Young beauty customers are deeply influenced by what they consume daily, from their personal passions to the fandoms and communities they engage with. Such interests shape their identities, values, and purchasing decisions. Whether it’s makeup inspired by a favorite show, collaborations with influencers, or products tied to wellness trends, these touchpoints allow beauty brands to authentically connect with their audience in meaningful and impactful ways. For example, last year amid Taylor Swift and Beyoncé’s concert tours, beauty business saw a significant increase in client bookings and services, with an overwhelming 83% attributing this surge directly to the influence of the stars and their concerts, reiterating the purchasing power behind specific consumer interests. To investigate the power of passions and fandoms within beauty, youth digital-ecosystem data collector SuperAwesome created The Why Behind Where Audiences Are report. BeautyMatter outlines the key findings.
Understanding the Opportunity
Passions and fandoms have become a vital part of unlocking meaningful connections with Gen A and Gen Z audiences. However, simply understanding where audiences are and what they're interested in is no longer enough. Brands need to be prepared to dig deeper to be succesful—seeking out the why behind their interests to drive a more effective approach to youth audience engagement.
To find the why behind these trends, it’s first important to differentiate between passions and fandoms. “To the untrained eye, there’s little difference between a passion and a fandom and they do, naturally, share some important similarities,” SuperAwesome writes. “At their core, both passions and fandoms stem from a deep interest in something, combined with a commitment to spending time and resources on them.”
Powerful Passions
Passions shape brand perceptions and can contribute to a consumer's sense of self by connecting their interests to physical experiences. When brands align with these passions, they tap into identity, creating a deeper, more meaningful connection with their audience. According to the report, 61% of respondents say they engage with their passions daily.
An example of a beauty brand engaging with a popular consumer passion is e.l.f cosmetics x Stanley. The cosmetics brand collaborated with the drinkware business to create Stanley Quenchers inspired by e.l.f’s Glow Reviver Tinted Lip Oil shades. To merge the two products, a separately sold Lip Oil Holder was attached to the Stanley Quencher. The collaboration tapped into Gen A and Gen Z’s passion for wellness (a top priority for 56% of Gen Z consumers), and the virality of the Stanley Quencher, which has been popular among young consumer audiences over the last few years. Since gaining virality among young (predominantly female) consumers in 2020, the 113-year-old brand has seen consistent growth, with a recently reported 275% year-over-year (YoY) sales increase. Additionally, Stanley’s sales rose from $73 million in 2019 to $750 million towards the end of 2023.
“This ultimate duo came to life based on collective community demand— because let’s be real, no one leaves home without their Stanley Quencher and e.l.f. Glow Reviver Lip Oil,” said e.l.f. Cosmetics at the time. The collaboration evidenced e.l.f’s ability to understand the why behind consumer desires for the Stanley Cup (a passion for wellness) and leveraged it to create a successful SKU.
Flourishing Fandoms
On the other hand, Fandoms elevate passions further by adding social dimension. They enable young consumers to connect and be part of a collective with others who share their interests. This sense of community and belonging can help strengthen the bond between these young people and a brand. Moreover, 56% of respondents engage with their fandoms daily.
A key example of a brand tapping into a fandom is Lancôme’s brand ambassadors. To grow closer to its Gen A and Gen Z audiences, the brand assigned singer and actress Olivia Rodrigo as its Global Brand Ambassador. The campaign Gutsy Girl Vibe x Lancôme embraces Rodrigo’s effortlessly cool aura, as well as her strong moral values. The partnership highlights Rodrgio’s success during her sold-out, 95-date GUTS World Tour. Along with the tour, the artist launched “Fund 4 Good,” a global initiative supporting community-based nonprofits that advocate for women and girls’ reproductive rights and fight against gender-based violence. The collaboration not only raised awareness for Lancôme through excitement from Rodrigo’s fans but also created an emotional connection by aligning with Gen Z’s values—of which 74% believe abortion should be legal—focusing on the why behind young audience’s choice to be part of Rodrigo’s fandom.
