Anti-aging Vanishing Act

Friday, October 27, 2017

Anti-aging.

Do a quick internet search for that term and you’ll get over 62 million results. The market for anti-aging products has an exponentially higher number; according to Euromonitor International, in 2016, the anti-aging companies garnered an astounding $13.3 billion. And the money spent was not just by women over forty; in recent survey, one in five women said they began using anti-aging products in their mid-twenties.

It appears, however, that the search for the Fountain of Youth is slowing down, with consumers choosing to invest their money in a healthier lifestyle over cosmetics and other anti-aging products. Where the consumers go, the industry is following; in August, 2017, Michelle Lee, the Editor in Chief of Allure, stated that the magazine would no longer use the term “anti-aging.”

Lee insisted that, while no one was suggesting “giving up retinol,” it was time to celebrate “growing into your own skin—wrinkles and all.” She went on to write that, “...changing the way we think about aging starts with changing the way we talk about aging. With that in mind, and starting with this issue, we are making a resolution to stop using the term ‘anti-aging. Whether we know it or not, we’re subtly reinforcing the message that aging is a condition we need to battle—think anti-anxiety meds, antivirus software, or antifungal spray.”

Some might think this is just spin, to paraphrase Shakespeare, “Rose hips oil by any other name still works wonders for your skin.” Maybe…maybe not.

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