This report explores the behavior and sentiment of tweens, teens and their parents, offering key insights into how they discover, shop for, engage with and use BPC products.
The BPC category is experiencing a dynamic shift as tweens and teens redefine their relationship with beauty products and services. This demographic is not just consumers, but active participants, engaging with all subcategories, in both digital and physical realms. Unlike previous generations, today’s teens are leveraging beauty as a medium for emotional connection and personal identity, transforming it into a platform for social interaction and creative expression.
However, the landscape is complex. The balance of influence between peer pressure and parental guidance is evolving, driven by their unparalleled access to digital information and the growing autonomy they exercise in their beauty choices. Brands face the challenge of addressing early brand loyalty and product affinity while being mindful of the psychological implications, particularly around issues of perfectionism and social pressures. Is the current BPC craze nurturing self-love, or is it inadvertently enhancing insecurities? As brands aim to resonate with strong, trend-driven approaches, they must find a way to empower without imposing the stresses of adult life on youth too soon.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Evaluation of brand strategies targeting young consumers
- Exploration of tween, teen and parental behaviors towards beauty and personal care
- Analysis of economic factors impacting the personal care market
- Examination of peer and social media influences on product discovery
- Insights into spending habits and purchase involvement of tweens and teens
- Overview of parental concerns regarding safety and age appropriateness of products
- Discussion on the role of affordability and value in product selection
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by Carson Kitzmiller, Senior Beauty & Personal Care Analyst at Mintel. Carson joined Mintel in 2022 and focuses on beauty and personal care reports. Prior to Mintel, she worked in various product development and consumer insights roles focused on CPG and personal care within specialty retail, DTC, and contract manufacturing.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market context
- US Economic Snapshot
- Inflation accelerated in June as a result of tariffs pushing up prices
- Graph 1: headline CPI and core CPI, 2021-25
- Q2’s GDP hinges largely on how the tariff landscape evolves
- Graph 2: quarterly real GDP growth, 2021-25
- While job growth is resilient, renewed trade pressures will test the strength of the labor market in the coming months
- Graph 3: unemployment rate, 2019-25
- Retail sales remain strong, but tariff-driven price hikes will halt the momentum
- Graph 4: retail sales, 2024-25
- Consumer sentiment increased again in July, though looming tariffs threaten to evaporate the potential for further gains
- Graph 5: consumer sentiment index, 2022-25
- Consumers’ finances are holding strong, but for how long?
- Graph 6: change in financial situation over the past 12 months, 2023-25
- Despite rising optimism, risks continues to lurk
- Graph 7: opinions on financial future, 2023-25
- Market drivers
- Most have their own spending money…
- Graph 8: spending money available, by age, 2025
- …but parents are the bank for most
- Graph 9: how they receive spending money, by age, 2025
- Spending jumps at age 12
- Graph 10: categories purchased with spending money, by age, 2025
- Tariffs: dupes, budget buys and social media discovery
- Strong M&A activity and private investment showcase the power of teen spending
- K-beauty expected to hold the line
- Parents’ support of dupes will trickle down
- Graph 11: purchased dupes or openness to purchasing dupes by category, by parental status and gender, 2025
- Graph 12: attitudes toward dupes, by parental status and gender, 2025
- Brandefy taps into transparency and value
- Ulta’s new era caters to the teen beauty sphere
- Ulta blends wellness and beauty through thoughtful curation of aesthetic-forward offerings
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Brands promote foundational skincare routines
- SPF-ification resonates with teen-forward brands
- e.l.f. beauty targets comedy to message SPF products
- K-beauty and sun protection will resonate with teens
- Scent of self-identity: teens’ fragrance craze
- From whimsical to edgy: teens use body mists to remix their fragrance
- Aspirational meets accessible with premium dual-purpose mists
- On-trend collabs bring teen favorites together
- Functional with emphasis on the ‘fun’
- Lipcare: food & drink collabs vast in this easy-pickup category
- Mane Hair: ‘easy beauty for the cuties’
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS: TWEENS/TEENS
- Consumer fast facts: Tweens/Teens
- Tweens/Teens: BPC product purchasing and professional service use
- Fragrance use holds strong year-over-year
- Graph 13: BPC product usage, ages 12-17, 2024-25
- Adapt to older teen girls’ shifting minimalism
- Graph 14: BPC product usage, females ages 15-17, 2024-25