Ultimately, passions are hobbies or interests that grow a skill or knowledge and often bring joy and personal fulfillment while fandoms are built of a community or type of consumable content that people can unite around (particular video games, entertainment IPs, or a musician). SuperAwesome explains that while not every brand can create a fandom, it is possible to leverage passions and collaborate with fandoms to maximize the potential of understanding and connecting with Gen Z and Gen A audiences.
Building Deeper Connections Through Marketing
Once brands have found the passion or fandom they wish to integrate into their business, and the why for doing so, it is important to know the best way to market these campaigns. SuperAwesome Data shows that 74% of Gen A and Gen Z audiences feel more connected to brands that share their passions and 73% feel more positive about brands that collaborate with their fandom in some way. However, 67% believe that brands could do more to help them feel more connected.
According to SuperAwesome data, Gen A and Gen Z engage with their passions in the following ways:
Video content dominates the methods of engagement related to passions. To interact with these young audiences and their passions, brands should reach their audiences via both short and long form video content on platforms such as YouTube and TikTok, while also engaging with audiences authentically via creators on live streams.
Alternately, the following are the most common ways young audiences engage with their fandoms.
Methods of engagement for fandoms are slightly broader, including social channels and day-to-day conversations with family and friends, as well as buying associated merchandise. To connect with Gen A and Gen Z through their fandoms, brands should consider social and gaming content, as well video avenues.
The report shows that 9 out of 10 young people surveyed are deeply connected to a fandom. The three key types of fandoms these consumers engage with are: video games, creators on social media, and movies and TV shows. The top purchases related to each fandom were as follows.
Video games:
Creators on social media:
Movies and TV:
Brands engaging with video game fandoms is becoming increasingly frequent in the beauty industry. Take Roblox for example, an app where a vast number of brands have created games and experiences for their audiences to deepen their audience-to-brand connections. Arguably, Roblox has a fandom within itself—in 2024, 48% of Americans aged 13-24 played Roblox, a rise from 42% in 2022, and 12% in 2020. These users now anticipate the next beauty activation on the app, conversing with each other as they wait for the next big thing. With Roblox now offering e-commerce, consumers can now make in-game purchases from avatar clothing and accessories to physical branded items.
Additionally, brands can also engage directly with a specific video game. Fenty Beauty demonstrates this perfectly through its collaboration with the Arcane League of Legends franchise, while also immersing itself in another popular touch point for Gen A and Gen Z—movies and TV. The brand crafted a collection inspired by the dynamic auras of the video games female characters to empower consumers to bring together “fierce glam and formidable women.” Fenty further engaged its audience by inserting itself into the Netflix show based on the franchise, working alongside Fortiche Production, the animation company behind the series, to create and bring to life the makeup in-show, merging artistry with storytelling. The brand also connected with its audience through social media content creators, employing ambassadors to showcase the collection through apps including TikTok and Instagram.
Brand founder Rihanna explains the why behind the collaboration. “We’re always finding ways to continue to expand our Fenty Family and empower people to find their inner strength, confidence, and beauty. I love how we’ve done that with Arcane and Fenty Beauty, merging the virtual with the real, creating beauty looks for powerful women and then translating that into real products that everyone can get their hands on,” she stated.
Key Takeaways
Passions can shape brand perceptions and contribute to a young person’s sense of self; brands can align with these to create a stronger connection. Fandoms elevate these bonds by adding a social experience that allows the audience to connect with others who share their interests, and brands can tap into this sense of belonging to become synonymous with these experiences. Ultimately, leveraging both passions and fandoms has the power to amplify the benefits of both for maximum impact. Successful connections with younger audiences are defined by the following four key takeaways:
Know Your Audience: Understand young consumer values, identify their passions, and engage with their fandoms.
Authentically Align with Their Values: Reinforce positive emotional outcomes with brand interactions.
Embrace Passions: Connect with passions by creating engaging content and experiences through special events that feature limited-edition products.
Leverage the Power of Fandoms: Extend reach and engagement by partnering with influencers or creators popular within a fandom. Look at collaborations and launch co-branded products, cross-promotions, or themed events that offer exclusive experiences and merchandise.
“Peak brand experimentation occurs in young teen years, so it's a pivotal time to be in the consideration sets that will last well into adulthood,” SuperAwesome concludes. “Engaging with passions and fandoms are essential levers to pull in order to achieve this.”
