A study on female baby boomers and their views on beauty, their own and that of the industry. Of course, many believe that the fact that baby boomers, the largest and most affluent consumer segment, is completely misrepresented, underrepresented or even ignored in media and advertising is completely absurd. But is it just our Boombox team (all of which members are highly alert and observant of all matters of media & boomers) that thinks that or…? To find out for a fact, we decided to ask the people who knew, i.e. the female members of our own network of baby boomers bloggers and influencers. We presented our survey to the women in that group and asked them questions around the theme of ”How do women over the age of 45 REALLY feel about ‘beauty’ at their age”. More precisely, how do they feel about their own beauty and about the advertising/marketing of the beauty products that targets them. For more information, contact us at Hello [at] BoomboxNetwork [dot] com

1. A STUDY ON FEMALE
BABY BOOMERS AND
THEIR VIEWS ON BEAUTY
October 2012
We specialize in reaching
Baby Boomers through social media
BOOMboxNetwork.com

2. The BOOMbox Baby Boomer
Beauty Survey
THE PREMISE!
!
In September 2012, BOOMbox Network conducted an online beauty survey, culling respondents from its
own network of baby boomers bloggers and influencers. The premise was to find out how women over
the age of 45 REALLY feel about “beauty” at their age, more precisely, how they feel about their own
beauty and about the advertising/marketing that targets them. In the following pages, you will find the
summary of the data and a selection of the comments submitted in the open ended questions and
additional comment boxes. !
THE DEMOGRAPHICS!
!
Keep in mind that this sample set consisted of women ages 45+ in our network of bloggers and
influencers. While these women are not your average “Jane”, they are the ones who actively voice
their opinions and preferences online and are recognized as bona fide influencers in their respective
circles:!
85% have a household income of over $75,000!
83% have completed a college education!
56% are self-employed and 24% work full-time!
75% are married (17% are divorced)!
67% were between ages 45 -57, 26% were between 58-67, 7% were 68 or older!

3. The Sample Set’s Demographics

4. Q. What makes you feel beautiful?
Tell us about that feeling. Is there something or someone that triggers it? What other words
would you use to describe the feeling of being beautiful?!
!
This open-ended question resulted in many similar/consistent answers to give us a portrait of the Baby
Boomer’s feelings about her own beauty. Here are the highlights:!
!
1. The importance of HAIR, and then of MAKEUP: an overwhelming amount of responses included
the mention of hair: Having a good hair day, having hair freshly colored/cut/styled. Having makeup
on was also a great contributor to having our respondents feel beautiful, but it took secondary place
after hair. Asked about regular use of the following products, 94% of respondents use hair care
(shampoo & conditioner), 67% use hair styling products and 65% use hair color. !
“I feel beautiful just after a shower, when my hair is styled and my makeup is freshly applied”!
!
2. A loving HUSBAND or loved ones: Feeling loved correlates closely with feeling beautiful. This is
the second most often mentioned trigger to feeling beautiful. !
“Sometimes I’m told I look radiant and this correlates to being well-loved”!
“I feel beautiful when I am with my family and they tell me they love me”!
“My husband always makes me feel beautiful”!
!

5. What makes you feel beautiful? (cont’d)
3. A good night’s SLEEP: sleep is consistently mentioned and feeling rested or not is a very clear
indicator to a Boomer woman’s feeling about her beauty.!
“Getting enough sleep is key for me…when I don’t sleep well for a number of nights, I’m very much
affected. I look in the mirror and I see an old person”!
“Getting enough sleep is a huge factor in how beautiful I feel, followed closely by my weight and
fitness level”.!
!
4. WORKOUT & EAT right: another recurring theme. These midlife women feel best when they take
care of their bodies too: !
!
“I feel beautiful when I work out regularly and feel fit and at a good weight, eat well”!
“I feel beautiful when I am healthy and fit”!
!
5. The (GIRL) friends: Being around friends, especially girl-friends seems to have a way of
rejuvenating and relaxing and making women feel beautiful.!
“I feel beautiful when I am with friends, enjoying myself”!
!

6. Q. Think of someone whom you feel
has true beauty…
It can be anyone, friend, family member, co-worker or celebrity. How would you define her true
beauty? This open-ended question aimed to broaden the question beyond self. !
!
!
!
1. The consensus is loud and clear. CONFIDENCE is a definite determinant of beauty: !
“Those I know who are truly beautiful are all in possession of one thing – confidence”!
“True beauty is women who are confident in their own skin they care for their physical bodies but are
also working on their inner beauty”!
!
2. NATURAL beauty is appreciated, especially as women grow older. Repeated references to “natural”
included: !
“Naturally beautiful. Not fake, plastic-surgery-beautiful. And of course, beautiful inside as well”!
“Natural, easy, subtle”!
“She’s natural and doesn’t appear to work overly hard to look that way, but she looks groomed and
polished and takes care of her appearance”!
“Natural looking, light makeup, natural hair coloring (even when it’s not natural), fit...”!
!

