Michele Superchi is vice president of BeautyStreams and featured presenter at In-Cosmetics Global. The world's largest exhibition for the global cosmetics industry is set for April 16-18 in Paris. Superchi recently spoke with Happi to discuss the unique beauty needs of older consumers.


Happi: Years ago, it was generally believed that once a woman reaches 70 and is out of the workforce, her interest in regular cosmetic application declines. At the same time, hair color use declines as well. How does the concept of Health-Span Beauty change that?

Superchi: The beauty market is finally shifting from a youth-centric standpoint to one that recognizes and respects the concept of ageless beauty. This creates opportunities for brands to cater to consumers with mature skin, with color cosmetics that are formulated to work with the skin as it ages. Harnessing advanced data and technologies to develop high-tech devices and customized products that better meet the needs of the aging consumer will become paramount. From personalized product recommendations to virtual try-ons, technology can make makeup routines more personalized than ever, allowing brands to better address the needs of consumers with mature skin. It is also becoming essential to address the effects of the hormonal shifts that perimenopausal and menopausal women face, by offering inclusive makeup regimens and products that cater to their specific needs.

With The North American Menopause Society estimates that 1.1 billion women worldwide will be postmenopausal by 2025, the market potential toward menopause cannot be ignored. Awareness and education around perimenopause and menopause are growing and menopause care is developing into a distinct, standalone category within beauty, health and wellness to support women in feeling their best, both internally and externally. The many physical changes that perimenopause and menopause can cause directly affect the appearance of the face, body and hair. A new generation of products is increasingly hitting the market to address the effects of such hormonal shifts, offering both personal care and wellness solutions to help them feel better inside and out. From specially modified skincare formulations to topical hair care and hormone-regulating supplements to sexual health products, the menopause category is steadily expanding. Hormone testing is also slowly becoming a key solution in giving consumers a personalized perspective on their hormone levels. Assessing hormonal balance through salivary testing is a non-invasive, painless and convenient tool to obtain a detailed picture of an individual's hormonal health.


Happi: At the same time, men would seem to “give up” at an even earlier age. How will Health Span Beauty change the men's grooming market?

Superchi: With millions of men over the age of 50 being affected by baldness, the time has arrived to engage the conversation further and offer solutions that address the multifactorial causes of hair loss. Advanced science and ingredients are pushing forward the knowledge around balding, allowing brands to investigate up-to-date products and services by exploring everything from stem-cell treatments to micro-needling and laser therapy devices, through gene editing technology and hair-regenerating medicine. Among them, exosomes hold promise for the prevention and treatment of hair loss as they stimulate the hair follicles. Now, regenerative therapies powered by exosomes are slowly emerging, offering potential for the hair care industry as they could promote hair regeneration and be used in the development of future treatments for alopecia. Experts and scientists are also looking into using patient stem cells to grow hair follicles from scratch in a lab. There is hope that hair regenerative medicine can be an option for severe hair loss patients who do not have sufficient hair for hair transplantation.

Men's hormonal health, particularly andropause – the change associated with testosterone levels lowering with age – is also gaining recognition and presents an opportunity within the health-span topic. An awareness of hormonal changes among men creates an opportunity for brands to respond to male wellness demands, a topic that has been somewhat neglected in the past, with a new era of solutions formulated to optimize men's hormone levels. At-home hormone optimization programs offering a more personal and customizable approach to men’s health are just beginning but are promising. Digital consultations, at-home health assessments and expert-designed medical treatments are slowly being offered by new players in the wellness industry. While still in an exploratory stage, diving into personalized digital or telehealth assessment technologies could lead to more opportunities for brands to engineer test-and-treat programs to heal the top concerns caused by fluctuating hormones.


Happi: Keeping skin looking young gets more difficult with time. Aside from procedures, what cosmetic formulas or ingredients are best to consider for older (80+) skin?

Superchi: Breakthroughs in science (genetics, biology and technology) are redefining what it means to be human, and many companies and researchers are actively working and investing heavily to reverse the aging process, leading to much hope for healthy longevity. Regenerative biology offers exciting perspectives, using the human body as its healing catalyst. Exosomes—emerging bioactive substances involved in multiple biological and cellular activities of the skin—hold enormous potential as therapeutic and cosmetic ingredients to promote cell regeneration, enhancing the skin’s innate healing capacity. Epidermal growth factors—polypeptides developed to speed up wound recovery and stimulate skin growth—are praised as a “silver bullet” in helping skin regenerate to combat the effects of aging, after aesthetic treatments or to recover from sun damage.

Advances in big data, machine learning, artificial intelligence and predictive analytics tools are leading to hopes of major advancements in terms of a longer and healthier life. Wearables and telehealth services are fast becoming tools by which one can monitor, track, map and prolong the span of good health. Digital technology allows for detailed analyses of health and skin metrics to be performed and will continue providing insights into the future of hyper-personalized skincare, health and wellness.

As part of health-span implications, we expect to see a surge in cognitive care needs. According to cognitive research, accelerated brain aging can lead to a variety of health issues, including a rise in mental health disorders, impaired mental function and a heightened risk of neurodegenerative conditions. Today, there is increased awareness that better mental health starts with better brain health and that the brain, just like any other part of the body, needs to be exercised and cared for. Brain health will become the newest frontier of health-span beauty with wellbeing products and tools designed to enhance brain performance and cognitive function, while supporting mental health, coming into the spotlight. We can also expect to see a rise in brain-tracking devices and wearables, brain sensors and brain-computer interfaces that enable the early diagnosis and personalized treatment of cognitive decline.


Michele Superchi, vice president of BeautyStreams, will speak in the Marketing Trends Theatre at In-Cosmetics Global on April 16 from 1:45-2:30pm in the session entitled “Health-Span Beauty: The impact of longevity on our industry.”

In-Cosmetics Global takes place at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, April 16-18 2024. To register click here.