According to market research firm McCrindle, Generation Alpha – those born from 2010 to 2025 – is set to be the largest cohort in human history, numbering about two billion by the end of 2025.
“We’ve never seen this number of teens and tweens. By the end of 2025, they will be 25% of the world’s population. But we’re seen less than 1% of the market share actually focus on personal care for this age group,” said Amanda Essery, co-founder of KINSIDE, a skin care brand developed for Gen Alpha.
The Australia-based company is working to develop products that can meet the fast-growing demand from teens and tweens.
This appetite for skin care has been fuelled by the influence of social media, where there is a thriving community of beauty content creators that have made beauty information bite-sized, entertaining, and ready at their fingertips.
However, this group of young consumers have aspired to use trendy products that were formulated for their older counterparts, putting their young skin at risk.
Speaking on the Beauty Broadcast, Essery said Gen Alpha needs “a space in beauty that is dedicated to them”.
“There is just not enough out there for them. As those contributing to this industry, we have a very important role to support them because being a teenager in a digital age is so complex. We want to encourage them to have positive self-care, be themselves, and stay healthy.”
More needs to be done
While there are more brands catering to Gen Alpha, it is still not enough to cater to the growing consumer base.
At the same time, brands and retailers are not doing enough to stop teens and tween from buying products that are not suitable for them, said Essery.
“Retailers and brands have a huge responsibility when marketing to this age group, because we’re marketing from as young as eight years old right through to 19 years old. And during this time, their skin is developing. It’s very young and it’s going through so many hormonal changes.”
Essery believes brands and retailers need to communicate what is age-appropriate more clearly, be it through packaging, a marketing campaign, or a dedicated retail aisle.
“Brands and retailers need to scream from the rooftops who they are trying to sell to and not disguising adult products for teens and tweens.”
Building a Gen Alpha brand
When it comes to product development, brand takes care that its formulations do not contain any ingredients that might be too harsh on their young skin. Additionally, the brand believes that skin care routines should be kept simple at this stage.
“High levels of acid, retinols, are clearly not appropriate for their skin. And we don’t need a huge amount of [skin care products] at this stage when they are developing very simple routines,” said Essery.
To learn more about KINSIDE and its approach to designing teen and tween friendly products, check out the video above.