French Gen Y and Z are “transforming consumption patterns” and rank top makeup, care and hygiene brands

27 Oct 2022 --- A France-based study on 1,200 consumers has found key differences between Gen Y and Gen Z values that drive “brand love” while also unveiling a ranking of the top brands based on preferences under the hygiene, care and makeup sectors. The new generations represent approximately a third of the purchasing power in France.

The survey reveals that if brands can drive a new paradigm that enhances experiences, emotion and commitment, they can manage to become “love brands.”

The new generation has been dubbed as “transforming consumption patterns” and act radically different from Gen X and Baby Boomers. Gen Y includes those born between 1980 and 1996 and Gen X are those between 1997 and 2010.

Critical reasons for brand favoritism
Convenience, community and activism are being defined as the new paradigm driven by Gen Y and Z. However, there are inherent differences between these two generations.If brands can drive a new paradigm that enhances experiences, emotion and commitment, they can manage to become “love brands.”

On the question “what is the main reason that led you to choose your favorite brand?” – Gen Y prioritized convenience – to live a seamless experience – at a score of 3.8. At the same time, Gen Z consumers gave convenience a score of 3.5.

For Gen Z, the reason was more about belonging to a community. They gave this a score of 3.7, whereas Gen Y consumers gave community belonging a score of 3.6.

Moreover, Gen Z is also more sensitive to brand commitments – to advocate and give meaning to your purchases – at a score of 2.8. On the other hand, Gen Y gives brand commitments a score of 2.6.

What makes hygiene products stand out?
A key success factor in the hygiene sector is that brands have a well-identified product hero and a strong reputation — for instance, Axe the deodorant, Colgate the toothpaste or Dove the soap.

The top hygiene brands for Gen Y in order of their love score are Axe at 296, L’Oréal at 289, Cadum at 232, Marseillais at 184, Dove at 179, Colgate at 169, DOP at 138, Garnier at 104, Oral-B at 102 and Aquafresh at 99.

Top hygiene brands for Gen Z in order of their love score are Axe at 450, Colgate at 200, L’Oréal at 189, Dove at 159, Cadum at 144, Marseillais at 144, DOP at 137, Garnier at 127, Aquafresh at 97 and 900.care at 97.

Make care products shine with guarantees
The success factor for personal care products can be achieved when their legitimacy is found through endorsement.

Gen Y and Z prefer pharmaceutical guarantees or luxury houses to purchase skincare products. Luxury houses can benefit from the affordable luxury trend so that consumers can obtain products from prestigious brands.

The top carebrands for Gen Y in order of their love score are Avéne at 328, Bioderma at 223, Nivea at 187, La Roche Posay at 159, A-Derma at 131, Caudalie at 121, L’Oréal at 119, Nuxe at 119 Yves Rocher at 113 and Chanel at 112.

On the other hand, the top care brands for Gen Z in order of their love score are Avéne at 234, Nivea at 208, Bioderma at 204, Chanel at 201, Yves Rocher at 152, L’Oréal at 126, La Roche Posay at 119, A-Derma at 110, Dior at 80 and Respire at 66.

Makeup with luxury or naturalness
The success of makeup products lies in adopting the codes of luxury or naturalness, finds the survey. Convenience, community and activism are being defined as the new paradigm driven by Gen Y and Z.

Like the personal care sector, the ranking was noted to be dominated by brands that adopt luxury codes, like Kiko and L’Oréal. Moreover, trademarks embodying naturalness are represented by Yves Rocher, Avril and Absolution, two newcomers.

The top makeup brands for Gen Y in order of their love score are L’Oréal at 156, Kiko at 118, Maybelline at 102, Yves Rocher at 97, Dior at 84, Bourjois at 76, Avril at 67, Chanel at 66, Avéne at 61 and Benefit at 58. 

Moreover, the top makeup brands for Gen Z in order of their love score are Kiko at 66, Chanel at 62, Armani Beauty at 62, Yves Rocher at 55, Benefit at 52, Avril at 49, Fenty Beauty at 46, Anastasia at 43, Absolution at 42 and Dior at 42.

Overall ranking
Overall, Adidas was the top-loved brand at a score of 969 for Gen Y and 965 for Gen Z. 

From the total of 500 brands, Gen Y has a love score for L’Oréal at rank eight at 564. Care brand Avéne was at rank 10 with a love score of 389. Similarly, for Gen Z, the love score for L’Oréal at rank 8 was 313 and the hygiene brand Axe was at rank 4 with a love score of 450.

The survey was carried out by Digital Native Group, which gathered 28,800 answers and opinions, ranging from the beauty, ready-to-wear and food sectors. Of the interviewees, 600 were between 26 and 44 years old, and the other 600 were between 18 and 25.

The love score was determined through two questions. The first was “In sector [X], select your three favorite brands,” equaling one point. The second question was, “of the three brands you selected in the previous question, which is your favorite brand?” This equaled three points.

By Venya Patel