- Most categories saw an increase in usage among 12–14 year old girls
- Graph 15: BPC product usage, females ages 12-14, 2024-25
- Tween girls: teach consistent routines through bodycare
- Graph 16: leave-on bodycare usage, females by age, 2025
- Popular brands stretch their influence to bodycare
- Lean into shared usage of gadgets
- Graph 17: facial skincare device usage, by gender and age, 2025
- Educate on skin health for teen boys
- Graph 18: BPC usage in the last 12 months, males aged 12-17, 2025
- Teens/Tweens: BPC services
- Consider easy, at-home solutions for early-entry adoption
- Graph 19: haircare service engagement, by age, 2025
- Combine beauty treatment services with honest, transparent education
- Graph 20: professional aesthetic beauty treatment engagement, females by age, 2025
- Tweens/Teens: purchase involvement & money spent on BPC
- Most tweens and teens have a say in their BPC products
- Graph 21: BPC purchase involvement, by gender and age, 2025
- Develop affordable yet trend-forward products
- Graph 22: monthly spend on BPC using own money, by BPC purchase involvement, 2025
- Graph 23: personal monthly BPC spend using own money, 2025
- Tweens/Teens: product discovery & purchase influence
- Socially relevant and parent-approved
- Graph 24: discovery of new BPC products, 2024-25
- Leverage extreme social media engagement with peer-driven marketing
- Graph 25: discovery of new BPC products, by gender and age, 2025
- Glow Recipe generates buzz with mysterious samples among creators
- Bring beauty experts ‘home’ to engage with older teen girls
- Graph 26: discovery of new BPC products, by gender and age, 2025
- Foster community – especially among those who have high purchase involvement
- Graph 27: BPC product discovery sources, by BPC purchase involvement, 2025
- Purchase influencers
- Sensorial attributes influence, but so do peers and branding
- Graph 28: purchase influencers excluding price (ranked – up to 3), ages 12-14, 2025
- Graph 29: purchase influencers excluding price (ranked – up to 3), ages 15-17, 2025
- Brand affinity is strong among independent tweens/teens
- Graph 30: select purchase influencers (NET – any rank), by BPC purchase involvement, 2025
- Bath & Body Works expands to bookstores to capture hangout
- The importance of aesthetics only grows stronger
- Graph 31: purchase influencers excluding price (net – any rank), 2024-25
- Beauty ‘charms’: small accessories, big brand impact
- Tweens/Teens: skincare and makeup goals
- Healthy skin goals trickle down to teens
- Graph 32: skincare goals (ranked – up to 3), 2025
- Among limited spend, maximize fun and effortlessness
- Graph 33: Skincare goals (NET – Any Rank), 2024-25
- Infuse self-esteem into skincare value propositions
- Graph 34: skincare goals (NET – any rank), 2025
- Promote efficacious benefits of repetition and consistency in skincare use
- Graph 35: skincare goals (NET – any rank), 2025
- Makeup: shift from fun to function
- Graph 36: makeup goals (NET – any rank), females by age, 2025
- Look to enhance, not cover up
- Graph 37: makeup goals (NET – any rank), 2024-25
- Use makeup to boost confidence and encourage self-expression in teens
- Graph 38: makeup goals (ranked – up to 3), 2025
- Tweens/Teens: attitudes and behaviors toward BPC
- Expression brings joy, familiarity brings comfort
- Tweens/Teens: expression brings joy, familiarity brings comfort
- Bring teens ‘mini’ moments of joy
- Make physical retail ripe for hangout and discovery
- Graph 39: attitudes toward BPC, by gender and age, 2025
- Teens are feeling the pressure to look good
- Graph 40: attitudes toward BPC, by gender and age, 2025
- Parental concerns run deep around safety, appropriateness and cost
- Graph 41: attitudes toward BPC, by gender and age, 2025
- Appeal to all through safe, at-home alternatives
- Tweens/Teens: purchasing and advertising attitudes
- Discovery, influence, purchase and self-esteem entangled in social media use
- Tweens/Teens: discovery, influence purchase and self-esteem entangled with social media use
- The demand for relatable content and the impact of social media
- Graph 42: advertising and self-image attitudes, 2025
- Support intentional consumption
- Graph 43: advertising and self-image attitudes, 2025
- An undercurrent of eco-impact is in the water
- Graph 44: advertising and self-image attitudes, by age, 2025
- Fragrance layering offers versatility without the need for excessive purchases
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CONSUMER INSIGHTS: PARENTS OF TWEENS/TEENS
- Consumer fast facts: parents of tweens/teens
- Parents: product choice and money spent on BPC
- Parents are gatekeepers and even dad is an active participant
- Graph 45: parental involvement in tween/teen BPC product use (NET), by gender of children aged 12-17, 2025
- Graph 46: parental involvement in tween/teen BPC product use, by gender, 2025
- Appeal to Millennial parents to influence teen purchases
- Graph 47: parental involvement in tween/teen BPC product use, by generation of parent, 2025
- 44% of parents spend $50+ monthly on BPC
