Are those in their 30s and 40s overwhelmed by a glut of beauty products?

Until a decade or so ago, a skincare regime started with a cleanser and ended with a moisturiser and nothing in between. We find out how those in their 30s and 40s feel about the burgeoning beauty landscape today

The beauty industry today is more fast-moving than ever before, with innovative action and breakneck movement making it a 100 billion dollar-generating industry year-on-year. From the fusion of beauty and technology, dubbed ‘beauty-tech,’ to the introduction of newer ingredients, there has been no dearth of novelty across skincare, hair care, and make-up, making the space enticing, exciting, and interesting, for Gen-Z in particular. 

However, if you go down memory lane with someone in their 30s or 40s, you will be introduced to a completely different scenario of the beauty industry that thrived on the absolute fundamentals. Face washes, body creams, cold creams (for the face), and physical scrubs were the most viable products that were sold at large, that too, by just a handful of key players in the market. Add the paucity of regular consultations with dermatologists to the widespread promotion of the aforementioned products and you’ll understand why people weren’t apprised of the need for potent skincare solutions.

Times have changed, and new product categories offering a plethora of options have cropped up in the recent past. However, while this flourishing status quo defines the beauty space for the younger generation very organically today, it can be perplexing for someone from the former generations whose introduction to the world of beauty was restricted to just the basics. We speak to women in their 30s and 40s who let us in on their take on the topical beauty industry and whether or not it has become overwhelming for them.

An evolving relationship with skincare 

Like most of us, actor and influencer Nauheed Cyrusi, 40, loved the idea of skincare and indulging in beauty, and thus, ended up ordering a barrage of products from abroad due to the lack of options available in India back in the day. Style coach and content creator Aiana Jain, 45, took her skin for granted till she had to pay several visits to dermatologists in the later stages of life when her skin fell prey to acne and melasma, which eventually educated her about the importance of having a regime. “My relationship with my skincare ritual has grown to become very sacred,” she says. With an augmented awareness surrounding skincare, it has now become a part of most of our daily routines and means different things to different people.

For Sunita Bhatia, 38, the regional head of Data Governance at HSBC Middle East Limited, her overall well-being tends towards positivity when her skin looks and feels good. “Skin health can come through only a very firm routine, given the many stressors and things to do on my list as a mother and an ambitious woman,” she shares. “My night routine until five years ago  meant brushing [my teeth] before bed—that’s all. Today, I have a five-step process before bedtime that kicked in when I saw my under-eye creases. I am well aware that crow’s feet and creases will come with age, which I accept with grace, but when I look back in the future, I’d like to say that I cared and did my best.”

“I’ve never really identified with the trend of skincare as a ritual; for me, it’s more a habit,” says beauty editor Komal Basith, 38. “It holds the same place as any other form of basic self-care, like eating as well as you can, doing some form of exercise, and practising sleep hygiene. The skin is the body’s largest organ and requires maintenance in order for it to function at its best, and that’s how I look at skincare—a necessity.” Basith’s approach towards skincare, then, has been pretty much consistent since her teenage years. “If anything, my knowledge of what my skin needs, prefers, and reacts best to has changed.”

For actor and singer Shibani Dandekar Akhtar, 42, the biggest change transpired in her skin type, and thereby her relationship with skincare. “In my teenage years, I battled with acne quite a bit,” she reveals. “I didn’t really understand what I was supposed to do as we tend to give in to advertising very often without understanding or researching what we’re putting on our face. With age, you happen to understand what works for you not only through a process of trial and error but also by reading about products and ingredients that work for you.”

Another key change pointed out by Dandekar Akhtar is the ability to invest in quality skincare products in a better way with age. “It’s a journey that constantly evolves,” she believes. A good skincare routine has played a very important role for health expert and beauty and wellness blogger Shagun Khanna, 50. “Even when I was young, I held it in great regard to keep my skin nourished and healthy. Of course, back then, it was much simpler. But I never went to bed without cleansing and moisturising my face and to this date, it’s a ritual I abide by. As a teenager too, I was more into looking after my skin than applying make-up,” says Khanna, who prefers products that contain pharmaceutical-grade ingredients.

The metamorphosis of the beauty industry through their eyes

The last few years have been revolutionary for the beauty industry across the globe. From a handful of mainstream product categories (especially in the skin and hair care space) to multiplying categories and product variations, the scope of the industry has broadened evidently. Moreover, virtuous philosophies like refraining from animal-testing, and embracing eco-friendliness, sustainability, clean and green (read: non-toxic) formulations, and a consumer-first approach have now come into play.

To give us an insight into how things have evolved over the years, Khanna draws a parallel with what she witnessed whilst growing up. “In my maternal family, women always applied minimum make-up. I grew up watching my mother and grandmother simply go for a ‘no-make-up make-up look’—a moisturiser, a bit of blush, subtle lipstick, and kajal are all that they used. Today, the beauty/skincare trends are so extensive. From various home remedies to the finest Korean skincare products, everything is exploding on social media with everyone experimenting with something or the other.” Cyrusi agrees, adding, “Innumerable brands have come up with innumerable products which can be overwhelming at times, but allow us to pick and choose according to how they are priced, sized, and other preferences.”

