Today, consumers aged 60+ are tackling aging in a different way- by embracing it rather than fighting it!

Embracing age & a growing demographic

These senior consumers have committed to aging gracefully, but how important is it to pay attention to their wants and needs?

• The 60+ demographic accounts for 13% of the global population in 2017, with that percentage projected to rise to 16% by 2030.
• In fact, by 2030, 42 million American women will be Boomers.
• Global life expectancy has now reached 72 years, compared to 68 years in 2000.
• Baby Boomers hold more than 90% of net worth and 78% of all financial assets in the United States.

The conclusion? Listening to the needs and wants of consumers ages 60+ is extremely important. You could be missing out on a huge portion of our entire purchasing population otherwise.

Products must have health-centered benefits

In order to capture this age-embracing crowd, today’s products need to incorporate benefits that support the natural aging process and provide a healthy appearance. There are a few core health-centered benefits that senior consumers require from of their personal care products.

• A Healthy Appearance: Each chosen beauty product must help them achieve a healthy appearance. This includes an even greater emphasis being put on the moisturizing and hydrating properties of each product.
• Natural Ingredients: Older consumers often struggle with skin sensitivity in their later years, so they’ve begun to seek products that are derived from natural ingredients. This is not unlike the growing organic personal care trend we saw in 2017.
• Color Cosmetics: This one is simple. Color cosmetics need to be long lasting and provide even skin tone coverage.
• Give Them Realistic Goals: These older consumers recognize they are aging and want realistic goals attached to their personal care products. This means that quick fixes and miracle repairs are thrown out with the wash!
• Hair Loss Treatment is A Priority: Even with the acceptance of aging and a desire to age naturally, these consumers are still receptive to products that aim to treat hair loss.

Overall, the beauty routine of consumers 60+ tends to remain consistent, showing a very high level of product and brand loyalty. Because of such brand loyalty, it’s extremely important to reach these consumers as early as possible. Creating brand and product loyalty beforehand means they’ll most likely remain customers for the rest of their lives!

Packaging basics for a 60+ demographic

We know that companies produce and sell a wide variety and spectrum of products. For instance, many facial product lines start with the most basic moisturizing need and go all the way to extreme wrinkle repair. With this wide variety of options, and additional products aimed at this growing demographic, there are three important packaging basics to keep in mind.

1) Products need to be easy to open and use: Make sure all closures are senior friendly, with easy to use pumps and sprayers.
2) Directions need to be legible and easy to follow: Both font size and font style is important with this group.
3) Keep budgets in mind: Regardless of any financial acumen the Baby Boomer generation may have, there are still many consumers in this target group who have less disposable income. In order to also reach that portion of the demographic, it’s important to ensure each product creates a great value for its users. An easy way to be budget conscious is to consider an airless pump so the consumer can dispense every last drop.