20-05-2025
Gen X Beauty Embraces A Glow-Up: How The 45-Plus Community Is Thriving
Gen X beauty applies cream skincare to her face
getty
It was only a few years ago that the Gen X beauty community still lamented about being ignored by the industry. With the pandemic-era rise of TikTok and a new wave of youthful beauty influencers, even heritage brands that traditionally skewed older (Clinique, Lancome and Maybelline, for example) were itching to reach the younger crowd.
Up to this point, Gen X-ers (classified as being born between the years of 1965 and 1980) were targeted by brands like Jones Road (a clean, minimalist line Bobbi Brown launched in 2020), Trinny London (advanced makeup and skincare from U.K. beauty and fashion veteran Trinny Woodall in 2017), and Laura Geller, self-proclaimed, 'makeup for mature skin' that launched in 2007. But there wasn't a movement. The so-called Gen X beauty community felt non-existent to the people who experienced it.
In less than a year, newbies Sarah Creal, All Golden and Kleos+Klea have each risen to the occasion with sleek packaging, innovative formulas and relatable marketing for the 45-plus woman living her best life. Meanwhile, viral TikTok darling Charlotte Tilbury named 68-year-old Kim Cattrall as the face of its iconic Pillow Talk collection in March (she's a boomer, even better).
According to a January 2025 report, 67% of women globally feel more confident as they age, with consumers over 45 expected to generate almost half of beauty value growth in the next 10 years. That consumer base is said to spend $279 billion per year on beauty, with this figure predicted to exceed more than $430 billion over the next decade. The report states that 37% of Gen X-ers feel younger than they are, with a passion for beauty products in the same vein as younger generations.
In fact, 73% of Gen X consumers covered in the report don't have children living at home, and therefore wish to use their income on products for themselves, namely beauty. Of the entire beauty category, the report says this generation spends the most on beauty services ($89 billion) and skincare creams ($26 billion), citing Laura Geller and Nutrafol as the most sought after beauty brands by this group.
'The fact that most beauty brands are 'for everyone' is not helping this customer,' says Creal, a Tom Ford Beauty and Victoria Beckham Beauty veteran, who launched her eponymous line in Fall 2024. 'We created a brand formulated for the higher needs of babes 40-plus, that reflects back to them in our advertising and marketing so they can more realistically see what a product will look like on them. This is a destination brand that makes discovering products that will work for them easier to find. It creates a space to continue on the beauty journey with as much excitement, confidence, aspiration and fun as they had with beauty in their 20s.'
Kim Cattrall poses with Charlotte Tilbury makeup as the face of the Pillow Talk collection
Photo courtesy of Charlotte Tilbury
Creal's products have earned the stamp of approval from controversial critic Jeffree Star, who praised the Back of the Cab mascara ($40) and Flex Concealer and Complexion Enhancer ($58) on TikTok. Beauty Matter's 2025 Person(s) of the Year, The Lipstick Lesbians, also shared love for the brand. Each critic, however, noted the products' steep price points, which stand out from other Gen X-targeted brands.
'I love this product,' said one-half of The Lipstick Lesbians, Alexis Androulakis, of the newly launched Just Like Paradise bronzer—which was formulated to smooth the skin's surface, deliver lasting hydration and support elasticity. 'It's more a question of, do I think it's practical for the everyday user who's going to burn through this? It may become a $50 investment for a bronzing step. It's really about how you want to spend your money. Make no mistakes, Sarah Creal is a luxury brand, and you're getting a luxury experience. And the price will reflect that.'
Creal, too, is adamant you get what you pay for, as her SKUs are experiential.
'We wanted each product to convey the joy and efficacy that we pour into each formulation,' she explains. 'Our skincare and makeup products have the covetability and sexiness of fragrance design. We also made sure the products' design communicates a little bit about its purpose. That's why the hydrating Moisture Source Essence ($95) looks like a tall glass of water, the brightening Firm Offer Eye Cream ($95) looks like a lighter, and Brilliant Repair Shield SPF 50 ($64) looks like an orange sun. These were all intentional choices that speak directly to the consumer. It's also designed from a woman's perspective. We know what it's like to blindly rummage around in your makeup bag.'
All Golden founder Sarah Kugelman also recognizes the importance of bringing life back into beauty for her demographic. Her products—which include firming eye patches, a pigment-restoring scalp treatment for grey hairs, and an award-winning peptide serum—feature clean, sleek, neutral packaging.
