Did online hauls create a generation of beauty hoarders?
I have a LOT of beauty products, and I don’t say that lightly – or proudly. My bedroom has turned into a sad, messy excuse for a mini beauty department at this point, with a basket full of fragrance, IKEA units buckling under the weight of the excessive amount of skincare currently in my roster and a Sephora suitcase in the corner to hide the unopened overflow.
As a beauty journalist, I’m lucky enough to have an excuse - I’m constantly testing out the latest product launches to keep readers well informed - but it's one I’ve only been able to use in recent years, with my beauty addiction starting long before my career did.
A sentiment I’m sure many will share, my love affair stemmed from watching my mum, an older millennial, apply her lotions and potions. I still remember the excitement I'd have for special occasions so I’d be allowed to straighten my hair. It’s such a common intergenerational experience, with tips and tricks passed down from mother to daughter time and time again, but there’s a key difference influencing my generation's turn - and it’s because of when I was born.
Born to shop
Like many of us Gen Zers, online shopping was birthed in the late 90s, meaning we’ve not known a world without easy access to beauty products. The industry grew alongside us and while it took a couple of years to warm up, my growing interest in the beauty world during my early teens coincided with the rise of the OG Beauty Gurus on YouTube. Filming in front of wall-to-wall products cemented these strangers as a part of our weekly routines. Magazine pages, recommendations from friends and store assistants turned into word of mouth en masse through vlogs, hauls and GRWMs and it created a new generation of consumers in the process.
For me, and so many others in my generation, watching women we aspired to be like showing off and normalising such huge product collections has produced a new level of product hoarding showing no signs of slowing down, especially as TikTok shop cements itself as the UK’s second biggest beauty retailer.
Dr. Carolyn Mair, chartered psychologist and author of The Psychology of Fashion, explains that exposure to influencers has driven Gen Z to view beauty as essential to self-worth, fuelling habitual purchasing from a young age, as “many millennials are influenced less as they experienced this influence in late teens or adulthood.”
Looking back at the millennials I had in my life during my childhood and early teens (who are now in their late thirties), raiding their makeup bag meant finding a foundation, mascara, lipstick and an eyeliner or eyeshadow quad if you're lucky. Whilst I'll give it to them that millennials have upped their makeup games, the key difference comes as they take a less-is-more approach and deeper level of brand loyalty, as Leah Sinclair, senior research editor at Canvas8 explained: "While millennials favoured multifunctional products and a 'one-size-fits-all' approach to makeup, Gen Z is different.
"The rapid evolution of beauty trends, amplified by beauty influencers on YouTube and TikTok, and the constant rotation of aesthetics, have made Gen Z more focused on achieving looks that are tailored to their specific needs and preferences. They seek a wider range of products and tools to create highly personalised styles that reflect their individuality."
Getting your beauty fix
Beyond wanting a wider (or excessive) range of products at our fingertips - I currently have seven mascaras in my rotation - the beauty industry's intertwining with self-worth and digital culture has, as Carolyn points out, “a profound impact on mental health.” She explains that digitally enhanced beauty ideals create high, often unattainable standards, leading to feelings of inadequacy, body dissatisfaction and low self-esteem as viewers compare themselves to these curated images.
Carolyn’s thoughts on the impact to our mental health is a subject I’ve considered before, as has my friend, and fellow Gen-Z beauty hoarder Lydia, 26. “When you’re being fed so many products from such a young age, there does come a pressure to achieve a certain look and be ‘in the know’ of new releases.
“I love the innovation of the beauty industry, but there are so many trends to keep up with it’s exhausting at times. It’s definitely a love-hate relationship.”
While Gen Z are certainly the main culprits, with the ‘Chasing Rich’ webinar co-created by Mintel and Base Beauty Creative Agency revealing that 52% regret overspend on beauty, Millennials aren’t that far behind as 40% shared the same regrets - perhaps unsurprising given the overlap in experiences for the lower and higher ends of the age groups.
In addition to possible product FOMO, beauty buys have joined Blank Street blueberry matchas and Farmer J lunches in the 'little treats' category, as the generation uses beauty shopping as a mental boost.
This overconsumption is created and then also fuelled by social media, with Carolyn Mair explaining that “these videos [hauls] create excitement and social validation around having an abundance of products, subtly reinforcing the idea that more is better. Searching for and buying new products activates the brain’s reward system, releasing dopamine, which creates a temporary feeling of happiness. Constant exposure to beauty products normalises overconsumption as a social norm.”
This begs the question, what does it hold for future generations? With tweens already investing more money and time into skincare, makeup, and product education than previous generations. In fact, when it comes to knowing what’s viral, there’s no one with their finger on the pulse in my life than my family friend, 10-year-old Mabel. Gen Alpha is already active in the beauty scene, both in terms of content consumption and purchasing.- although like us, her mum was still the spark for the love.
The trend cycle speeding up has only added to this, with the Alphas hopping on every single one - well, at least if their friends are. Mabel, standing in front of a dressing table full of Sol de Janeiro and e.l.f Cosmetics, told me how when it comes to her products of choice, “It’s the viral brands and products. Then my best friend and I talk about it and take inspiration from each other.”
The millennial pare back
As for millennials, despite admitting to being influenced by social media (albeit not as heavily…), some are returning to a capsule makeup bag as they search for what truly works for them, including beauty content creator Raisa Reyes, who has been documenting her underconsumption journey as she cuts back on products.
The 31-year-old, from New York, changed her relationship with makeup over two years following a period of wearing none at all, which she told Cosmo made her, “experiment a lot with makeup until I found what I loved the most.
“I figured out a routine that I liked to use daily, with a lot of Chanel makeup and brands I’ve found along the way, and that’s basically what I stick to. I think the internet finds that fascinating because I’m a beauty creator that doesn’t have a huge collection and even gets rid of most of my products… I really think that needs to be normalised in our society because there’s a lot of hoarding going on.”
Reyes' choice to focus on quality over quantity is a reminder that if a beauty creator can be satisfied with a capsule collection, we all can. Her message is one I hope will be passed down onto Gen Alpha, who - despite being more environmentally aware than any generation before them - are currently primed to take their product harding habits to a whole new level as a result of becoming beauty consumers before even becoming teenagers. With that, it might be time to lead by example and cut back on my own collection, too.
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