Black and white abstract image with paper heart and blurred facial features.

The Gen Z Beauty Mindset

They want: expression > perfection
They buy: values > promises
They trust: creators > campaigns

63% of Gen Z say their beauty rituals are part of their mental health routine.

Brands like Topicals and Youthforia are winning by normalizing skin texture, acne, and real-time experimentation.

Visual Triggers & Aesthetic Codes

Textures > Retouch — skin with visible pores, gloss, or color bleeding = real.
Visual Chaos > Symmetry — Gen Z responds to 'messy' TikToks, grainy filters, behind-the-scenes cuts.
Nostalgic Layers — early 2000s (digital cam, MSN emojis) + indie-sleaze energy.

Think Glossier’s mirror selfies, but with mood swings.

Logo for Redfin with black text and a red line underneath

Storylines That Land

"It’s not flawless, it’s mine."
"I tried this on my worst skin day."
"Watch me wear mascara like eyeliner because I lost mine."

Gen Z loves micro-confessions, visual vulnerability, and DIY mastery. No overproduction. No obvious paid ad energy.

A woman in a black dress with a thigh-high slit, standing outdoors in front of a green wall, with a long black flowing scarf caught in the wind.

Cédo Recommends

If you’re talking to Gen Z, try this trio:

1. Reformat your script — less slogan, more voice note.
2. Rethink your visuals — one imperfection = one emotional hook.
3. Reuse their rituals — GRWM, shelf tours, late-night chats.

Want to test your brand’s cultural relevance?
Run a Cédo Audience-Fit Sprint — AI prototyping + social decoding in 5 days.

Cost - $450.

Audience-Fit Sprint

Your brand. Their language. Our precision.

What it is:
A fast, 2-week strategy module for brands that want to resonate with a specific generation (Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, or Gen Alpha) — and test a creative hypothesis without long onboarding or heavy investment.

What’s Included

  1. Audience Codebook
    A concise dossier on your target generation: visual triggers, behavioral cues, and culture-first insights.

  2. Trend Pulse
    A curated analysis of visual, UGC, and ESG trends relevant to your audience — tailored to your category.

  3. Prototype Visual Direction
    One creative track with AI-generated visuals, conceptual mood, and positioning — how your campaign or brand could look in their visual language.

  4. Engagement Format Suggestion
    1–2 content formats designed to drive engagement from your target cohort — reels, AR ideas, storytelling or UGC mechanics.

  5. Mini Content System
    A rough wireframe of your future content system — what to post, how often, and how to keep attention over time.

Drop us a line at info@cedodigital.com — we’d be happy to jump on a quick call and show how it could work for you.