Pre-juvenation? Never heard of her.
If you haven’t heard of the term, don’t fret. It’s a fancy term for preventing aging or anti-aging. As we know by now, teens from Gen-Z are becoming increasingly skincare savvy and adopting extensive regimens early on in life. According to A.S. Watson’s 2019 report, 70% of Gen Z’s spend went towards beauty and skincare products, the highest of all generations that year, and some of that is actually spent on anti-aging products.
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So it makes perfect sense that stores like teen-friendly stores like Urban Outfitters, Ulta, and even Target have been making it easy for skincare brand discovery through diversion lines and trial sets of coveted products for cheap. Maybe Gen-Z isn’t reaching for the new Cell-Rejuvenating Serum by Victoria Beckham but, they are understanding the basics of how maintaining a healthy life translates to their complexions. Their wealth of knowledge as it relates to skincare allows them to create affordable and preventative skin-care regimens for their exact needs.
To find out exactly how Gen-Z teens and young adults are incorporating ideas of pre-juvenation/anti-aging within their daily lives, we talked to 3 Lighters about their special approaches.
Anthony Mahon, 22
For Anthony, he’s transparent on the fact that he’s never bought an anti-aging specific product (yet!). But, he understands the importance of having a consistent regimen when wanting results and attributes his pre-juvenation secrets to his diet and exercise habits. “If I had to choose between waking up with a huge wrinkle and a huge pimple, I’d choose wrinkles any day of the week,” he tells us. “The main issue on my end is just discipline and consistency with maintaining my acne-fighting regimen.” Anthony says Sundays are football and facemasks days for him and so long as he has something within his routine that serves as some extra nourishment for his skin, he feels he’s taking care of himself in the best ways that he can as a young professional who’s always on the move.
Ben Van Cleave, 22
Ben is no stranger to the daily grind and how it can take a toll on your skin as he’s currently finishing up his senior year of undergrad as a graphic design student. Despite late nights and the inconsistencies in dining-hall food, Ben realized he could actually free his skin from the nasty cycles of breakout out and then, drying out. “I’m becoming more conscious of what my skin needs now, I know it won’t stay the same forever so I do see the need to ramp up the level of care,” he says. Ben thinks the transition from college into the professional world is the ideal time to take note of the things you can do to focus on taking care of your body for the long-term. “I think what’s important to me is that I keep up with my skincare regimen, listen to my body to see if I need to add in additional products or specific ingredients, and incorporating more specialized treatments like at-home face masks and professional facials.”
Liam McGurl, 23
While adjusting to his new and exciting life in NYC, Liam realizes the importance of self-care now more than ever. He’s tested lots of products and regimens for years but, he knows to take a more holistic approach when taking care of himself these days.
“You need to figure out if you’re treating yourself with love in other aspects of your life,” he tells us. “Sometimes, we think complex products full of promises can erase issues caused by stress or poor diets and they can’t.” Being proactive is important to Liam and everything within his routines he would consider to be preventative care. His #1 rule? SPF. “A good SPF goes a long way and has always been a staple for me. My grandma is 92 and the woman has NO wrinkles. She told me it’s her secret to this day.”
TLDR;
It seems the concept of ‘pre-juvenation’ for Gen-Z isn’t about fancy eye creams and quadruple-action moisturizers chalked full of retinol. Instead, it’s taking into account all the factors in life that will preserve happiness, health, and mental well-being. Gen-Z realizes the importance of having a skincare routine and knows they can tailor a regimen as simple or as complex as they want—they actually find it incredibly fun too. They’ve learned from their parents’ mistakes about skimping on SPF and are ready to pump the breaks when their diets or mental-health seems to be slipping away.
