When the industry thinks of the US beauty markets, minds immediately jump to the coasts, be it the “no makeup-makeup” seeking, bronze-bathed and green-juicing California troops, or the New Yorker posses with blowouts, pristine manicures, and Botox smooth foreheads. But what about the consumer between the coasts—the skincare consumer looking to survive Chicago’s blistering winds, the makeup wearer hoping to keep a perfectly polished face amid Arizona’s 100°F summers, or a teenager in Kansas looking to buy into the glamorous lifestyles of their favorite A-list influencer?These consumers have often been overlooked by brands at large. Of course the online space has enabled access, whether its through access to trends or brands through e-commerce, but on-the-ground connection still has room to grow. In 2022, the population of the Midwest was 68,787,595 people, which equates to a lot of potential beauty buyers.According to Nielsen IQ, over the last year, the highest dollar volume of personal care and beauty spending in the US belonged to the South Atlantic region (approximately $18.9 billion); in second place came the Pacific region ($15.9 billion); the East North Central ($13.1 billion), Middle Atlantic ($12.5 billion), and West South Central ($11.2 billion) ranked third, fourth, and fifth respectively. The number of buyers in coastal versus non-coastal regions was 65,447,261 versus 58,738,171. The item buying rate in the Mountain region was the second highest ($772.26), West South Central the third highest ($758.34). Yes, the coastal regions still have spending power, but the growing numbers in the central regions of the country are nothing to scoff at either.