What if true luxury today lay less in erasing time than in knowing how to inhabit it? For decades, the cosmetics industry built part of its imagery on a simple promise: preserving the attributes of youth. Wrinkles to correct, firmness to restore, radiance to regain. A vocabulary of repair that long structured the anti-aging skincare market. With its "Up Next" campaign , Bluemercury is choosing a different path.
The American luxury beauty retailer doesn't deny the changes in skin or the specific needs that arise with age. Rather, it shifts the perspective: after 40, 50, 60, or 70, beauty isn't a thing of the past. It continues to evolve, with new codes, new techniques, and above all, a new self-image. This semantic shift might seem subtle. In reality, it's profoundly strategic.
"Up Next": Bluemercury no longer wants to associate beauty and youth
On the official campaign page, Bluemercury immediately lays its groundwork: the brand asserts that it has never considered beauty and youth synonymous and presents the decades following 40 as a period likely to be marked by experience, resilience, and reinvention. The choice of name itself is revealing. Up Next literally means "what comes next," "what's coming next." Not "going back." Not "returning to your 20s." Not "stopping time."
The campaign focuses on what comes next. This nuance corresponds to a much broader evolution in the premium skincare : aging is progressively no longer presented solely as an aesthetic problem to be fought, but as a trajectory to be supported.
This phenomenon aligns with the rise of longevity in luxury beauty, already analyzed on Luxe Daily. Brands are gradually shifting their language from "anti-aging" to skin quality, resilience, comfort, and how it evolves over time.
Six women, six ways of telling what comes next
To embody this vision, Bluemercury didn't build "Up Next" around a single brand ambassador. The campaign brings together six women from different backgrounds, presented by the brand as two cultural icons, two founders, and two customers from the Bluemercury community.
It includes, among other things:
- Belinda Carlisle, singer and songwriter;
- Aurora James, fashion designer and activist;
- Tina Chen Craig, founder of U Beauty;
- Kaija Braus, photographer and painter;
- Rose-Marie Swift, makeup artist and founder of RMS Beauty;
- Christine Dimmick, entrepreneur and educator in the field of wellness.
This casting is clever because it partially avoids the classic pitfall of "diversity" campaigns. The representation of age here doesn't rely on a single, spectacular celebrity meant to single-handedly convey a message of inclusion. Bluemercury favors a mosaic of career paths: creativity, entrepreneurship, music, beauty, wellness, and art. Age then becomes one characteristic among others, not the sole focus of the women represented.
The figures behind the campaign reveal a real problem of representation
Bluemercury didn't just rely on an intuitive observation. To prepare "Up Next," the company commissioned several research studies on how women perceive their representation in the beauty industry. In a survey conducted by The Harris Poll for Bluemercury from August 19 to 21, 2025, among 2,091 American adults, one in four women aged 35 to 65 felt that the beauty industry wasn't doing enough to represent people over 40.
The same study shows that 57% of women surveyed in the relevant group say they favour a "simple and authentic" beauty, while 54% associate beauty more with confidence than with perfection.
Bluemercury is also releasing information about research conducted for the brand by Qlarity Access Research: 87% of women surveyed would have liked to see more realistic representations of women their age in beauty and personal care advertisements. The brand specifies that the complete methodology of this second survey is available upon request.
This methodological distinction is important. But the general direction of the results is just as important: there is a clear expectation for the representation of mature women that traditional beauty marketing has not always been able to satisfy.
Beauty after 40 also represents a considerable demographic reality
The issue extends far beyond the United States. In France, INSEE figures allow us to measure the demographic weight of women affected by this cultural shift.
According to the 2022 census published by INSEE on June 26, 2025, France had more than 19 million women aged 40 or over, when combining the different age groups surveyed. In other words, talking about mature beauty doesn't mean targeting a niche market.
This is a large, diverse population spanning several generations whose needs, incomes, consumption habits, and aesthetic expectations are obviously very different. For premium brands, ignoring this reality would be as much a cultural problem as a business mistake.
Why is the term "anti-aging" starting to show its limitations?
For a long time, anti-aging was one of the most powerful words in cosmetics. It was instantly understandable. It transformed wrinkles into problems and creams into solutions. But this narrative is weakening. The prefix "anti-" implies a struggle. Applied to age, it can suggest that aging itself is something that must be prevented, masked, or corrected.
However, part of the market is now shifting towards a different discourse: aging well, preserving skin quality, enhancing comfort, supporting the skin barrier or working on radiance and texture without necessarily promising a return to youth.
This is precisely the territory occupied by Bluemercury. The company explains that it wants to present beauty products as tools for confidence and self-expression, rather than as instruments designed to "correct" the person using them. This evolution echoes other recent trends in the luxury sector. At Lancôme, for example, longevity is also becoming a new narrative territory for skincare, with a discourse less focused on erasing the effects of time.
Mature skin: providing support doesn't mean sacrificing effectiveness
However, be careful not to confuse the two. Moving beyond an exclusively "anti-aging" approach does not mean abandoning cosmetic performance. Skin can indeed change over the years: comfort, dryness, the appearance of wrinkles, evenness of complexion, or a feeling of firmness can become different concerns for different people.
Consumers may very well seek out serums, moisturizers, eye contour treatments or formulas designed to visibly improve certain signs of aging without subscribing to the idea that age should be erased.
The difference lies in how the brand formulates its promise. In France and the European Union, cosmetic claims are not unrestricted. The DGCCRF (French Directorate General for Competition Policy, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control) reminds consumers that any claim concerning the qualities or effects of a cosmetic product must be based on adequate and verifiable evidence.
