demographic for these products is increasingly younger, with teenagers beginning preventive care, and broader, as even men are becoming more interested in retaining a youthful appearance.

“Manufacturers are targeting a wide range of age groups with different beauty products and messages, ranging from ‘preventive’ for the younger population, to ‘treatment and repair’ and ‘reduce the signs of aging’ type of messages for the more mature segment of the population,” said Caroline Brons, senior marketing manager, functional food marketing group, DSM Nutritional Products. “As an example, there is a segment of teen-oriented skin care products and supplements. This is an important group, since it is at this age that the long-term structural health of the skin is determined.”

Ishaq added, “We also happen to live in the age of technology and information, which is influencing the buying behavior of younger generations. The youth are now in favor of prevention rather than waiting until it’s too late, which only increases the demand for anti-aging products.”

Consumers also seem to be invested in the concept of “beauty from the inside out” and the idea of nutricosmetics, combinations of topical and oral product offerings delivering synergistic benefits to the body. “Topical cosmeceutical products have dominated the market for years, but as consumers are realizing more and more that what they eat affects how they look, they are increasingly looking for food, beverage and oral personal care products that support a healthy lifestyle and overall physical appearance,” said Garrett Lindemann, Ph.D., CEO, GourmetCeuticals. “And the global market for nutricosmetics is nearly $1 billion with anticipated double-digit growth. Ingredients/products that expand and grow with the nutricosmetic market could be considered the next innovation.”

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