Insights / Perspectives

The Teen Beauty Boom: Appealing to Today’s Youngest Beauty Buyers

Today’s teens (and tweens) are poised to become the largest and most influential consumer group in beauty, actively shaping the future of the industry. According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), teens already account for roughly 10% of the U.S. consumer beauty market—spending approximately $1.5 billion annually on makeup, $1.7 billion on skincare, and $1.7 billion on fragrance. As BCG notes, “today’s teens are stepping into the beauty market earlier, spending more, and reshaping the category in real time.”

U.S. youngsters are now purchasing beauty products at an average age of 12—about a year earlier than teens did a decade ago (BCG). Beauty brands can no longer afford to treat teens as a secondary audience. They are a primary growth driver—and a powerful cultural force. For today’s young people, beauty is not just about appearance—it’s about self-care, identity, and self-expression. Reaching them requires more than resizing, rebranding, or repackaging adult products. To win with this fast-growing and highly influential audience, brands must rethink how they connect, communicate, and deliver value. Here are four strategies to align with teens’ evolving attitudes, behaviors, and expectations.

Get Social

Social media sits at the center of teen beauty discovery. As true digital natives, Gen Z and Gen Alpha rely on platforms like TikTok and Instagram to explore products, learn routines, and share reviews. According to BCG, approximately 75% of teen girls consume beauty content on social media at least once a day.

But engagement goes beyond trends and tutorials. For young consumers, authenticity and inclusivity matter. Movements like TikTok’s “filter versus reality”—where users contrast filtered and unfiltered images to challenge unrealistic beauty standards—reflect a growing demand for transparency and realness. As Mintel notes, brands can take cues from retailers like Cult Beauty, which in 2023 banned retouched model imagery in its marketing to promote self-acceptance.

Polished perfection is no longer the goal. Teens want honest storytelling, diverse representation, and proof that products deliver real results for real people. Social media gives brands a powerful way to show that credibility in action. Berlin Packaging helps beauty brands stand out in a crowded feed with buzz-worthy, shareable packaging solutions designed to get noticed online.

Photo Credit: Evereden TikTok

Be Trustworthy vs. Trendy

While teens enjoy experimenting with new brands, BCG reports they’re increasingly demonstrating brand loyalty, practicality, and a focus on what genuinely works—whether it’s trending or not. Trust plays a critical role. Teens place more faith in real-life relationships—parents, siblings, and friends—than in influencers or celebrities, especially since parents still make many beauty purchases for their children.

Teens are also savvy consumers who understand the commercial motivations behind sponsored posts and influencer marketing. If something feels overly promotional, they’re quick to disengage. Brands that prioritize transparency, clear ingredient communication, and practical benefits will outperform those chasing short-lived viral moments. Berlin Packaging helps both established beauty brands, like Not Your Mother’s, and emerging newcomers, like Loopha, develop packaging solutions that build trust and long-term loyalty.

Photo Credit: Not Your Mothers, Loopha

Promote Age-Appropriate Habits & Benefits

The rise of “Sephora Kids” has intensified debate across the beauty industry about teens and tweens purchasing skincare products designed for adults. Mintel warns that as young consumers move into adult-oriented skincare earlier, routines often begin to prioritize appearance over long-term skin health. Messaging around “fine lines” and “wrinkle prevention” can create unnecessary anxieties for generations whose skin needs are fundamentally different from those of older consumers.

The industry has a responsibility to respond thoughtfully. Rather than encouraging complex, adult-targeted regimens, brands should emphasize age-appropriate essentials: personal hygiene, gentle cleansing, hydration, and daily sunscreen use. Education, simplicity, and safety should anchor product development and marketing strategies for this demographic.

Photo Credit: Good For You Girls

Don't Forget the Boys

The teen beauty boom isn’t limited to girls. Boys are also fueling the sharp rise in annual beauty spending among U.S. teens. For example, U.S. teen boys increased their fragrance spend by 44% from 2024 to 2025, according to Piper Sandler.

Young men are redefining traditional beauty norms and making beauty routines part of mainstream self-care culture. Around 70% say they feel comfortable discussing beauty with friends, compared to just 50% in the 2010s (BCG). And a Mintel survey found that three-quarters of U.S. 12–14-year-olds believe all genders can use beauty products.

As male beauty becomes less stigmatized, brands have a growing opportunity to lead with inclusive branding, gender-neutral packaging, and messaging centered on confidence, hygiene, and self-expression—not outdated stereotypes. Brands that overlook boys risk missing one of the fastest-growing segments in teen beauty. Berlin Packaging’s design and innovation teams have experience developing male grooming and gender-inclusive packaging, including custom structures for Patricks.

Photo Credit: Ballboyz

What Beauty Brands Can Do Now

Teen and tween consumers aren’t just entering the beauty market earlier—they’re reshaping what the category values. They expect authenticity over perfection, trust over hype, and products that support self-expression without pushing adult anxieties. And they’re influencing not only what sells, but how beauty is marketed, discussed, and shared.

To succeed with this fast-growing audience, brands need more than a youth-focused campaign. They need the right products, the right messaging, and the right packaging—designed for safety, usability, and social-first visibility. Packaging should feel approachable and age-appropriate while still delivering the aesthetics and credibility teens look for in the brands they champion.

Berlin Packaging helps beauty brands meet this moment with packaging solutions that stand out on shelf and on screen—supporting trust, inclusivity, and a teen-forward brand identity.

By: Moira Stein
Date: February 23, 2026