'I wanted to create a place for women to come for their specific needs, but not feel it was because they were old and washed up,' explains the founder, who also launched clean indie brand Skyn Iceland in 2005. 'They're just in a new phase of life. All Golden is filling the gap of products and brands focused on Gen X and boomers that's positive, empowering, sexy and vibrant. This is how these women feel, and it's how they want to be spoken to. It's been about anti-aging: fixing wrinkles and sags and bags. Yes, we have those problems, but we're more than just our sags and menopause. [Many of us] feel really good about ourselves. It's the marketing messaging and societal cues that have made us feel badly.'
For Geller, it's been a long time coming.
"The 50-plus community is finally being seen, heard and celebrated in the beauty industry in a long-overdue way,' she says. 'Women over 50 know what they want, and are embracing beauty on their own terms. It's important that brands create products specifically with mature skin in mind, offering hydrating makeup that works for drier skin and doesn't cake into wrinkles. It's heartening to see the industry finally embracing my age group.'
In 2021, Geller, a former makeup artist, chose to exclusively feature women over 40 in all of her brand assets. She partnered with a handful of notable females, including Fran Drescher, Paulina Porizkova, Patricia Heaton, Kathy Najimy and Bethenny Frankel. In 2022, the brand launched National Mature Women's Day, a celebration to honor women over 40 all over the world. She also sells an entire line of 40-plus merch.
Laura Geller Makeup Studio (Photo by Kyle Ericksen/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Penske Media via Getty Images
While women seemingly dominate the Gen X beauty space, men aren't entirely left out of the conversation. Decades-long product developer Ron Robinson (Clinique, Revlon, L'Oreal) captivated Gen Z's attention, thanks to his cosmetic chemist credit with Hailey Bieber's Rhode—but ultimately, Gen X beauty is his personal passion. And that's evident in his own brand BeautyStat, which he launched in 2019 with the elder millennial and Gen X consumer in mind.
Made up of chemist-developed, dermatologist-approved formulas, the brand is best known for its Universal C Skin Refiner ($62), a pure vitamin C (L-ascorbic acid) solution at its optimal 20% concentration, protected from oxidation.
'We're really addressing that Gen X consumer, when a lot of other brands are glamorizing and focusing on Gen Z and millennial,' Robinson shared during a one-on-one chat last year. 'This Gen X consumer not only has the most disposable income, she's at the top of her game from a career perspective, she might be looking to date again, it might be her second marriage, her kids are grown and out of the house. And really, I want to shine a spotlight on this woman specifically. She's older. She has it all. She's experienced and wants skincare that can keep up with her.'
Robinson has never understood how Gen X consumers are expected to fit the mold of Gen Z, for example, which has entirely different skincare concerns.
'People who I've worked with over the years, my family, they're Gen X consumers,' he said. 'And I'm like, why are we not speaking to them? Again, they've got the discretionary income. They have the power. Why are we not highlighting and showing them being real and sexy and confident and owning their beauty? [BeautyStat is] not forcing them to look like a Gen Z. And we're backing it up with science, clinical testing, results and actually showing. I can't believe some brands will talk about lines and wrinkles, but they're showing someone who doesn't have any.'
BROOKLYN, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 21: Cosmetic Chemist & CEO at BeautyStat Ron Robinson attends BlogHer 21 Biz on October 21, 2021 in Brooklyn, New York. (Photo byfor BlogHer)
Getty Images for BlogHer
The industry isn't what it used to be. Even dating back to the beauty breakthrough of the pandemic, so much has evolved, making it an exciting time for cutting-edge innovation and next-gen packaging. Kleos+Klea, a nutrient-only skincare brand, is a prime example of taking an alternative route to development, as seen in its unique, synergistic, four-product collection that uses 413 targeted plant nutrients.
'Unlike aggressive treatments that can deplete skin health, our nutrient-rich formulations work harmoniously with the skin's processes, restoring essential elements often lacking in mature skin,' explained the brand's founder Tammy Demos, formerly of Osmosis and Cosmedix. 'We focus on holistic, preventative care that strengthens your skin's barrier, supports cellular function and promotes overall skin health.'
This is just the beginning for advanced formulas, as other brands like Creal's will continue innovating for the color cosmetics side of things.
'It's not that this group doesn't know how to apply makeup, they do!' she says of her Gen X beauty community. 'It's just that often they're suffering from formula compatibility issues and they don't know it. We want them to know that their navigational nightmare of finding products that work for them is over.'
