Wherever we look, advertising only ever presents us with one type of woman: young, slim, sexy. These images seem to dictate what we should look like. The motto on social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram is also beauty tuning. Apps make it possible. Wrinkles are not allowed here, they are constantly "combated", "anti-ageing" is the name of the miracle weapon, and it almost sounds as if people are threatening ageing with death. But what if we don't feel like war at all - especially not a war against ourselves? Apparently, we are right on trend. A new study conducted by the Zukunftsinstitut on behalf of the IKW (Industrieverband Körperpflege und Waschmittel e. V.) was dedicated to the question of which trends and influences will set the tone in the next 50 years, especially in beauty care. The results of this study were not only surprising to us.

The end of the one, all-defining beauty ideal

Good looks are currently booming, yes. But what we define as "beautiful" is currently changing. Sure, on the one hand there is the aforementioned youth and beauty craze, but every trend always gives rise to a counter-movement. And this is now called "free ageing" - self-determined ageing.

Authenticity and mindfulness are part of being attractive

The pluralization of lifestyles is also leading to a variety of aesthetic patterns, with deviation from the norm becoming a USP, or "Unique Selling Point". This means that there is no longer just one ideal of beauty, but many. Thanks to demographic change, lifestyles are changing and the image of being a passive pensioner is a thing of the past. The "free ager" women are spending the second half of their lives in an enjoyable, active and, above all, self-determined way. The pursuit of optimization and youth mania leaves our generation cold. The cosmetics industry no longer reaches this target group with classic "anti-ageing" promises.

Beauty products should support an active lifestyle

Beauty care is moving away from passive (wellness) consumption towards conscious rituals of self-care. Free agers want products that offer inspiration and guidance for a holistic lifestyle. Consequently, these must not only be good for the consumer, but also for the environment, i.e. sustainably produced, with natural ingredients or even vegan. When it comes to make-up, there is an emerging trend towards the beauty-emphasizing nude look; "plastered" faces are out.