Longevity of Beauty Explored at FIT Capstone

Is living better the true future of beauty?

Students from the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) master’s degree program in cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management (CFMM), the beauty industry’s “think tank,” shared global insights on this question, in their presentation on “The Longevity of Beauty.”

The event, which took place on June 24, is an annual research presentation by the graduating class, which provides analysis and action points for leaders in the beauty industry.

This year marked CFMM’s 25th year of student-initiated research. The three-tiered initiative focused on the longevity consumer, the science of longevity and the business of longevity.

Dr. Brooke Carlson (Interim Dean, School of Graduate Studies) and FIT President Jason S. Schupbach provided welcoming remarks and congratulated the graduates.

This year, sponsor remarks by Vanessa Reggiardo, executive vice president global brands and innovation consumer beauty, Coty Inc., set the stage for the message of innovation, artistry, and partnership. Reggiardo, who leads Kylie Cosmetics, said that modern beauty brand leadership challenges the status quo. She noted the importance of scaling energy and providing brands that reflect consumer values, highlighting leadership that focuses on empathy and information; and communication shared with clarity and authenticity.

Corey Moran (Class of 2015), chief marketing officer, Michael Kors; secretary, FIT Foundation Board of Directors; and professor of cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management introduced the Capstone brief, which drew on three independent online surveys of 1,654 US beauty consumers, titled, “Longevity in Beauty Consumer Research Study,” conducted in May 2026 as part of the CFMM program.

The Longevity Consumer

Students Aamir Attarwala, Duygu Celebi, and Evan Vinjamuri, shared quantitative consumer research, highlighting an era of uncertainty in beauty, driven by economic instability and information overload. According to the study, beauty has become an expression of lifelong longevity and a merger with technology. Students cited a wellness industry valued at $6.8 trillion (source: Global Wellness Institute, 2025) and a global longevity market valued at $746 billion, (source: Visiongain Longevity Market Report, 2026).

Beauty longevity, they found, is a mindset comprised of a diverse set of consumers influenced by many things that shape their journey. Beauty remains a discretionary spend, with only 33% of consumers cutting their beauty spend, despite a stressed economy (source: Longevity Consumer Quantitative Research, 2026). The “lipstick effect” continues to be real, as of the 26% of consumers who buy beauty “pick-me-ups” under economic stress, only 16% are cutting their beauty budget. For the other 84% the splurges are new spend, in addition to normal beauty purchases.

There continues to be market overload, and 85% of consumers say they feel overwhelmed shopping for beauty, with one in five (21%) experiencing anxiety (souce Longevity Consumer Quantitative Survey). The leading cause of this is too many products, with 50% of respondents saying there are too many choices, and launch-volume strategy appears to be backfiring. Information overload has also been abetted by AI information and people are reaching their limits, with 59% of consumers reporting that they are not able to tell what is real and what is not. In addition, 92% of beauty shoppers won’t rank AI tools anywhere in their top three trusted sources, and 91% exclude influencers outright. (Source: Longevity Consumer Quantitative Survery).

Consumers are seeking relevance and craving simplicity, clearly this is a time when “less can be more.” Students suggested that as shoppers become more emotionally selective and intentional, the brands best positioned for growth will be those that deliver functional value and contribute to a more sustainable life experience.

The Science of Longevity

Students Rachel Rahal and Abby Wyman studied longevity as a movement, not a trend; noting a shift from an anti-aging focus on correction, to how the body functions. Consumers now treat their bodies as assets, with medical intervention and youth optimization playing significant roles. Their findings show that 57% of consumers are buying beauty as biological investments (source: Longevity Consumer Quantitative Survey).

They contend that while Americans are living longer, they are not living better, as health and quality of life are not meeting accelerated lifespan. Their research suggests that 80% of aging is influenced by modifiable lifestyle factors, and consumers continue to demand more than marketing claims. There is a credibility gap between how science measures aging and how beauty has marketed it; suggesting true longevity innovation requires extensive and long-term clinical research, and the beauty industry still largely relies on short-term product cycles and trends.

