People
Amongst the four pillars, people are at the forefront of the fashion and cosmetic industry, with this pillar in particular allowing us to understand and explore deeper into consumer-business relationships. Gen z, in particular, have had an immense influence over the industry due to their strong concern for environmental and social issues within society, seeing them favour brands that align with their beliefs and avoiding those that don’t (Amed et al, 2019). As consumers, they value transparency from companies, with no fear towards boycotting brands with unethical values and views, ultimately placing more pressure on companies to maintain responsibility.
Figure 1: how important is it that a fashion brand shows it is: environmentally and ethically sustainable (Drapers, 2023)
Due to a drastic change in outlook between the Millennial Generation and Generation Z, companies need to be more aware of the new consumer needs of Gen Z. Brands need to reassess and focus on consumption as an access rather than possession, an expression of individuality and a matter of ethical concern (Francis and Hoefel, 2018). Despite this, the fashion and beauty industries are designed in an opaque manner, hiding its exploitative nature. This no longer holds up, due to generational shifts in mindsets, where Gen Z is adding new pathways to fashion by putting forth their thoughts regarding creative styles and designs that are being sought (Muralidhar and Raja, 2019).
A brand that executes the valued, ethical qualities of Gen Z (e.g – diversity) well is singer Rhianna’s Fenty beauty. When Fenty launched the Pro Filt’r Foundation, they released it in 40 shades which all focused on hard to match skin tones, pinpointing universal shades, and creating formulas for all skin types (Werle, 2019). The release of the brands 40 shades was met with mixed opinions, both positive and negative. Many brands responded to this by launching new formulations with 40 shades or adding extra shades to existing lines, while others who already had 40 shades didn’t see the impact. However, when comparing the lightness values of Fenty beauty’s 40’ shades to Makeup Forevers, it was evident that Fenty’s foundation was more evenly distributed to support a greater range of skin tones, whilst Makeup Forever’s failed to reach the richness or extensiveness of Fenty’s (Li, 2018).
Figure 2 & 3: A depiction and comparison of Fenty Beauty’s 40 shades of foundation vs Makeup Forever’s 40 shades (Li, 2018)
In order for cosmetic brands to be successful, they need the ability to communicate, understand and then translate customer needs through into their products, like Fenty beauty’s 40 shade foundation. By being able to confidently give consumers what they ask for, whilst upholding the immensely high standards set by Gen Z’s shopping trends, cosmetic brands would be able to increase their credibility and reliability with customers, which in turn would increase their popularity.
References:
Amed, I.A, Balchandani, A.B, Beltrami, M.B, Berg, A.B, Hedrich, S.H & Rölkens, F.R. (2019) Mckinskey & Company: the Influence of Woke Consumers on Fashion Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/the-influence-of-woke-consumers-on-fashion (Accessed: 11 October 2023)
Drapers (2023) How important is it that a fashion brand shows it is: environmentally and ethically sustainable? Available at: https://www.drapersonline.com/guides/gen-z-and-millennials-2023 (Accessed: 10 October 2023)
Francis, T.F. & Hoefel, F.H. (2018) Mckinsey & Company: ‘True Gen’: Generation Z and it’s implications for companies. Available at: https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/consumer-packaged-goods/our-insights/true-gen-generation-z-and-its-implications-for-companies (Accessed: 11 October 2023)
Li, J.L. (2018) The Pudding: The diversity of Makeup shades. Available at: https://pudding.cool/2018/06/makeup-shades/ (Accessed: 15 October 2023).
Muralidhar, A. and Raja, A.S., 2019. Understanding the purchase intention characteristics of Gen Y and Gen Z and introspecting the modern demand variables in fashion industry. International Journal of Scientific and Engineering Research, 10(12), pp.144-170. (Accessed: 14 October 2023)
Werle, A., 2019. Beyond Light, Medium, and Dark: Diversity and Inclusivity in the Makeup and Beauty Industries. (Accessed 14 October 2023)