What’s interesting about this discourse is that a lot of it is coming from Gen Z themselves (ages 12 to 27), who say they feel like their generation is aging badly compared to millennials.
“I’m 19, so gen z, and this woman I swear I thought she was 25 and she said she was 37. Like I didn’t even think she was close to her 30s. This has happened to me multiple times. Millennials please tell me ur secrets, I need to age like yall!,” writes a Reddit user.
“In general, they took to applying sunscreen diligently and correctly: Putting it on before going out and reapplying as needed,” Dr. Rossi told The Huffington Post.
But of course, Rossi said, it was a generalization, since there are a lot of Gen Z’s who are hyper vigilant about skincare and millennials who had tanning bed memberships in the early 2000’s.
However, while being tan is not as “cool” as it once was for millennials, the tanning trend seems to have made a comeback with today’s youngsters.
According to a 2023 survey from the American Academy of Dermatology, 20% of Gen Z’s believe that being tan is more important than protecting themselves from skin cancer, and 30% admitted that they would rather look “great” today “even if it means looking worse later in life.”
Moreover, Gen Z’s are exposed to a lot of misinformation at a young and vulnerable age. According to a Wall Street Journal report, anti-sunscreen conspiracy theories online say that SPF causes cancer and that it was created as a ploy by pharmaceutical companies to boost profits.
Another reason for Millenials having less wrinkles, is that they hydrate a lot. Because they grew up during the golden age of sugary drinks, they are making up for it now by clinging to their “emotional support water bottles”, a trend within this generation, a CNN article says.
Another factor that rather than making millennials look younger, is making Gen Z’s look older, is the recent popularity of vaping, a habit this generation is “hooked” on, according to the American College of Chest Physicians.
The nicotine and chemicals used in vaping can make the blood vessels narrow, limiting the oxygen and vital nutrients that reach skin cells, and lower levels of collagen and elastin, which are vital to overall skin health and firmness, according to Healthline.
The normalization of skin fillers among Gen Z’s, is another reason this generation might look older than millennials did in their twenties, dermatologist Courtney Rubin told The Huffington Post.
“What happens is that people who are getting filler in their 20s are using it not really as a tool for restoration, but rather as a tool for facial change”, Rubin said about the generation that was also exposed very young to distorting Snapchat filters.
“When we are making major changes to facial features, there is an increased risk of something not looking quite right,” the dermatologist added
Finally, a reason that might make the 30 and 40 year-olds of today look younger than they are, is their much talked about “innability to grow up”, writes millennial journalist Daisy Jones in Vogue, saying that millenials don’t have kids and “look at ease in a cozy hoodie and jeans”.
