The multi-billion blind spot: why the cosmetics sector needs to 'see' the silver economy in beauty

Walk into any Superdrug or Boots and watch the makeup aisle for fifteen minutes and you will see the beauty blind spot in action. The scene is, honestly, predictable. Yes, you'll catch glimpses of teenagers huddled together, giggling over a mystery bag of Feral Teddy plumping lip gloss or the latest contouring stick made famous by an influencer. But watch closer. What happens when it's time to pay? You’ll see the silver economy in beauty in real-time action.

Often, the young woman steps aside and a parent or grandparent swipes the card. And what about that same middle-aged woman? Is she there just to bankroll the next generation's beauty routine? Absolutely not. She’s filling her own basket, and often with budget products as well as more expensive, treatment-led cosmetics.

'It's not for her, it's for me.' The silver economy in beauty is embracing budget as well as premium products, but market reports often tell another story. This image is for illustration purposes only - I should have asked someone to take a snap of me buying my adored Feral Teddy! (I got the orange one.)

I don’t often admit it, but I’m 60 years old. I am a keen follower of UK beauty market trends in 2026. I’m an active, daily user of TikTok, Instagram and various other online platforms. I’m not just scrolling; I'm buying. I am part of a generation that arguably has more disposable income than the under-30s. We’ve finished raising families and our focus is often, quite frankly, laser-locked on chasing the dream of eternal youth — or, more accurately, the newest elixirs and blurring products that will, with savvy use, turn back the clock by at least a decade. They could cost £3 or £80.

The truth is blindingly obvious to me, standing there in my local Superdrug in Bridport. But if you pick up almost any major market analysis report on the £30 billion UK beauty sector, you will see a very different story. These reports suggest that the middle tier of the market is ‘sluggish’ or ‘faltering’, and that any growth is coming primarily from Gen Z and younger. This disconnection is not just a statistical anomaly; I believe it’s the very cause of the market’s stagnation. The UK beauty industry isn't just missing a beat; it is ignoring an entire, incredibly lucrative (and sometimes desperate) orchestra. 

Women like me follow trends. We are interested in ‘what’s next’ and 'how can we look younger?'. We are often willing to pay a ‘hope tax’ to find the answers. Hell, we were once punk rockers, into two-tone and rocked the '80s untill they died and came back again.

The problem with the data: misreading silver economy in beauty

First, we must acknowledge the figures, even if they contradict the lived reality. Standard market intelligence from giants like Mintel and Euromonitor routinely points to the incredible spending power of the 18–34 demographic. For example, recent reports show that the under-35s are the primary drivers of trend-led beauty — items like high-coverage foundation, colourful eyeshadow palettes and products from viral influencer brands.

These numbers are factually correct, but they are critically incomplete. Why? For two main reasons.

Firstly, they suffer from what I call the ‘Bank of Mum and Dad Bias’. Market data tracks transactions. It sees a card swiped and records the purchase of a £40 high-end anti-frizz serum or a £10 eyeshadow palette. It doesn't, however, distinguish whose hand is on the card. When a 19-year-old picks out a haul of budget beauty products, but her 50-something mother pays for it, the data points to the products being ‘for a young person’ and ‘popular with that demographic’. It completely misses the fact that the actual financial agent is a middle-aged woman. The economic engine of that purchase is my demographic, even if the user is not. And, actually, it very often is the middle-aged woman, minus a teenager in tow, using the products. Trust me.

Secondly, standard reports can’t capture the ‘Invisible Demolition’. These reports are built around categories. When I buy a product from a viral TikTok advertisement — let’s say, an Obsessed For Less skincare set from P.Louise or a hydrating cream from a trending online company like Smuuti Skin — I’m often not just buying a single item; I’m starting a relationship with a new-to-me brand. If I like what I receive, I’m going to be a repeat customer — regardless of the brand's perceived or target audience. I am, in effect, destroying the very categories market analysts wrongly put me in. 