Their research showed 42% of consumers surveyed lack trust in consumer-facing claims (Source: CFMM Proprietary Survey) and “longevity washing” occurs when scientific claims requiring validation that takes time are rushed. Citing the increase of GLP-1 users, with 62% being appearance-driven, students found that more users focused on looks. This cuts against the assumption that the cohort is purely health motivated. Nonetheless, GLP-1 use continues to rise, with 72% of respondents saying they are interested in high performance body care, muscle support, and firming, and for 42%, the demand has surged. (Source: Longevity Consumer Quantitative Survey). This demand barely existed two years ago.

They suggested that in order for brands to remain credible, they must move beyond “longevity washing” toward delivering measurable health-span outcomes, and think of “beauty as a platform that supports prevention, recovery, resilience, and long-term vitality.” They concluded that while beauty clearly can participate in longevity, it must do so credibly.

The Business of Longevity

According to their research, 76% of consumers worry that they will soon be unable to distinguish between what is real and what is AI. (source: Yahoo Finance, 2026, June 11, The Truth About Global Brands). Trust is eroding, and consumers are said to be desperate for a return to trusted products. According to their study consumers seek, “true communication, uncontaminated by influencer noise and algorithms.”

The two fundamental anchors identified for modern brand durability and long-term success were determined to be trust and desire. Their study revealed that unincentivized human opinion remains the most trusted driver of purchase. While 55% of consumers rely on a close circle of peers and small online communities for trusted product opinions, only 2% turn to AI platforms like ChatGPT for reviews before purchase (source: Longevity Consumer Quantitative Survey).

Creating a strong, deep culture, in which brands are purchased because “they really work,” remains integral to success. Beyond functionality, their study indicated the importance of human response to emotional design in beauty, stating that “visceral desire is triggered through emotional design,” and a brand that is symbolic, personal, and lasting, is most likely to attract consumer loyalty.

In sum, the brand that spends the most does not have the competitive advantage; that belongs to the one that connects most deeply with its audience. It must participate authentically in peer spaces, integrate cultural layers to strengthen foundational credibility, and design consumer-centered experiences.

Capstone Awards

2026 Coty Award for Professional Excellence:

• Laurie Lam, Class of 2009, chief brand officer, ELF Beauty
• Larissa Jensen, Class of 2004, SVP, global beauty industry advisor, Circana

2026 L’Oréal Student Leadership Award:

•  Miranda Spears, Head of Product Development, Thayers, L’Oréal

2026 Shiseido Innovation Award to Recognize Student Projects:

• Frederick Kim, executive director, global marketing, Tom Ford Beauty, The Estée Lauder Companies, for Accelerating Fragrance Innovation with AI;
• Manika Verma, head of innovation, Nexxus Styling North America, Unilever, for Accelerating Fragrance Innovation with AI

2026 Estée Lauder Companies Faculty Leadership Award:

• Professor Margaret Brown, adjunct instructor, cosmetics and fragrance marketing and management, presented by the Class of 2026

Department Medal Award:

• Juliana Rodrigues, VP, global chief compliance officer, Coty Inc.

Dr. Joyce F. Brown Outstanding Scholar Award:

• Yeon Roh, executive director, global creative packaging head, MAC Cosmetics

2026 Scholarship Recognition:

• Juliana Rodrigues, Vice President, Global Chief Compliance Officer, Coty Inc.
•  Shannon Hickey, Category Business Development, Consumer Products Division, L’Oréal USA
•  Claudia Bognanni, Global Marketing Manager for Elizabeth Arden, Revlon

Those presenting awards included:

• Stephan Kanlian, professor and chair, CFMM Master’s Program;
• Alexis Perakis-Valat, CEO, L’Oréal US;
• Barbara Calcagni, president, global brands, Nars, Drunk Elephant, and Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare,  Shiseido Americas;
• Lisa Sequino, Class of 2013, president, global makeup brands, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc; and
• Rodrigo Vasconcellos, senior VP-North America, human resources and global talent and development, Coty Inc.

Last year’s FIT Capstone research can be found here.