Why rejuvenation is good for the economy

I spend a lot of my working life trying to understand how people are changing and what new things they want from their lives. In the profession this is called trendwatching. I also take care to look at what trends other commentators are observing. And guess which trend is often overlooked? That's right. Our desire as individuals to want to stay young, vital, and relevant.

For the life of me, I don't know why this is. It is obvious to me as a social researcher that the trend towards rejuvenation drives huge sectors of our economy. In fact, as a driver of consumers and markets, they don't come much bigger. Look at the facts.


- The global market for anti-ageing cosmetics (including skin brighteners, firming agents and cellulite reducers) is estimated at around $13 billion

- Meanwhile, in America in 2006 there were nearly 11.5 million surgical and non-surgical cosmetic procedures performed – up 446% in ten years

- In Britain in 2006, face-lifts were up 44% on the previous year, and brow lifts were up 50%


In reality, the marketplace for youthfulness is much, much bigger that even these statistics suggest. Arguably, the whole fashion apparel market is all about looking young (and, of course sexy).

Likewise the beauty market. Indeed, I once interviewed Daniel Richard, who at the time was high in LVMH and MD of beauty boutique Sephora. He explained to me that beauty was all about death(!) - or at least the cheating of death.

So, in these hard economic times, don't let anyone say that looking after yourself and trying to remain young is a vanity that can't be afforded. The economy is stronger because of people like you.