Minal Mulani, marketing manager, international business at Nykaa, has access to everything new in the Indian beauty market, thanks to her job. And yet, despite all the exposure to products, she feels that beauty has become a lot more holistic, and is not just limited to the kind of products you use. “There’s an increased focus on your wellness routine, what you are consuming and how it’s going to affect you internally and externally.”

Besides the sheer variety, the information curve has also sharply inclined. “I feel there is way more information and education about, and availability of, products now versus 20 years ago,” says Jain. Social media has played a key role in Bhatia’s understanding of products and ingredients, paving the way for a well-informed purchasing decision. “Social media has been a boon for me rather than a curse as I’ve learnt about clean (beauty) products and there is so much general awareness on the use cases, particularly of my skin types which have helped me immensely to narrow products and spend wisely.” Along the same lines, Dandekar Akhtar says when you walk through a beauty section of a department store, you are spoilt for choice and often don’t know where to begin. “I think tutorials and bloggers then become helpful, and word of mouth is always great. But ultimately, it is all about trial and error.” 

Revisiting her editorial days, Basith says, “A couple of decades ago, skincare and beauty was filtered through magazines, whose messaging was largely influenced by brands. In many ways, brands controlled the narrative far more than they do today. It's far more 'democratic' now, mainly because the information is more widely available.” She also throws light on the increasing focus on women as individuals. “Fourth-wave feminism has also resulted in the widening of some of the narrowly-held definitions of beauty which influences how brands talk to consumers. This is why traditional magazines no longer hold sway the way they once did because nobody wants to be talked to anymore, they want to be a part of the conversation.”

Has beauty become complicated?

“I’d say to each their own. You can make your beauty routine as complicated or as simple [as you want],” opines Bhatia. “I’m not a beauty products’ freak, and I don’t experiment much, given my skin is extremely sensitive.” Despite being aware of her skin type and needs, Cyrusi still finds the beauty space to be extremely overwhelming today. “The options are endless so sometimes I feel like sticking to the tried-and-tested holy grails. However, more often than not, I tend to gravitate towards newer things which do leave my barrier compromised, at times.” Even though beauty might have been simpler earlier, Mulani doesn’t think the cookie-clutter model was working for everyone. “I was surprised when my dermatologist approved of me using products from homegrown brands with natural ingredients and balancing it out with certain steroids/chemicals I need as SOS (for eczema).”

While Khanna believes that skincare and beauty are definitely not as simple and basic as they used to be about two decades ago, thanks to the availability of information, even the older generations are not left behind. “Most of my followers, who are in their 30s and 40s, are majorly into skincare; they go for regular facials, pay visits to their dermatologists, and are constantly searching for products that have potent ingredients.” 

“To me, skin is endlessly fascinating and the more information we have about how it works from an aesthetic perspective, the better. One is also overwhelmed by the rise of the skincare influencers, who don’t always speak from an authentic point of view because of advertising biases. So while it's become more confusing, if you're willing to spend some time dissecting all the information, you will see that you have much more power than you did before.” 

For Dandekar Akhtar too, the saturated beauty market is overwhelming and confusing “in terms of trying to understand what will work for you.” However, “I think for those of us in our 30s and 40s, we’re a little more equipped with this whole idea of keeping it simple,” she says. “While the beauty space has changed and we’re evolving with it, I think those lessons of just kind of dialling it back and keeping it as simple as possible come in really handy as it is possible to get carried away and feel like you need 15 different products to use on your face.”

Making beauty seamless 

Overwhelming or not, maintaining a skincare routine has become a part of everyday life for many. “I only purchase advanced skincare brands that are backed by science, with potent active ingredients because they show results,” shares Khanna. Jain believes that there are some brands that have mostly aced their formulations, so she is naturally drawn to them. “One product will not tackle all problems; ask the right questions, and just because something is expensive it doesn’t necessarily need to be good.” She also feels that a lot of women her age are too proud of using ‘natural’ products. “Understanding that everything is a chemical, and using the right ones will help.”

Basith advises familiarising yourself with ingredients and finding out the ones that work for you. “After so many years in the industry, I know that a brand can make water in a can seem like a must-have (although in all fairness sometimes it is, depending on the water and depending on your skin).” There is also a major content push, making it easier for people to figure out the beauty world, points out Mulani. I think women and men in their 20s are equipped to handle more information, whereas women in their 30s and 40s have seen things work differently. Today, you have so many people in between the face of a beauty brand and the final purchase of the product to tell you the colours and ingredients that work for your skin and how you can apply them best—advice from people and exchange of information across generations is really important,” shares Dandekar Akhtar. 

“In this crowded FOMO-inducing market, if you are going to experiment, do it with only one new product at a time so if your skin does change how it's behaving, you can pinpoint why,” suggests Basith. “I feel it’s good to just keep it simple. As a suggestion, not just for skincare, but learn to study the signs that your body gives you,” concludes Khanna.

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