Beauty Care Topics

The German Cosmetic, Toiletry, Perfumery and Detergent Association (IKW) presents results of youth study “Youth undisguised” – The self-perception and self-esteem of adolescents and young adults, conducted by rheingold salon.

The first in-depth psychological-representative study on the transition to adulthood shows: young people today not only struggle with uncertainties due to mood swings and burgeoning sexuality during puberty. They also experience a loss of control on the social and familial level. They have been born into difficult times that offer them hardly any support. Their personal situation is often characterised by extremes: 28 % of the young people come from very fragile circumstances. Double or triple patchwork families, moving house and changing schools leave them with a feeling of permanent instability. By contrast, 71 % of the study participants described their personal cirmustances as being characterised by over-protection. They are told that they can achieve anything and as a result have great confidence in their own abilities. However, their “delusions of grandeur” likewise lead to a feeling of instability. How young people deal with these uncertainties was another focal point of the study.

It is hardly surprising that young people are generally longing for security; 77 % say they do. 83 % wish for a stable family and for 52 % friendships are more important than “dates” and love affairs – being in love is experienced as yet another loss of control.

The feeling of regaining control, by contrast, strengthens self-esteem. 85 % of the young people therefore put a lot of effort into their appearance in order to feel safer again. “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.”

Greasy hair, a sweaty smell and breakouts are extremely embarrassing for young people, as they are the physical manifestation of a perceived loss of control. Feeling hot or aroused symbolises first signs of sexual feelings which are likewise perceived as embarrassing. Here, young people want to regain control. And they feel that they can succeed in doing so 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. 59 % use mascara on a daily basis or even several times a day.

Young people also judge their peers according to their appearance: 60 % believe 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.

Birgit Huber, Head of Beauty Care at 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. 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.

Notes:

The study results will be presented in Frankfurt on 17 February. The Webcast of this presentation and other interesting facts such as interviews with Birgit Huber, Head of Beauty Care at IKW, Ines Imdahl, Managing Director of rheingold salon, and young adults are available on the website www.ikw-youthstudy.org/.