How are women today approaching ageing? According to a new survey, nearly half of women (47%) report feeling stressed about growing older.
A survey of 2,000 American women, evenly split by generation, revealed that Gen Z (56%) and millennials (57%) are more stressed about ageing than Gen X (46%) and baby boomers (31%).
In fact, both millennials (38%) and Gen Z (40%) are the most likely to feel older than their actual age. Additionally, 18% of Gen Z believe they look older than they are, more than any other generation.
Despite this, more than three-quarters (76%) of women say they are striving to embrace ageing gracefully.
The survey, conducted by Talker Research on behalf of NEOSTRATA, revealed that over half of women (54%) are concerned that others will notice signs of their ageing.
Almost half of women noticed the first signs of ageing skin by the age of 40. Fine lines on the face (44%) and forehead wrinkles (32%) were the most commonly noticed signs, alongside age spots (32%) and creases or lines in the neck (15%).
To help combat the signs of ageing, 70% of women take their skincare routines seriously, with 64% using between one and four different products each day.
For most women (81%), these products target the entire face. However, when asked whether they use products specifically for other areas of the body, such as the neck, eyes or arms, fewer than 40% confirmed they were using such specialised skincare products.
In fact, only 17% of women say they pay significant attention to caring for their neck, with less than one-third (29%) using a skincare product on their neck daily.
“Taking care of my skin helps me to feel confident and good about myself. I was surprised to hear about how many women are still neglecting their neck,” said Jenna Dewan, actress, dancer and NEOSTRATA spokesperson. “I was lucky my mum always told me to extend my facial skincare down to my neck, but it seems many women still don’t realise that the neck is often one of the first places to show signs of ageing. It’s so important to incorporate skincare products that target your neck to prevent fine lines and wrinkles.”
Moreover, only 32% of women are confident they know how to properly care for their neck to prevent signs of ageing.
Almost three in five women (58%) take steps to avoid behaviours or habits that are harmful to their skin. However, many women attribute ageing more to factors like stress levels (55%), poor habits such as smoking or lack of sleep (39%), and neglecting to use sunscreen (33%).
Interestingly, fewer than one in ten (7%) blame technology, and only 25% are aware of the concept of “tech neck.”
“‘Tech neck’ refers to wrinkles that can appear across the neck due to the position of the head and face when looking down at a laptop or phone for long periods of time,” explained dermatologist and NEOSTRATA partner Dr. Alexis Stephens. “With technology playing an integral part in our everyday lives, it’s important to modernise skincare routines and introduce products, such as a neck cream, to target the fine lines and wrinkles that can be caused by ‘tech neck.’ The skin on our neck and décolletage area is very sensitive and will inevitably be the first to give away our age. Time spent on preventing these key signs of ageing will help women to feel and look their age in the long term.”
