UAE: Are Gen-Z's Ageing Faster Or Just More Anxious? Experts Explain New Fad

Wrinkle creams, eye serums and retinol at 21? The anti-ageing obsession is hitting younger and younger, but is Gen-Z really ageing faster, or just more anxious about it? Technically, Gen-Z is not ageing faster than millennials, but certain factors like chronic stress and more screen time are affecting the ageing process of young people.

“There's definitely been a rise in Gen-Z clients seeking advice around age prevention and long-term skin health,” Jitin Jaggi, the managing director of Circadia SAMENA, an esthetics brand that focuses on utilising the body's natural circadian rhythm, told Khaleej Times.“It's less about reversing signs of ageing and more about staying ahead of them. We hear concerns about fine lines around the eyes, skin texture, and overall firmness. Many are also worried about how stress, screen time, and lack of sleep are showing up on their skin.

“While I wouldn't say Gen-Z is ageing faster, they are facing different lifestyle challenges that can impact the skin's appearance earlier,” he said.

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Those challenges include disrupted sleep, chronic stress, constant screen exposure, and even environmental pollution, which can contribute to ageing faster. Of course, millennials also faced some of those issues, but according to Jaggi,“Gen-Z is experiencing them from a much younger age.”

He explained that young people are growing up in a digital world with a constant and never-ending stream of content related to beauty and health, which he said“naturally creates more awareness, and sometimes pressure, around how skin looks".

However, not all doctors share the view that Gen-Z is now more aware than previous generations about anti-ageing technology. Dr Mohammed Kalla, Aesthetic General Practitioner at Skin Laundry, said that the trend for aesthetic treatments among Gen-Z seems to be consistent with millennials, but that the difference lies in how much they understand those treatments.

“Beauty and preservation of youthfulness has always been integral, in one form or another, for decades,” Kalla said.“I don't necessarily feel the current generation are concerned about aesthetic treatments in particular, but I see a shift in the current generation; to try and grow up faster and be 'mature' more quickly than previous generations. And potentially this could be a slippery slope into emulating more than just skincare and makeup trends.”

He also noted that there is no strong evidence to suggest that Gen-Z is 'ageing faster' in no way, shape, or form.“The pursuit of attaining beauty based on social media scrutiny has posed harsh, unrealistic ideals to what it actually means to look young. Distorted by facial filters that deceive not only Gen-Z, but all age demographics,” he said.

Lali Mendoza, a 22-year-old media professional, believes that the pressure to stay young can be mentally damaging.“That obsession of wanting to look younger could really affect you in bad ways mentally. At the end of the day, everyone is going to grow up. No one is going to stay young forever.”

She added that social media has heavily influenced how anti-ageing products are perceived. From packaging that emphasises youthfulness to pushing ingredients like retinol onto younger users, Mendoza warned that“if you use it at an age where you're not supposed to, the damages that it could do on your skin” can be serious.

She recalled an instance where she saw a trend on TikTok, where young women even as young as 12, would mix retinol, an ingredient which produces collagen and decreases the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, with their moisturiser.

However, starting anti-ageing treatments that early can do more harm than good, Jaggi said, adding that“overuse of actives or aggressive treatments can compromise the barrier and lead to sensitivity".

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