Leïla Rochet-Podvin

Premium Beauty News - In the wake of a previous study of Generation X in 2012, Cosmetics Inspiration & Creation is now investigating Generation Y. Can you picture it for us?

Leïla Rochet-Podvin - Indeed, in 2014 the spotlight is on their 18-25-year-old daughters, representing the youngest of the so-called Millennials or Generation Y. [1] They are young adults, who grew up in a world of Internet and mobile devices, they consider social networks as part of their everyday lives and do not make a clear distinction between what happens in the real world and what happens virtually. They have been affected by the economic and environmental crisis that impacts their future outlook and prospects in life, compared to their parents. Let’s not forget, for instance, that in France 24% of young workers aged 24 or less are unemployed, nevertheless their amazing resilience (and LOL state of mind) leads them into a new consumption model more focused on experience sharing and entrepreneurship. Those intending to appeal to this generation have to renew the old marketing models.

Premium Beauty News - What makes its perception of beauty so different compared to previous generations?

Leïla Rochet-Podvin - Women belonging to this generation have a very specific relation to femininity, since their image is easily shared on the net. Their relations with beauty and beauty products widely differs from earlier generations, since most of them were applied skincare products during their youngest years. They are hyper-informed, they appreciate singularity and have their own information sources. As far as personal care products are concerned, they also have specific expectations in terms of beauty, and brands do not always address their needs correctly. Generation Y is also a strategic target because its members are fond of beauty products, despite limited budgets. We have even asked them about the contents of their purse and their bathroom to better understand the "social beauty" picture of this target.

Premium Beauty News - The report deals with France, the USA and South Korea. How did you collect the information? Why are these different areas so illustrative of today’s beauty?

Leïla Rochet-Podvin - First of all, we collected data from the source as we visited New York, Los Angeles and Seoul in order to better understand this generation and see how brands or retailers interact with these women. In addition to various expert testimonies (nutritionists, dermatologists, bloggers, …), the study results from extensive literature research, and includes a survey conducted online among 300 young women aged 18-25 in France, South Korea and in the United States. There were many open questions that helped us to better identify meaningful insights. We chose to focus on three areas: France because it is our country, Korea because K-Beauty has a strong influence worldwide, and in the USA because its is a one of the main markets for the cosmetics industry.

Premium Beauty News - Could you provide us with a short description of the study’s contents?

Leïla Rochet-Podvin - The study features the following chapters: 1/ #Who is Gen Next - Their sociological portrait, 2/ #Brands & Luxury - Their relations with branded and luxury products, 3/ # Femininity & Beauty - Their relations with femininity and beauty, and, 4/ #Boards & Prospective - A prospective outlook on four visions of femininity and beauty in the future. To discover the study, we propose a one hour and a half presentation at our client’s office, together with an optional creativity workshop.