Friday, August 21, 2009

Anti-Aging Products - A Growth Industry

The population (that's all of us) is aging! We all know the dire warnings that social security will run out of money someday as those drawing from the fund outnumber those paying in. We also know that boomers are the youngest "older set" in history. We aren't giving in to the idea that we should head out to pasture. We want to keep lookin' good as candles multiply on our birthday cakes.

The beauty industry has taken note. I was reading in WWD BeautyBiz that in Japan, a beauty market second only to the United States, over a third of the population will be aged 65 and over by the year 2013. The magazine quoted Nicole Fall, the trend director at consumer research company Five by Fifty, as saying, "Kanebo broke new ground by using an aged woman with gray hair as a model in order to appeal to and create a sense of pride among women in their 50s and 60s." Funny what she considers "aged." Take a look at Helen Mirren here!

Given the many recent anti-aging product introductions in the United States, it appears to me that the US market is in lockstep with Japan. I read in the New York Times that by 2030 there will be more Americans over 65 than under 18. Not only is this a good thing for women over 40, it's going to be a great help to all women by drawing attention to the need to protect our skin. When we were in our early 20s, we thought nothing of sunning all day with no protection from the sun - just a baby oil slick, which we thought would help us tan. Most of us paid no attention to the need for daily skin care or moisturizers. We were young, invincible, and way too cavalier about our skin. I have no memory of skin cancer warnings (and I do have a good memory).

Today, as companies target skin care as aggressively as they market color launches, all women have options available to prevent or reverse the signs of aging. Few who follow "beauty" can claim that they didn't know or never heard about the effects of sun exposure or the need to moisturize. We are more health conscious than ever. There are even Web sites/blogs devoted to anti-aging. For an example, check out Simply Anti-Aging.

As new anti-aging products are introduced, I will continue to test them. There will always be something better coming along, and I, like others, want to use the latest "technology" to nurture my skin.

What can you do? Read and research ingredients before you buy! That's how I found the excellent and effective products I am using. What's right for me may not be what's right for you. So don't fall for the hype; do your homework!

If you have any products you would like to recommend, please comment. We all love first-hand testimonials!

2 comments:

Anna said...

I like Renova but it dries out my skin. I think I have fewer wrinkles from it.

Charlestongirl said...

Anna, that was the problem I had with Renova. It was worse than just "dry," though. I looked like a peeling red apple. The flakes from the remedy were worse than the condition. My dermatologist gave up. Now he's pushing Restylane.