The idea of living fast and dying young may have sounded a racy proposition in the turbulent 1960s.

Heading into 2025, evolving slow and living well into old age is the new sexy.

In fact, according to research by the Openstreams Foundation, it is estimated that those aged 60 and above will reach 2.1 billion by 2025, prompting the need for strategic solutions to support an aging world.

During its first in-person Global Beauty Industry Summit at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City on Thursday, Dec. 12, the nonprofit organization held an aging forum aiming to encourage collaboration and exchange to attain a cross-cultural perspective challenging society’s perception of aging.

Two innovative roundtables were held from beauty leaders across the globe who provided insight on today’s beauty standards, redefining what the industry means and the importance of promoting positive awareness about gender equality, health education, self-esteem and more.

Guest panelists included the following professionals: Saehoon Lee, chairman and president of Gyeonggi Cosmetic Committee, South Korea; Andrea Nagel, senior vice president, Cosmetic Executive Women, US; Cesar Tsukuda, general manager, Beauty Fair, Brazil; Dr. Cendy Wang, rep of Bloomage Biotech, Vice Chairperson Unit of CAFFCI, China; Nicola Palmarini, director of the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing (United Kingdom); Melis de Rey, general manager of beauty, baby & beauty technology, US Stores of Amazon (United States); Dr. Nadine Pernodet, senior vice president, global skin innovation and technologies, R&D of the Estée Lauder Companies (United States); and Dr. Qian Zheng, senior vice president, global representative beauty domain & advanced research North American of L’Oréal (United States).

In Korea, Lee said the average life expectancy for a man is 87 and 91 for a woman, up 14 years from a woman’s average life expectancy of 77 in the 1970s. This data means brands need to step up their efforts on educating consumers about the proper products for their skin.

Dr. Wang said genetic technology and regenerative medicine is being used in China to help develop products and services for seniors. But products alone aren’t the answer. Product developers and innovators must consider the aging planet with respect to climate change.

“I think there is an implication of longevity that goes far beyond what we can think about our personal outcome,” said Palmarini. It’s societal. And I think it’s for the future of the planet.”

Dr. Zheng added age goes beyond a genetic and cellular perspective, in terms of innovation, and that looking into how climate change impacts skin and the effects of an ecosystem – not just the microbiome – contribute to aging.

The ‘Anti’ Anti-Aging Message

Despite the aging process and the factors affecting it – lifestyle, biological and environmental – Nagel said she’s seeing more of an acceptance and embracement of the women over 50 age group by companies large and small by leading with purpose and shaping trends more than ever.

“These female founders are telling their stories and disrupting the beauty industry like never before and really changing the anti-aging messages,” she said. “There are several brands that are doing this in a very unique way, such as ‘Better Not Younger,’ which was founded by former Procter & Gamble executive [Sonsoles Gonzalez]. Her products are targeting women you are experiencing changing in their haircare due to aging.”

Another beauty brand, Laura Geller Beauty, is working to target the 50 and over age group by using messaging to resonate with and change the beauty landscape, she said. Another example is Bobbi Brown’s Jones Road.

“All her messaging, products and formulation are targeting women over 40,” said Nagel. “They just happen to appeal to everybody, so I feel as we’re progressing and evolving, so is the anti-aging messaging.”

She added that Gen Z’s embracement of inclusivity in terms of gender, race, weight, religion and culture is also shaping how consumers feel and thus have an impact on the way they look. As a Gen Xer, “anti-aging” has become somewhat clichéd to meaninglessness.

“Anti-aging doesn’t mean anything to me,” said Nagel. “Sometimes when I see ‘well-aging’ or ‘pro-aging,’ I feel like I’m being marketed, too. With the younger generation, it’s definitely important to evolve the language. There are some brands doing this super well. Brands evolve with us using lifting instead of talking about the negative, which could be sagging. By omitting age references overall, you can really bring a message of inclusiveness.”

Exemplar examples of brands incorporating this body-positive messaging into their products, she said, are Dove, Estée Lauder and LVMH.