Lianna Albrizio, Assistant Editor05.11.23
Generation Z may be more well-versed in mental health education than others, but ironically, they are considered “the Sad Generation.” That’s no surprise considering these youngsters’ exposure to a pandemic, war, mass shootings at a record high and, not to mention, negative social comparisons on social media.
Beauty brands from Dove to CoverGirl have put a spotlight on mental health with campaigns championing body positivity and challenging the status quo of today's beauty standards. Now Gen Z-centric skincare brands are ramping up the conversation to end the stigma of mental health among young people with new campaigns rolling out now during Mental Health Awareness Month.
Bioré Skincare Gets Active
Bioré’s slogan has long been “Free your pores.” But now the skincare brand, best known for the pore strip, is encouraging consumers to free their minds. In a campaign called, “Get that Sh*t out,” the brand has teamed up with influencer Amanda Hirsch, an avid Biore pore strip user, to encourage consumers to stick one on. And, just as they peel away the impurities from their pores, they’re hoping the same applies with the ones that can build up in their minds, too, in the form of unpleasant thoughts.
“Through research, we’ve learned there is a direct correlation between skin appearance and mental health, which is why we now want to encourage consumers to take that same approach when it comes to mental health,” explained Leah Stone, the associate director of face care at the company. “There is no such thing as ‘perfect’ beauty skin, just skin that makes you feel good. Real, healthy skin has texture, pores and blemishes — and that is beautiful!”
Throughout May, Bioré Skincare will donate to Active Minds, the a national organization mobilizing youth and young adults nationwide to change the culture around mental health.
Through a social media giveaway, participates can tag their friends in photos they take using the products for a chance to win a self-care spa day. Hirsch has tagged the brand when sharing the utterly satisfying but unsightly results of her used pore strip for the viewing pleasure of her “pore strip obsessed” audience.
According to Bioré’s research, 67% of young adults tell a friend they are struggling before telling anyone else. Because peer-to-peer outreach is the best way to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health, the Kao brand is encouraging young participants to create a "Strip the Stigma” post by tagging three friends to normalize, and keep the conversations around mental health going.
‘Bubble’ Over with Positivity
Bubble, donates 1% of its proceeds to BetterHelp, an online community that helps connect patients to therapists at an affordable price point. The company has also hosted Instagram live spots with Loop, a digital platform that helps shatter the stigma around social anxiety.
Another Gen Z-centric skincare brand,
This year, Bubble is partnering with the Trevor Project, a nonprofit which helps to prevent suicide among the LGTBQIA2S+ community, to serve as their official sponsor.
"At Bubble, we believe that accessibility to mental health and skincare should be the same,” said Bubble Founder and CEO Shai Eisenman. "We started Bubble during the pandemic and it really showed us how much of an isolating time it was for everyone—especially Gen Z—so we made it our mission to have mental health be at the core of what we do. We provide a safe space in our community platform, Geneva, for members to talk openly about their lives not just skincare, along with providing discounts to Better Help and donating at least 1% of our proceeds to various mental health charities. This year, we are also proud to say that we are an official corporate partner of The Trevor Project."
CVS Health’s Beauty Mark Initiative
In 2018, CVS Health embarked on a mission to pass a healthier self-image on to the next generation with the introduction of its Beauty Mark initiative – a commitment to lead industry change around transparency in beauty and educate consumers on the difference between authentic and digitally altered photos.
Since then, CVS has worked closely with all brand partners to redefine industry standards in its beauty aisles and beyond— and, in May 2021— reached its goal of full transparency for beauty imagery produced by and for CVS Health.
In commemoration of this milestone, CVS is evolving its mission to address the changing needs of consumers amid the mental health crisis facing the next generation, augmented by the outsized role of social media— 85% of which say it has had a direct impact on their self-esteem and self-image, with 40% of girls aged 11 to 16 and 50% of girls 17 to 21 saying they’d seen images online in the last year that made them feel insecure or less confident about themselves.
This May, aligned with Mental Health Awareness Month, CVS will once again stand up as a role model in championing transparency in imagery by challenging consumers to join in its effort as allies for action and accountability to create a healthier feed for a healthier self-image.
CVS will roll out a new “Role Model” campaign beginning May 15, which powerfully showcases the impact of altered social media imagery on the younger generation. The campaign aims to spark change in social media behavior and encourage consumers to be role models in their own lives by practicing image transparency using #beautyunaltered or #digitallyaltered within their social posts.
A CVS Beauty Mark Lens on Snapchat will allow users to see their side-by-side #BeautyUnaltered and #DigitallyAltered image, educating on the effects of altered social media imagery.
