Over-50s women biggest buyers of beauty products

ONCE the beauty industry was defined by 20-somethings copying the coltish models of the day, but now its most important customers are women twice their age.

The over- 0s have become the biggest buyers of beauty products in the UK – fuelled by the rise of older cosmetics brand ambassadors such as Dame Helen Mirren and Jane Fonda.

Total average expenditure on cosmetics products for women from the age of 0 to when they turn 70 is now up to £43,446, which makes this age group the biggest spending for the first time. Women aged over 4 account for 8.14 per cent of the beauty market, while the over-60s are behind a quarter of all beauty sales in Britain – more than double that of a decade ago.

The 4 - 4 age group now spends £2,238 a year on beauty products – up 4.1 per cent on previous years. The -64 age group now spends £2,190, which at an increase of 4.9 per cent makes it the UK beauty industry’s biggest growth area.

The boom has been put down to cosmetics companies such as L’Oreal and NARS taking on older stars to sell their products.

Escentual.com beauty director Emma Leslie said: ‘The peak age for women to take care of their beauty is now 49 – this is the tipping point age when many women realise they have to try harder to keep their looks. Back in the 2000s the peak spending age would have been around the late 30s.

‘A lot of this shift is also down to the use of older brand beauty ambassadors, but women over 0 now tend to have more active social and work lives and so are more inclined to make sure they keep their looks. They are much more likely nowadays to pay for premium products to help maintain a more youthful appearance.’

But while middle-aged ladies are now spending more on cosmetics, younger women are actually spending less.

The 19-24 age group now spends £1,7 9 a year on cosmetics (a fall of 12 per cent), the 2 -34 age group spends £2,04 (a fall of per cent) and among 3 to 44-year-olds, there has been just a slight increase of 1.2 per cent to £2,183 a year.

The Escentual. com market research also found that younger women tend to buy cheaper brands than more mature women.