The Longevity of Beauty

The 2026 capstone presentations are grounded in six months of comprehensive global research, original consumer quantitative research, and field research in the progressive and sustainable wellness-focused cultures of The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden. Three teams present their research and findings in the theme of Longevity of Beauty. 

The Longevity of Beauty

Date: June 24, 2026 at 5 pm
Fashion Institute of Technology, Haft Theater

Unable to attend in person? The event will also be livestreamed.

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Research Details

The 2026 graduates of FIT’s Cosmetics and Fragrance Marketing and Management (CFMM) master’s degree program—often referred to as the beauty industry’s think tank—will present the findings of their yearlong capstone research projects.

Drawing from their analysis of shifting consumer behaviors, scientific breakthroughs, and evolving business strategies, students will present insights into:

The Longevity Consumer


The beauty industry is entering a pivotal transformation, one defined not by brands or retailers but by the rise of a more intentional and empowered consumer.

10 things the beauty industry doesn’t know about the longevity consumer:

  1. GLP-1 users buy far more impulse beauty 
  2. Doctors are trusted 14× more than AI 
  3. AI is shut out entirely — so are influencers 
  4. The “lipstick effect” is real and additive 
  5. GLP-1 users flip the script on motivation 
  6. When the American Dream fades, longevity  becomes control 
  7. Beauty is the most-protected discretionary spend 
  8. GLP-1 is driving a body-care demand spike 
  9. The youngest buyers are the most longevity-minded, not the most vain
  10. The market runs on cognitive overload

LONGEVITY CONSUMER FACTSHEET

The Business of Longevity


The longevity economy is no longer a forecast. It is the present competitive reality reshaping consumer expectations across every major industry, including beauty.

10 things the beauty industry doesn’t know about how loyalty is really built:

  1. Experience turns buyers into evangelists
  2. Brands are the least-trusted voice in beauty
  3. AI is shut out of trust — and so are influencers
  4. Almost no one is loyal for results alone
  5. Brand love is a luxury good
  6. Loyalty is rented — and performance is the rent
  7. The launch treadmill is backfiring
  8. Discovery is a conversation, not a campaign
  9. Honest opinions have left the public feed
  10. The most loyal customers are the quietest

Business of Longevity Factsheet

The Science of Longevity


The beauty industry stands at a structural inflection point: it must evolve beyond surface-level appearance or risk irrelevance as science moves toward biological longevity.

10 things the beauty industry doesn’t know about the science of longevity:

  1. The longevity consumer already exists
  2. Brands fumble the one job that matters
  3. Science jargon erodes trust, not builds it
  4. Beauty hasn’t earned the word ‘longevity’
  5. Don’t say longevity — say what you can measure
  6. The trusted messenger wears a lab coat
  7. The oldest buyer is the toughest sell
  8. Midlife, not Gen Z, is the activated market
  9. One longevity message will fail everyone
  10. The biology is slow — the consumer isn’t

Science of Longevity Factsheet