Gen Alpha beauty brands are the industry’s latest darlings, catering to the skin care needs of the tweens with tiny formulas in premium packaging. Just look at Salish Matter’s Sincerely Yours, which boasted 80,000 followers on its pop-up launch day, or Daise Beauty’s TikTok-viral, flower-shaped perfume. But as the younger generation inevitably grows up, emerging beauty brands built on youth culture have a choice to make: Will they grow with their core customers as skin needs change, or will they risk losing relevance as the demographics of the same-age demographic multiply?
Emerging Gen Alpha beauty brands can look to their Millennial and Gen Z ancestors for a playbook on how to (and how not to) age with consumers without sacrificing brand authenticity — something easier said than done.
Many of the once-hot Millennial beauty labels that seemed to take over the industry in 2016 have faltered as that group has matured. Glamglow closed its e-commerce site late last year, Becca Cosmetics fell victim to the pandemic and Bite Beauty closed its doors in 2022. Milk Makeup and Glossier also hit a big bump, with Milk Makeup reporting an 18.3% drop in revenue in Q4 2025 and Glossier restructuring and planning to restructure. 12 stores. Glossier’s fall from grace is a very interesting case study: Rather than focusing on a clear message, Glossier stretched itself thin by unveiling Millennial-coded launches like Universal Pro-Retinol while later chasing Gen Z-era trends with Lip Glaze.
Image: Hosted by Ouai
Breaking the code for longevity in the face of ever-changing trends is key for beauty companies looking to age — rather than grow — their consumers. Take Ouai, for example: The hair care brand founded by Jen Atkin in 2016 emerged as a Millennial-focused brand striving for hard-working, easy-to-use hair products and growing its consumer base without losing touch with its OG fans. For Ouai’s VP of Brand Marketing Nicole Solorzano, the secret to successfully growing closer to your audience is to “stay focused on your brand identity instead of constantly chasing the next trend or audience shift.”
“Your first customers are the reason your brand exists, and if you truly grow with them, they will grow with you,” he told Ujo Shop. “That means continuing to solve problems they encounter as their processes change while maintaining the voice and values that made them fall in love with the brand in the first place.”
Evolving (Non-Flooding) Product Variety
Image: Hosted by Byoma
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Gen Alpha (and our fellow Gen Zers…) won’t be young forever. Beauty trends will change, skin barriers will need more support and retinol will become an important step in skin care. Millennial and Gen Z beauty brands have already begun to face the challenge of expanding their product offerings to their older consumers, giving Gen Alpha-centric brands a glimpse of what true evolution looks like.
Byoma, a science-based skin care brand launched in 2022, clicked instantly with Gen Zers who spent the epidemic crowding chemists experimenting with active ingredients and exfoliants. “Early on, many of our consumers were focused on breakouts, sensitivity or repairing damage caused by over-treating their skin,” said Byoma CEO Marc Elrick. “As they age, the conversation shifts to hydration, radiance, firmness and long-term skin health. But the basic science doesn’t change – a healthy barrier is always the starting point.”
Byoma’s new Bio-Collagen Radiance Facial Mask, embodies this change: According to the brand, “Bio-collagen” reduces transepidermal water loss, improves skin texture and softens the appearance of wrinkles. The peel-off face mask also includes the brand’s signature “Tri Ceramide Complex,” which improves the skin’s barrier and establishes a line within the Byoma product range. As a result, the company’s latest launch addresses the changing needs of the audience without sacrificing the qualities that won it in the first place (see: its science-based formulas, splashy packaging and related marketing).
Back in 2019, Tower 28’s initial audience also moved small as they were drawn mainly to a cult-like “hard, low-cost way of beauty,” said Founder and CEO Amy Liu. “I founded Tower 28 when I was 40, so I’ve always had an understanding of what our customers might need as their skin changes, but having daughters who are just starting their beauty journey has given me an even more real-time perspective on how we can grow closer to our community,” she continued.
Image: Courtesy of Tower 28
Tower 28 has developed its first three SKU assortment (SOS Rescue Spray, SuperDew and ShineOn Lip Jelly clear) to offer impressive skin care, body care and color cosmetics suitable for all ages. The Los Angeles brand has stuck to its first stand for sensitive skin, now making it the first and only brand to receive all three seals (National Eczema Association Seal, National Rosacea Society Seal and National Psoriasis Foundation Seal) on its skin care products.