7. Think of someone whom you feel has
true beauty…(cont’d)
3. INNER beauty. Though it sounds like a cliché, boomer women appreciate what’s underneath all the
makeup and artifice: !
“I think beauty is projected from the inside; women who FEEL beautiful ARE beautiful”!
“beautiful personality as well as physical beauty”!
“My friend has real inner beauty that stems from her feeling comfortable in her own skin”!
“Beauty is so much more than simple physical attributes”!
!
!
And this response summed it all up pretty well: “I am surrounded by beautiful women. They are not
covered in makeup… but covered in confidence and smiles. They do not let life defeat them and they do
not try to look decades younger than they are. They are classic, chic, strong and dignified.”!
!

9. Q. At what age did you feel the most
beautiful?
Surprisingly, older women are not really yearning for the beauty of their youths. To the contrary, they
seem to grow more confident in their beauty as they age:!
!
4% felt most beautiful in their teens!
8% felt most beautiful in the 20’s!
28% felt most beautiful in the 30’s!
28% feel/felt most beautiful in the 40’s!
17% feel/felt most beautiful in the 50’s!
!
The “Feel most beautiful” age is when women are between their 30’s and 50’s. Not in their
teens or twenties as the beauty and fashion industry would lead us to believe. !
!
“I still feel beautiful in my 50s, but in a different way. I feel sexy but in a different way.”!
“I feel increasingly beautiful inside, and out, as I get older and know myself better and trust
myself more.”!
“Physically, it was the 30s; psychologically and spiritually, it’s now.”!
“The forties rock!”!
“I always felt like I got more beautiful with age.”!
!

11. Q. Which areas would you like to improve?
And are you currently using products for them and which ones don’t you see as a problem?!

12. Which areas would you like to improve? (cont’d)
Of course, all the areas indicated above
have potential for being aesthetically
aggravating in an aging woman’s opinion.
But, it is interesting to see which are more
and which are less of a problem. The “Want
to improve but not using products” column
can lead to some interesting need-gap
revelations: !
!
“My biggest concern at this point is
brown/age spots on my face. Would
love to find a product that makes a
difference but no luck yet (at least not
products at an affordable price)”!
!
“Dark spots! Nothing works!”!
!
“Affordable products to tighten the next
area would be great too”.!
!

13. Q. Think about how your ideas may have
changed within the past decade or more:
These results directly confront the
popular belief that “older” women no
longer care about their physical beauty.
While some may mourn younger
selves, many still prefer to look their
very best, especially to combat the
feelings of “invisibility” as mentioned by
so many middle-aged women. !
!
It’s especially important to note that
many baby boomer women WANT to
improve their looks but simply don’t
know how. They are not helpless or
passive but they do want better
information. !
“I am someone who is now using much more product than in the past”.!
!
“I’m allergic to wheat and soy and need to find products without those ingredients”, “So many products
on the market today, it’s tough to parse through them all – without spending a fortune to see what might
actually work”!

14. Boomer women want to look their best. AND,"
they need information!
“Whitening toothpastes, and
anti-aging products make me
crazy. There are a million
gazillion out there and I have
no idea what to pick. Even
when I think I know the brand
I want - then they have too
many choices and the
options do not explain to me
which ones I need. Just tell
me if I want to work on X
then use Y.”!
!
“After an ad catches !
my eye, I want
INFORMATION”!
!
“I don’t have the foggiest idea
of what to do for most of
these things [signs of aging]”!
!
!
!

15. Q. Many ads for beauty products feature product
claims. How credible do you feel these are?

16. How credible do you feel the beauty product
claims are?
The longer it takes for a product to prove its claims, the less likely its claims are to be believed.
Claims for products that have hard-to-measure results (anti-aging) definitely suffer the most credibility
issues. !
!
“I am very suspicious of any claims. I rely on “I don't understand how beauty companies
peer advice and actual experience of product. can issue such outrageous claims about their
I do not buy "miracle" products either, I am products when most consumers know this
not desperate enough to spend inordinate claims will never translate in reality. How is
amounts of money on something that is not that even allowed? And how are they allowed
backed by hard science.”! all the deceiving photoshopping on their
! advertisements that imply the results of the
! given product?”!
“Most ads are not credible at all. You have to !
try the product yourself. I'm sometimes !
guided by reviews in women's magazines. “How would anyone know [if a product works]
Ads are ads, inherently biased as the unless they spent months or years with half
company tries to sell you something.”! their face covered in one thing, and the other
! half of their face in something else?”!

