# 2 Research is Fluff.

I started thinking about the idea of Fluff two years ago, while I was still at frank body: “Wouldn’t it be cool if there was a makeup brand for young girls… I think there’s a bit of a gap.”

But that one question immediately led to a million more :/

“What drives them to buy makeup?”
“Where do they get their money?”
“How much are girls spending?”
“What is out there at the moment?”
“What do girls/guys/parents think about girls wearing makeup?”
“What even is a Centennial?”
“What’s the message the beauty industry is sending young girls?”
“What’s the actual problem we’re trying to solve?”

So we started researching:
Our audience on Tumblr, Reddit, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat (and in person with focus groups); our industry in academic journals and industry reports from across the globe; our competition from high-end retailers like Mecca to discount pharmacies and supermarket field trips.

The following isn’t everything we’ve learned. It’s just the tip of the iceberg. But I want to share this stuff, because the more we researched, the more data and reports revealed themselves as genuine problems. The more we found out, the sadder I got.

The truth is, I had no idea I cared this much about these issues because I had no idea how many issues there were.

Young girls buying makeup is not the problem.

Let’s be realistic: whether we like it or not, younger and younger girls are spending more and more money on makeup.

• As of 2015, teenage girls between 14–18 were spending an average of $173 p/a on makeup.
• A fifth of girls as young as 12 won’t leave home without full makeup.
• Over half of under-14s wear cosmetics every day.
• 61% of women start using makeup before the age of 16.

It is what it is. Trying to change this behaviour by telling them to stop simply isn’t practical. Asking why is.

“Makeup in Australia plays an important role in driving women’s inner confidence and self-acceptance, regardless of age. But we understand that this demographic in particular needs help with understanding who they are, and what they’re all about.”
- Loreal, 2016.

Selling young girls the wrong idea about beauty is.

A long, hard look at the market revealed a lot.

Scared to be seen as exploiting teenagers, mass & luxury cosmetic brands are ignoring younger audiences. However, because brands are not tailoring their messages and images to younger girls, all that’s left are the images and ideas intended for older ones.

So instead, young girls are looking to their peers not just for advice, but guidance. Thanks in part to the rise of social media, unrealistic depictions of beauty are everywhere, and girls are shown how to ‘achieve the look’ with tutorial videos on YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram.

The industry calls it “The Instagram Face”. And it’s starting to cause problems inside and out.

• At least 20% of girls who have ever worn makeup have negative feelings when they are not wearing makeup, reporting feeling self-conscious (20%), unattractive (17%) and naked/as though something is missing (15%).
• While most teenage girls recognise that they have sensitive skin, there seems to be a genuine lack of awareness and education among young girls on how to look after their skin’s health today and protect it for years to come.

Social media is taking its toll on young people.

Centennials are open-minded yet introverted; independent yet cautious. They’re less susceptible to brand messaging than Gen X, and less rebellious than Gen Y. They don’t want to be pigeonholed, stereotyped, typecast, or outcast, they give themselves and others permission to be different and express those differences how they see fit.

But they’re on the brink of a mental-health crisis.

A particularly depressing (but well-worth reading) article, suggests that the arrival of the smartphone has radically changed every aspect of teenagers’ lives. To put it bluntly, young girls spend more time on their phone, in their room, alone, and often distressed.

• Across a range of behaviors — drinking, dating, spending time unsupervised — 18-year-olds now act more like 15-year-olds used to, and 15-year-olds more like 13-year-olds.
• Today’s teens may go to fewer parties and spend less time together in person, but when they do congregate, they document their hangouts relentlessly — on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook. Those not invited to come along are keenly aware of it. 48% more girls said they often felt left out in 2015 than in 2010, compared with 27% more boys.
• Teens who spend more time than average on screen activities are more likely to be unhappy, and those who spend more time than average on nonscreen activities are more likely to be happy. There’s not a single exception.
• The unrealistic depiction of children in a sexualized manner has a detrimental effect on adolescent development, increasing the risk of depression, eating disorders and low self-esteem.

Or, to take it from (one of) them:

“I think we like our phones more than we like actual people.”
- Actual Young Person.

So, here’s the challenge:

To create a makeup brand for girls that encourages wearing less makeup, using social media to encourage spending less time on their phones.

“The real problem isn’t sexting or bullying, which adults focus on in patronising and unimaginative ways. The real problem relates to conformity. Kids are compelled to act the stereotype because those who opt out commit themselves to social leprosy. Social media doesn’t need adult control. What we need is some good taste.”
- Olyvia Nelson.

No pressure, or anything.