- Graph 48: parental spend on tween/teen BPC products monthly, by select demographics, 2025
- Parents: 44% of parents spend $50+ monthly on tween/teen BPC
- $50-$99 monthly spend a sweet spot for those with manageable financial situations
- Graph 49: parental spend on tween/teen BPC products monthly, by select financial situations, 2025
- Moms clearly key purchasers among all BPC subcategories
- Graph 50: BPC products parents buy for their children aged 12-17, 2025
- Parents of girls: build healthy routines early
- Graph 51: BPC products parents by for their children aged 12-17, 2025
- Parents of boys: treat skincare as essential hygiene
- Graph 52: BPC products parents by for their children aged 12-17, 2025
- Parents: resources used to learn about BPC products for children
- Digital resources key in moms’ and dads’ purchase journey
- Graph 53: resources used to learn about BPC products for tweens/teens, by gender of parent with children aged 12-17, 2025
- Parents of girls more likely to learn from their child
- Graph 54: resources used when learning about child’s BPC products, by age and gender of child, 2025
- Parents: factors most important when purchasing
- Affordability is the top factor most important when purchasing
- Graph 55: factors most important when purchasing BPC for children (ranked – up to 3), 2025
- Child’s peer influence minimal in parental decisions
- Graph 56: factors most important when purchasing BPC for children (NET – any rank up to 3), by gender and age of children, 2025
- Build trust through ingredient safety propositions
- Graph 57: factors most important when purchasing BPC for children (NET – any rank up to 3), by gender and age of children, 2025
- Parents: perceptions of “age appropriateness”
- Nearly half of parents see most products appropriate by age 14
- Graph 58: perceptions age appropriateness by subcategory, 2025
- Introduce gradual product progression as kids grow into teens
- Graph 59: age appropriateness of select facial skincare subcategories, mothers, 2025
- Prioritize health-driven lip products to engage parents and younger teens
- Graph 60: age appropriateness of select facial cosmetic subcategories, mothers, 2025
- Hismile engages households with lipcare to build baskets
- Nailcare: target outreach to moms as an activity
- Graph 61: select age appropriateness of nail polish, by parental gender and generation, 2025
- Teen nail category is enhancing marketing messaging around trust and safety
- Gain fragrance spend early through ‘safe for sensitive skin’ messaging
- Graph 62: age-appropriateness of using fragrance products, by gender, 2025
- Strengthen multi-generational brand loyalty in hairstyling
- Graph 63: age-appropriateness of using hairstyling products, by select race or ethnicity of parent, 2025
- Parents: challenges when managing or purchasing BPC products for children
- Social pressures felt across all parents
- Graph 64: challenges when purchasing BPC for children, by age and gender of children and gender of parent, 2025
- Cost consciousness a concern among many
- Graph 65: challenges when purchasing BPC for children, by level of parental purchase involvement, 20225
- Consider environmental attributes as a secondary added value
- Graph 66: challenges when purchasing BPC for children, by gender of parent, 2025
- Despite low cost, e.l.f. tackles duping with CSR initiatives
- Ingredient safety concerns logically spills into total household purchases
- Graph 67: challenges when purchasing BPC for children, by race and Hispanic origin of parent, 2025
- Explore proven ingredients and powerful alternatives
- Parents: attitudes toward BPC and self-image
- Get on parents’ good side
- Address parental concerns head-on when communicating with parents of girls
- Graph 68: rules limiting child’s use of certain products (NET – any agree), by parents’ gender and age of children, 2025
- Support tweens and parents at the social tipping point
- Graph 69: parental worry about peer pressure and child’s self-image, by select age of child, 2025
- Equip parents with tools and content to make informed decisions
- Graph 70: parental attitudes toward BPC and self-image, 2025
- Parents: be a positive force in teens’ self-esteem journey
- Be a positive force in teens’ self-esteem journey
- Graph 71: parental attitudes toward BPC and self-image, by parents who spend $100+ monthly on children’s BPC, 2025
- Empowerment through beauty partnerships and sports
- Build trust with Black parents with a commitment to safety and support
- Graph 72: select attitudes toward BPC and selected STRONGLY AGREE, by race or ethnicity of parents of children aged 12-17, 2025
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APPENDIX
- Consumer research questions: internet users aged 10-17 who have spending money
- Consumer research questions: internet users aged 12-17 who have spending money
- Consumer research questions: internet users aged 12-17 who have spending money – continued
- Consumer research questions: internet users aged 18+ who have children aged 12-17 in the household
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
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