Think of it like this... I am 60, but I am not shopping in the ‘antiquated, pharmacy-shelf anti-wrinkle cream’ aisle. I am online, in the same virtual spaces as my daughter and granddaughter, actively searching for the same products they are looking for. And, yes, I bought myself the 2025 P.Louise advent calendar! I bought the Trouble Maker one, too. I’m not interested in anything with Olay in it. Get my drift?

The over-50s beauty spend includes purchases on TikTok and other digital platforms.

The great untapped market: the over-50s beauty spend

Let’s talk about that research. Market reports will tell you that the 50-plus demographic, or 50-plus beauty spend, is ‘stable’ or ‘declining’. This is the moment I want to laugh. We have more disposable income now than at any point in our lives (even though, thanks to the cost-of-living crisis, it’s not nearly as much as we’d like). We’re not having to shell out on Pampers, nor are we replacing our fast-growing Little Darlings’ footwear every three months or forking out for school dinners, expensive tech, or designer trainers. And guess what? We still work! For the first time in decades, we can spend our hard-earned money on… ourselves.

And what are we spending it on? While the under-30s are definitely experimenting with colour and shape, the silver economy in beauty is too — as well as investing in products with ground-breaking ingredients and efficacy. And we aren’t just casual shoppers. We are chasing what’s ‘current’, because we are on a steadfast mission to stay relevant (and beautiful). Our purchasing is, like teenagers, sometimes impulse-driven in addition to research-driven, and we are ever-willing to cough up the cost (within reason). 

Budget and mid-tier makeup brands routinely overlook the middle-aged customer. But we are part of their customer base. Who says once you reach 50 you don’t want to follow trends or try new products or experiment? Or save a bit of cash? And, yes, we can use all those bright and bold eyeshadow palettes. Perhaps not right up to the brow bone but as tastefully done pops of colour or as liners. But, I bet you won’t see us depicted in any of the marketing imagery for the latest trend. Where’s the inclusive beauty marketing we’ve been waiting for and, dare I say, deserve?

Why this gap matters

The core of the problem, and perhaps the very reason the UK cosmetics market is seen to be ‘faltering’, is a complete misunderstanding of the 'silver spend' on beauty. The industry is so blinded by the desire to court the next generation of potential buyers that it has all but abandoned its most loyal and affluent one.

When I look at advertisements, I see two things: very young women whose skin needs zero intervention, or a token ‘older model’ who has been airbrushed into a version of age that looks nothing like the women in my peer group. There is almost zero representation of the 60-year-old woman who uses trending makeup, who is active on social media and who wants to see the nuance of real, mature skin addressed with intelligence rather than euphemisms like ‘mature skin look’.

By over-investing in marketing to Gen Z, the industry is creating a self-fulfilling prophecy. When we don't feel seen or spoken to, we are less likely to buy from certain brands, which the data then interprets as a decline in interest. In reality, we are buying and taking our available funds elsewhere — to medical-grade online retailers, to science-driven direct-to-consumer brands that do speak our language, as well as to high street pharmacies that do (sometimes) see us.

As Beauty Bay bursts back onto the scene after a temporary shutdown, look at who it is targeting. Love the TikTok re-emergence, but everything is geared to an audience it believes it's selling to. They haven't got it 100 per cent correct. They haven't even got it 70 per cent right. And that's the core of the UK beauty industry's woes right now. Look a lot closer at who your customers really are — that's my message to the brand's new owners as well as to all businesses currently trading in the cosmetics sector.

The beauty industry in the UK is missing out on billions of pounds by treating my generation as an afterthought. We aren’t just a static demographic on a chart; we are dynamic, with disposable income. We are engaged online and actively shopping for solutions. The market isn't faltering. It is simply looking the wrong way, chasing a shadow while the real substance stands right in front of its counter, purse in hand. It’s time the sector finally looked up.

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