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As a beauty writer, I'm inundated with skincare launches aimed at Gen Z. The glazes, milky toners and barrier butters flood in on a weekly basis. But at 36, I don't have any interest in faddy products aimed at people 15 years younger than me (sorry, Rhode Beauty, you're not for me).
At the other end of the spectrum, my inbox is equally awash with anti-ageing, perimenopause-focused skincare promising to hydrate midlife skin and bring it back to its luminous best. Again, not my age bracket.
In my mid-30s, I feel decidedly ignored by the skincare industry. I'm not looking to turn back the clock (yet… ask me again in 10 years), but nor am I looking for serums, moisturisers and masks that do nothing other than look cool in my bathroom cabinet or in Instagram shelfies.
I'm not imagining that women in their 30s are being ignored – aesthetics expert Dr. Sophie Shotter eloquently explained my gripes. "Women in their 30s often find themselves underrepresented in skincare marketing because they occupy a space that is less commercially dramatic than other age groups.
"The beauty industry tends to prioritise audiences with more visibly defined or urgent concerns – namely Gen Z consumers, who are navigating acne, oil control, and barrier disruption, and perimenopausal or menopausal women, who experience more pronounced changes such as dryness, sensitivity, and accelerated ageing. In contrast, women in their 30s typically present with subtler, early-stage changes that are less immediately visible and therefore less compelling from a marketing perspective."
Long past the acne era, and before wrinkles make themselves known, for many of us, our thirties are our skincare prime, with Sophie noting: "There is often no single, dominant 'problem' to address for people in their thirties. This makes it more challenging for brands to position targeted products, particularly in an industry that relies heavily on problem–solving narratives and visible transformations.
At my age, my frienda and I have graduated from experimenting with different toners and peels and instead want reliable skincare that maintains the complexion we've worked so hard for – and this is another reason we tend to be forgotten.
"Women in their 30s often represent a more discerning and less trend-focused consumer group," agrees Dr. Shotter. "Having typically moved beyond experimental or trend-led routines, they are more likely to prioritise efficacy, evidence-based ingredients, and long-term outcomes over novelty. This reduces their susceptibility to rapid product turnover and viral trends, making them a less reactive audience from a commercial standpoint than their Gen Z counterparts. Consequently, despite being highly engaged and invested in their skin health, they are frequently overlooked in favour of demographics that are perceived as more immediately profitable."
Not to brag/be insufferable, if I could freeze my skin as it is now, I would. HELLO!'s Deputy Online Editor Sharnaz Shahid is also living her best skin life in her mid-30s, telling me: "My skin feels healthier, properly hydrated and has that natural, balanced glow – and for my age, I'm told I'm in the top 1% when it comes to having no wrinkles, which I'll happily take."
Unfortunately, clinical data shows that visible ageing accelerates by up to 50% in our 30s, with damage incurred in our younger years making it known post-30. Yikes.
By the time we hit our 40s, the skincare spotlight is firmly on rejuvenating skincare (and aesthetics treatments) but what if we want to look after where we're at in our 30s?
Thankfully, for the first time, attention is finally being lavished on the 30-somethings, in the form of a new category – 'preservation' skincare – which is perfect for this era, according to Dr. Shotter.
"The thirties are the decade during which the earliest structural changes in the skin begin to show on the surface. Collagen production declines at a gradual rate -approximately 1% per year – while elastin integrity and cellular turnover also begin to slow," but here's the crucial bit: "Importantly, the skin retains a strong capacity for repair and regeneration. Fibroblasts remain responsive, and the dermal architecture is still largely intact, meaning that interventions introduced at this stage can have a meaningful and lasting impact."
Dr. Sophie Shotter says that skincare in the 30s should be viewed through the lens of future-facing investment, and this in where skin preservation products come into play.
Skin preservation is the term emerging for protecting skin from new and existing damage before it appears on the skin's surface – ie. locking into our skin as it is in our 30s.
In our 30s, our skin retains a strong capacity for repair and regeneration
Skincare that lives in the preservation category is designed to help pause visible signs of skin ageing, preserving skin in its visible prime, as well as protecting against future damage, or as Dr. Shotter says: "The goal is not to reverse advanced signs of ageing, but to influence the trajectory along which they develop.
"By protecting collagen, minimising cumulative damage, and maintaining optimal skin function, individuals can significantly affect how their skin behaves in subsequent decades. In this sense, the 30s are less about correction and more about strategic maintenance and laying the groundwork for healthier, more resilient skin over time."
Leading the charge with preservation skincare is No7 with their Prime Forever range, named so because, as I said, our 30s is our prime skincare age – trust Boots to be as reliable as ever and remember 30-something year olds exist.
The collection launched this week with five products, including a serum, SPF, moisturiser, cleanser and silicone eye patches (I guess we're still not immune to a trending skincare buy, even well into our 30s) – and has already proved the demand for the category, with a No7 Prime Forever product sold every three seconds in Boots on launch day.
Each item is home to an antioxidant blend created to combat damaging free radicals and reduce oxidative stress – I'm particularly smitten with the Weightless Moisturiser, £38, which has an airy gel texture which is undetectable on the skin, but packs a punch nonetheless, with niacinamide, hyaluronic acid and rice peptides to look after our (rapidly depleting) collagen.
Another brand tapping into the skin preservation trend is Neutrogena with its Collagen Bank range. They referred to the collection as 'pre-ageing', using actress Hailee Steinfeld as the face, who was 28 at the time of launch.
Back to No7, I must comment on the look of the products, too. There's no millennial pink or Gen Z yellow here. The whole range lives in brushed blue packaging, reminiscent of Cinderella's dress in the Disney classic.
When I was introduced to the range, I saw three people nearby wearing the exact shade, proving No7 has hit the zeitgeist with the colour – expect to see it on skincare products the industry over this year.
I'm excited to see the next wave of skin preservation serums and moisturisers – here's hoping No7 sets into motion a new era in beauty – one where 30-somethings are front and centre.
Sponsored by Hada Labo Tokyo