An easy trap for beauty brands to fall into is relying too much on chasing trends in hopes of introducing the “next big thing,” which can dilute a brand’s unique identity. This is not to say that keeping up with trends isn’t a successful strategy (everyone has a primary goal), but rather, beauty brands shine when they interpret industry shifts through their authentic lenses.
For example, Carina Chaz created her fragrance brand DedCool without a specific demographic in mind, instead focusing on “expressions and a sense of adventure.” In line with the fragrance market, DedCool’s main franchise called “Milk” reimagines amber-y musk into different variations, such as trend-forward gourmand (Mochi Milk) or a salty, summer blend (Mineral Milk). “We create tools, and people find the brand in whatever way makes sense to them at that time in their life,” Chaz notes. “As our society evolves, brand naturally evolves with it.”
Image: Hosted by DedCool
The LA-cool brand has also seamlessly expanded into new fragrances such as laundry while maintaining its unique identity. (I knew I was growing up when I got excited about the watch’s downgrade.) The goal is to “live in many parts of our everyday consumer behavior,” says Chaz. “Someone may detect DedCool by smell first, and then bring it into their home through laundry or other scented products.”
Maintaining an Authentic, ‘Layered’ Brand Voice
Image: Courtesy of the Innbeauty Project
Beyond brand expansion, brands’ messages need to continue to reach their evolving audiences. Chronic internet chatter may seem like an easy way to capture a younger audience, but the Millennial brand that throws around “unc” and “crushed” can sound off-putting and hackneyed. For the Innbeauty Project, a diverse skincare brand founded in 2019, the challenge is “creating a product that feels modern and relevant, but also relevant enough to gain long-term trust across age groups,” co-founder Alisa Metzger told Ujo Shop.
“In the beginning, a lot of our drive came from creating a brand that felt fresh, exciting and instantly engaging,” he adds. “That’s still an important part of our DNA, but as the brand grows, we’ve had a greater goal of building a deeper level of trust and loyalty to continue to connect not only with younger, discovery-driven consumers, but also with more leather-conscious consumers – of all ages and categories.”
With its product-oriented market, the Innbeauty Project has extensive knowledge of the brand’s playbook. The best-selling Extreme Cream is available to all age groups, with younger consumers embracing its “glass skin effect” and mature consumers loving its firming qualities. To reach all ages, Metzger says the Innbeauty Project’s marketing has become “an extra layer” over the years by relying on education, clinical evidence and formula differentiation.
Image: Hosted by Bubble
Bubble Skincare founder Shai Eisenman agrees, noting that Gen Z’s favorite skincare brand has also become increasingly “prescribed” since its launch in 2020: “We’re bringing our dermatologists to the fore, sharing our clinical results and helping our community understand what to use, but why it works,” he said.
Bubble targeted the Gen Z audience from the jump with its eye-catching packaging and transparent formulas, and now, it’s engaging Gen Alpha consumers. One of its marketing strategies is its affiliate network, which boasts more than 100,000 people who offer real-life opinions that speak to the growing youth appetite for authenticity.
“Today’s consumer doesn’t want to choose between loyalty and fun,” Eisenman said. “They expect both. And the winning brands are the ones that can deliver clinically proven results while still feeling like something you want to be a part of.”
A Guide to the Longevity of Gen Alpha Beauty Brands
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Millennial and Gen Z-coded brands that persist in the crowded beauty landscape have some advice for Gen Alpha brands that want to avoid fading as the audience grows: Trends come and go, but focusing your brand on a clear, authentic vision is timeless.
“There’s a lot of potential in connecting with a young consumer early on, but if you want to grow with them, your brand has to represent something deeper than what feels important on social media or what’s trendy at a certain moment,” notes Metzger. “Rely on your strengths and the things that make you unique. Don’t reduce your product to fit someone else’s idea or one production mold.”
Successful long-term brand building focuses on “emotional insights, not just viral moments,” says Ouai’s Solorzano. “The goal shouldn’t be to reinvent who you are, it’s to deepen your relationship with your community over time.” Also, Gen Alpha won’t be young forever, so emphasizing effective formulas – rather than relying on trend-oriented brands – sets the stage for a brand that successfully grows alongside its audience.
“Customers who discover your product initially may be in a very different place five or ten years later, and if you pay attention, they’ll tell you exactly what they need next,” Liu said.
Want to know how to reach them? Read more.