CEW welcome industry leaders in the 50 + cosmetics industry to champion the ‘group that big brands forgot’
  
On the 14th May, CEW welcomed Imogen Matthews, Jane Atherton and Tricia Cusden for the mentoring event ‘Older, Richer Wiser’. Sharing their expertise on the untapped 50+ beauty industry, guests were treated to a wealth of knowledge on how to engage with this lucrative audience that makes up a growing demographic of the UK population.
Imogen Matthews, Managing Director of IM Associates
Owner and author of the report which inspired this forum, ‘Older Women in Beauty: The Golden Opportunity.’, Imogen is a voice of esteemed authority in the beauty industry. Revealing fascinating insights about the premium industry as a whole, and the important role that mature women play in it, Imogen spoke about the huge opportunities that exist for brands today to reach this ‘forgotten demographic’. Published in February this year, the report includes exclusive consumer research that highlights issues facing mature consumers choosing, buying and using beauty products. It addresses the key question: what do women over 50 really want from the beauty industry – with a series of recommendations for beauty professionals looking to target this import and lucrative demographic.
In summary, the report finds that women today have a strong dissatisfaction with unrepresentative advertising, negative associations with ageing and impractically small fonts on beauty products.
Jane Atherton, Founder of luxury skincare brand Phytomone
Jane’s combined experience of skin therapy, clinical nutrition and endocrinology has given her the in-depth knowledge and expertise needed to launch her collection of specialised skincare products for hormonally changing skin, which she developed after her own experience with menopause. Created specifically for women aged 35 plus, the range has been meticulously created by Jane, using high performance special actives designed by a team of Nobel Prize scientists to ensure optimal performance.
Jane’s talk focused primarily on the stigma attached with menopause and of her struggle with marketing her product and whether to include the term ‘menopause’ on her packaging. After carrying out market research, Jane discovered that women wanted a menopause specific skincare range, but did not want ‘menopause’ on the labels, choosing to refer to the line as “luxury skincare for hormonally changing skin”. With the growth of social media online, Jane also spoke of how the internet has helped her interact with women experiencing menopause, enabling her to build further on her expertise and experience in this area. Jane later developed a Facebook page entitled ‘Menopause Remedies’ and with 12,000+ members, is recognised as the most popular Facebook page in the UK for menopause, where women could share their experiences and take comfort in the knowledge and understanding that Jane could offer.
Tricia Cusden, Founder and Managing Director of Look Fabulous Forever
At age 65, Tricia decided she needed a new challenge. As her skin aged, she struggled to find beauty products that worked for her. Frustrated with testing products multiple times without success, she decided to make beauty products for older women and, after designing a range of make-up and selecting a manufacturer, Look Fabulous Forever was born.
When she first started selling the products, Tricia hosted an array of make-up parties at customers’ homes, which was fun, but hard work. It was only when she launched a YouTube video showing real women aged between 55 to 87 trying the make-up and showing them how to apply it, that the brand’s online sales sky rocketed, leading her to make the decision to only sell online. When speaking of her own experience in the beauty industry, Tricia stressed that the majority of older women are pro-aging not anti-aging. Older women are more focused on skin comfort rather than eliminating lines and wrinkles. More importantly, older women are more focused on finding skincare that keeps their skin healthy, not looking to replicate the appearance of 20-year old. Tricia’s brand strapline “pro-age makeup created specifically for older women”, is testament to the brand’s ethos.
CEW’s Mentoring Series - where leading executives offer insights into beauty industry issues and inspiration for professional growth.
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