“The use of filters on social media has just taken off, and what it's done is created this unrealistic perception that everyone has it all put together all the time,” said Cara McNulty, president, behavioral health and mental well-being, CVS Health. “Seeing unaltered images is profoundly important because it allows all of us to realize that everyone is beautiful. It helps normalize that we as humans are perfectly imperfect.”
In addition to its commitment to beauty image transparency, CVS Health offers a myriad of products and services to make mental health care more accessible. These include depression screenings in more than 1,100 MinuteClinic locations across the US; in-person and virtual mental health services, including cognitive behavioral therapy, at select MinuteClinic locations; depression screenings from Project Health; and mental health resources and guides on CVSHealth.com, including a resource center around different populations – from the LGBTQ+ community to young adults to parents and caregivers – and their unique mental health needs.
'Write Your Own Story'
Jamie Glassman and Wendy Charland, founders of the new Gen Z-focused skin and hair brand WYOS (Write Your Own Story) are asking community members to sign their Pledge of Values. With each pledge taken the brand donates $1 to the MadHappy Foundation (no purchase necessary).
“We have experienced the reality of mental health challenges and the stigma and struggles that come with them,” said Charland. “We want WYOS to not only offer fantastic products that resonate with our consumers, but also to connect in a meaningful way with those consumers and do our part to help have a positive impact on mental health issues.”
Fundraising for A Brighter Future
Skin Proud is also championing mental health awareness throughout the month of May. The skincare brand’s ¬“Pay It Forward for a Brighter Future” campaign to foster kindness and concern among young people. According to the brand’s research, people who demonstrate kindness and concern for others had a 23% lower level of cortisol, a stress hormone, compared to the average population.
Leveraging the pay it forward concept, Skin Proud will use social media to applaud mental health organizations and encourage donation to the Brighter Future Fundraiser. Consumers will also have the chance to nominate the mental health charity that is most important to them., according to the brand which has garnered more than 2.7 billion views in TikTok. The fundraiser and voting poll will be open throughout the month with proceeds benefiting charity. Through a partnership with TikTok Influencer Zachery Dereniowski, the brand will create TikTok content highlighting the positive mental health benefits that paying it forward begets.
To underscore the importance of self-care, which goes hand-in-hand with good mental health, Skin Proud is promoting its radiance-building products including Proud to Brighten Duo, Bright Eye and Bright Boost.
“This year, we want to put our Proud community at the center of our campaign with our first community-led approach to give our Proud community the opportunity to have their say,” said Nora Zukauskaite, global marketing director, Skin Proud. “We know that Gen Zs are the most educated generation and resonate with brands that are partnering with their community and driving important social causes.”
Dove Self-Esteem Project
Dove has been instrumental in putting mental health at the forefront of the beauty space, especially in the digital age. According to the brand’s 2023 Dove Self-Esteem Project Research, toxic beauty content on social media is impacting the mental health of 1 in 2 kids and more than 8 in 10 youth mental health specialists say social media is fueling a mental health crisis among young people. Further, more than half of kids say social media makes them feel anxious.
Since 2004, the Dove Self-Esteem Project has educated more than 94 million kids globally. The Unilever’s brand’s efforts in this area havent slowed; Dove has teamed up with singer/songwriter Self Esteem to create a new film, “Cost of Beauty: A Dove Film” exploring the real-life consequences harmful beauty content can have on young people, including body image and self-esteem issues, set to the song, “You Are So Beautiful.”
Additionally, Dove has partnered with a multitude of organizations to help make social media safer at the design level.
In partnership with Maudsley Charity, Dove will fund the Pears Maudsley Center for Children and Young People, a new facility that will protect the mental health of the UK's most vulnerable young people experiencing anxiety, depression, self-harm and eating disorders. The Maudsley Charity's Change the Story campaign is supporting the work of the new Center.
In partnership with Parenting Mental Health, Dove will make access to support services and advocates more accessible for parents whose kids are navigating mental health challenges.
Dove will support organizations like Global Action Plan, 5Rights and Girlguiding, which are raising awareness of harmful features on social media to encourage new design standards that will make social media safer for kids. In March, the brand announced a campaign to #TurnYourBack on TikTok’s new glamour filter, which creates the so-called “ideal" of beauty, which seems a warped view.
"Dove has a long-term commitment to bring about positive change in beauty and taking action towards making social media a more positive place with campaigns like, #NoDigitalDistortion, Reverse Selfie/Selfie Talk, and #DetoxYourFeed. While certain aspects of social media can promote creativity and connection for young people, data has shown toxic beauty content online is harming our kids' mental health. If there isn't real change, young people will continue to pay with their wellbeing,” said Alessandro Manfredi, chief marketing officer for Dove. "We have a responsibility to act and support a more positive environment on social media, helping protect young people's mental health. This means going beyond individual interventions to drive systemic change.”