German study shows cosmetics play a big role in youth self-perception
The German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (IKW) presents the results of its youth study ‘Youth undisguised’, conducted by rheingold salon, which found that young people struggle with mood swings, puberty, and social control; but also showed the importance of appearance.
“No generation has ever worked so hard on their appearance as today’s”, says Ines Imdahl, responsible for the study and Managing Director of rheingold salon.
“Creating an attractive, neat appearance is one of the few possibilities for young people to develop a feeling of support and control in their life.”
The research points to greasy hair, a sweaty smell and breakouts as the most embarrassing things for young people, as they are the physical manifestation of a perceived loss of control.
Regaining control with cosmetics
It also says that feeling hot or aroused symbolises first signs of sexual feelings which are likewise perceived as embarrassing. This means that in order to counter this young people want to regain control; and they feel that they can do this with the help of cosmetic products.
Cosmetic products are therefore an integral part of daily beauty and care routines. The daily use of shampoo (61%) and deodorant (83%) is almost mandatory and for many girls mascara is an indispensable companion, says IKW, with 59% using mascara on a daily basis or even several times a day.
The study also shows that young people also judge their peers according to their appearance, with six in ten believing that you can tell by the appearance of a person what kind of a person he or she is.
For them, taking care of one’s appearance is so important that it is not only an expression of their own values and their personal self-esteem, but serves to indicate whether others share these values, says IKW.
“We commissioned this study in order to take a look behind the scenes of puberty. For us it was important to learn what affects young people and how taking care of their appearance influences their self-perception,” says Birgit Huber, Head of Beauty Care at IKW.
“We found it particularly interesting that an overwhelming part of young people uses beauty care to feel more at ease and generally safer.”
For the qualitative part of the study, group discussions and individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 56 adolescents and young adults aged between 14 and 21 years. 1,012 adolescents and young adults aged between 14 and 21 years then took part in a quantitative survey.
