From a general point of view, the study shows that cosmetics help young people to have more control over themselves and their own bodies. 85 percent of adolescents and young adults say they use cosmetic products in order to feel more confident.
It the same for colour cosmetics. Younger German women do not make any compromises when it comes to their appearance - everything has to be perfect and many of them won’t leave the house anymore without makeup.
Mascara is the first makeup item for young women
The study finds that 67 percent of 14- to 21-year-old women say that highlighting their eyes is very important and that mascara is an indispensable companion for them in daily life. They apply mascara every day, some of them even multiple times a day. Some of them even say the brush for their lashes is almost more important than a toothpaste or a deodorant.
Many young consumers own several mascaras and decide which one to use depending on the occasion. A student participant said: “I have three types of mascaras - one for everyday, one waterproof, when we have sports, for example, and in the summer, and then another one, a large brush, for the big event”.
For young women, eye makeup has more than just one function in the daily routine: on the one hand, it helps to improve someone’s aesthetics and to accentuate one’s own femininity, on the other hand, it acts as a deliberate eye-catcher, especially towards the other sex.
Lipsticks: a transition to adulthood
While many young women use mascaras and nail polishes as a stepping stone into the world of cosmetics (first experiences are often made by 11-year-olds), the first use of lipsticks usually happens later in the transition to adulthood, the study finds.
“Accentuating the lips makes many women at a young age uncomfortable, as they do not feel grown up enough. Red lips are seen as seductive, and are viewed by most young women as ‘over the top’ for a daily routine. The fear of looking ‘cheap’ also prevents especially young girls from intensively using lipstick,” says IKW.
Wearing lipstick is therefore mainly popular on special occasions, or on a “bad hair day”, when attention should be drawn away from something that is not perfect.
“Adolescents place a lot of importance on their outer image. 60 percent of them stated that they generally believe that it is possible to read a person by their appearance. Puberty is a very unsettling phase in a person’s life which brings with it a feeling of loss of control and this is what the young adults are fighting against. Using cosmetics makes them feel more confident and deodorant and acne creams are seen as indispensable everyday essentials.” explains Ines Imdahl, owner and managing director of Rheingold Salon. “As far as colour cosmetics are concerned, while adolescents often wear decorative products such as mascara and nail polish from quite an early age, other products such as lipsticks only become important a few years later, when emphasising femininity plays a more important role.”