17. Q. When it
comes to the
majority of
advertising by
beauty and
grooming
brands, how do
you feel about
their
advertisements?

18. “How do you feel about beauty product
ads?” (cont’d)
The vehemence of the opinions expressed by our baby boomer respondents begs to be noted.
Credibility and relatability of advertisements for beauty and grooming products are at very low levels
and hinder the connection with the midlife female consumer. See the comments to this effect: !
!
“I dislike the airbrushing and editing of images. I dislike the manipulating of live images with lenses
and lighting.”!
!
“I know when a claim is false, or I know how to research and/or compare it with another product for
reference. In other words, don't try to BS me. My primary complaint in advertisements is the brand
using an obviously younger model than the market they're supposed to be targeting.”!
!
“The models never represent anyone in my age group and so how can I believe that an anti-aging
product works on a twenty-something model with perfect skin and access to all the best cosmetic
treatments?”!

19. More about “How do feel about beauty ads” "
(cont’d)
!
!
“Listen, I'd love to look like the models in their ads, but -- HELLO? -- most of the models used are like
teenagers. I'm not stupid enough to believe I can use that product and look like a teenagers.”!
!
“Can't aspire to a photoshopped model. Most models are well under my age.”!
!
“I do not understand why more companies do not select models or real life situations for the over 50
women. This demographic is so large and the potential so great. I cannot identify with most of the ads
for products I need. It would be so great to see a campaign for the average over 50 woman who is
professional...maybe she is a grandmother, but she is leading a vibrant, active life. We need
transitioning advice and just cannot find it anywhere for our real lives. Using over 50 celebrities is OK,
but we all know they have more income than we do....what is wrong with using actual women??”!
!
“I do resent the anti-aging products using young models who can't possibly have wrinkles yet!”!

20. Q. What are your likes and dislikes about
beauty and grooming product advertising?
Quite apparently, middle-aged women would like to see the use of people their own age (87%), as well the use
of “real” people (86%), in beauty and grooming product advertisements. They are quite indifferent to the use of
celebrities. But certainly, they are expressing a clear preference for being marketed to with a representation
that is closer to their reality. One recurring “theme” that emerges is how this group of women are really wishing
for more and better information about the beauty products than what they currently see in most advertising in
this category.!
!

21. Likes and dislikes about beauty product
advertising? (cont’d)
“I wrote a blog post called "Fifteen Shades of
Gray" about letting my hair return to its natural “When young people are used for anti-aging
color. Here's a short link: http://wp.me/ products it makes me disbelieve the claims.”!
p1NlBZ-VO I note and applaud the use of “Everything is photoshopped now anyway. You
models such as Cindy Joseph, who, with her can't believe what you see.”!
long silver hair, is simply stunning. A young !
reader commented, reminding me of another !
model of a certain age—the exquisite Carmen “I understand the use of younger women to sell
Dell 'Orefice. So people—and not just in my a product. I too love beauty. In today's
demographic—are paying attention to this photoshop world however I have become
topic.”! immune to claim of beauty through image. I
! know that the model's PMS pimple was
! airbrushed out, that her waist was whittled in
“I like ads that use models from the and that any potential flaws have been
demographic being targeted. Using a young eliminated. Unfortunately it makes for a
woman to tout acne products? appropriate.. homogeneous look that we just don't care about
using that same young woman to sell wrinkle after a while.”!
cream? not so much.”!
!

22. Q. Tell us about
your preferred
sources to learn
about beauty
products:
Word-of-Mouth, either through family
and friends, through beauty stylists or
via the opinions of a trusted blog, is
still the best source of reference. !
!
And, though magazines are suffering
from various ailments of late, and
whether women enjoyed the
advertisements seen within the pages
(see previous slides), their editorial
content and/or the ads were still
mentioned repeatedly as a favorite
source to learn about new beauty
products. !

23. In conclusion?
We have presented the findings from our survey. Now, we invite you to make your own interpretation,
to draw your own conclusion. !
!
In our opinion, the Baby Boomer females, by their sheer volume, will demand a new order for the
democratization of beauty. !
!
Let’s see if the beauty brands are listening. !
We are happy to provide more information, the raw
data, or present our findings in a more formal
fashion via webinar or other online presentation. !

24. Thank you!
To get your
questions answered:
Anne-Marie Kovacs
Co-Founder & Principal
Tel:312.985.7533
AMK@BoomboxNetwork.com