While Gen X comprises roughly 20 percent of the U.S. population and, according to Circana, an equal portion of total beauty spend — or about $23 billion across mass and prestige — the demographic remains underrepresented and underserved by the industry.
A number of the cohort’s members are taking matters into their own hands, though, from founders like Sarah Kugelman and Sarah Creal, who have launched new brands that cater specifically to their demographic’s needs, to a nascent group of Gen X content creators, who are taking to social media to document their beauty routines and lifestyles — and drawing audiences of all ages in the process.
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There’s Pennsylvania-based Meeghan Mullin (@meeghanm), for instance, who has a total audience of 176,000 followers across TikTok and Instagram and, according to a Traackr report, has seen 15.8 percent growth in her Instagram following thanks to her signature approach of pairing high-end and affordable products together.
Grece Ghanem (@greceghanem), meanwhile, rose to prominence for her eclectic fashion taste and frequent travels has since drawn the attention of beauty brands including Estée Lauder, which tapped her earlier this year to promote the launch of its Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Brilliant Soft Creme Moisturizer, $225.
Other leading Gen X creators Gym Tan and Sonia Ramos (@californiaistoocasual and @officiallysoniaramos, respectively) have been members of Sephora’s coveted yearlong brand ambassador program, the Sephora Squad.
While many of the demographic’s rising creators are lifestyle-focused in their content, Cherie Seaswan and Tonia Ranco, who have a respective 49,000 and 357,000 followers, are beauty tutorialists first and foremost, sharing techniques for makeup application on mature skin or skin care “cocktailing” regimen suggestions tailored to different skin types and concerns.
Beauty’s top Gen X influencers, per Traackr.
1. Grece Ghanem, @greceghanem
Total audience: 2.2 million
2. Sonia Ramos, @officiallysoniaramos
Total audience: 1.4 million
3. Tennille Murphy, @thetennillelife_
Total audience: 654,000
4. Gym Tan, @californiaistoocasual
Total audience: 532,000
5. Tonia Ranco, @rancobeauty
Total audience: 357,000
6. Claudia Fabian, @thebeautydebut
Total audience: 204,000
7. Sarah James Dorr, @whoorl
Total audience: 198,000
8. Meeghan Mullin, @meeghanm
Total audience: 176,000
9. Laura Summers, @mycapwardrobe
Total audience: 107,000
10. Cherie Seaswan, @seaswan6
Total audience: 49,000