In Detail

The Age of Opportunity

Christy Turlington created a viral sensation when she closed the most recent Michael Kors show, celebrating the brand’s 45th anniversary. The 57-year-old supermodel was far from the only Gen X icon to make an appearance on the runway — and why not?

As senior editor Kathryn Hopkins reports this week, there are about 35 million Gen X women in the U.S. and they’ve got money to spend. Last year, prestige beauty accounted for about 6 percent of the total Gen X spend – and is also the fastest growing category.

That has not gone unnoticed by beauty marketers. But as Hopkins discovered, all products and marketing campaigns are not created equal when it comes to appealing to older shoppers. This week: Who’s winning and why, plus a cool new hair care line from industry vet Daniel Kaner and his son, Jonah, and what L’Oréal’s acquisition of Innovist means for the Indian beauty scene. — Jenny B. Fine, editor in chief, Beauty Inc