On November 17, 2023, the French administration emphasized in particular that certain claims of moisturizing, nourishing, antioxidant or "anti-aging" effects were not always sufficiently justified during its controls.
For luxury brands, the future of mature skincare will therefore depend on a delicate balance: more respect in the discourse and more evidence in the formula.
At Bluemercury, "Up Next" is also a retail strategy
This is probably one of the most interesting aspects of the operation. Bluemercury is not a cosmetics brand . It is primarily a premium beauty retailer.
Founded in 1999 and part of Macy's, Inc. since 2015, the company has built its business around a personalized in-store service model. Its parent company presents it as a destination blending luxury beauty and spa services, with locations strategically placed in residential neighborhoods and a focus on customer proximity.
This changes the way we interpret "Up Next." A skincare brand can talk about beauty after 40 to sell a product line. A retailer can go much further: recommending different brands, creating a routine, adjusting textures, discussing makeup, hair, fragrance, or skincare, and transforming the conversation about age into a personalized customer experience. Bluemercury thus has an advantage: the campaign can be directly translated into advice.
True luxury in beauty could once again become human guidance
E-commerce has considerably simplified the purchase of cosmetics. But the larger the selection, the more complex the choice becomes. Acids. Retinoids. Peptides. Vitamin C. Ceramides. SPF. Exfoliants. Masks. Serums. Creams. Oils. Today, a consumer can access more information than ever before, yet paradoxically, is less certain of what she truly needs. In this context, personalized beauty advice is once again becoming a premium service.
And age reinforces this need: two 55-year-old women obviously do not have the same skin, the same lifestyle, the same sun exposure or the same expectations.
Reducing mature skincare to a "50+" category would be as simplistic as reducing youthful beauty to acne problems. Luxury can differentiate itself by doing the exact opposite: listening before recommending.
This is consistent with the historical model claimed by Bluemercury, based on personalized interactions and a premium selection of products.
An "Up Next" collection that goes far beyond a simple anti-wrinkle cream
Another telling detail: the commercial universe associated with "Up Next" isn't limited to anti-aging skincare. The collection presented by Bluemercury encompasses several consumer areas: skincare, makeup, hair care, fragrances, and products geared towards professional results. It notably includes products from brands such as Augustinus Bader, La Mer, U Beauty, RMS Beauty, SkinCeuticals, Oribe, and Victoria Beckham Beauty.
This is an important semantic choice. A woman doesn't suddenly become solely a consumer of firming cream when she reaches 40 or 50. She continues to buy perfume. Lipstick. Hair care. Makeup. Sensory products. New products.
By building "Up Next" as a complete beauty universe, Bluemercury avoids part of the trap of reducing the mature woman to her wrinkles.
Can grey hair and wrinkles become desirable?
This is where the campaign touches on something more cultural. For a long time, advertising imagery has treated certain markers of age as elements to be eliminated: wrinkles, grey hair, sagging, spots.
Contemporary marketing sometimes begins to do the opposite: integrating them into aesthetics. But this representation must remain vigilant.
Transforming an exceptionally famous, slim, wealthy 60-year-old woman, photographed by a prestigious team, into a symbol of "real beauty" isn't necessarily enough to solve the issue of inclusivity. The real change happens when brands sustainably diversify the ages represented in their campaigns, content, influencer teams, and points of sale. "Up Next" is interesting precisely because Bluemercury blends well-known figures, female entrepreneurs, and customers into the same narrative. Representation then ceases to be merely aspirational; it becomes relational.
A trend already visible across the premium beauty industry
Bluemercury is not operating in a vacuum. The premium beauty is re-examining the relationship between age, science and desirability.
Some brands choose the word "longevity." Others talk about skin health, repair, prevention, or resilience. The logic is the same: to shift the conversation. Luxe Daily is already observing this transformation through the partnership between Lancôme and Timeline, where premium beauty is gradually adopting a vocabulary inspired by longevity and scientific evidence. This movement probably doesn't signal the disappearance of the word "anti-aging." It remains commercially powerful and immediately understood by consumers. But it's no longer alone.
The mature beauty market can no longer be treated as a niche
Cultural change is also economic. An aging population does not stop consuming beauty products. On the contrary, it may seek more expertise, personalization, sophisticated textures, and service.
French demographic data is revealing: the INSEE census shows more than 19 million women aged 40 or over in France in 2022. Obviously, not all of them are luxury consumers. But they demonstrate the absurdity of an industry that reserves the bulk of its marketing for a much narrower age group. The issue is therefore no longer solely one of inclusion. It is also one of commercial relevance.
At the same time, mass-market brands are also accelerating their innovations, which forces prestige brands to further justify their difference through formulation, experience, and service.
What "Up Next" says about the future of luxury beauty
In my view, the success of "Up Next" ultimately doesn't lie in showing older women. It lies in not presenting their age as a conclusion.
This is a crucial difference. Luxury has always been an industry of projection. We rarely buy just a formula or a bottle. We buy a way of seeing ourselves, feeling ourselves, and sometimes telling our story.
For a long time, this projection stopped too soon for women. The new battle perhaps lies in showing that desire continues. That one can want a new fragrance at 70. Try an unexpected lipstick at 60. Change one's hairstyle at 55. Invest in a sophisticated serum without wanting to look twenty years younger. This is also what mature beauty when it ceases to be confined by anti-aging products.
Bluemercury “Up Next”: a campaign that transforms age into the future
"Up Next" will obviously not single-handedly revolutionize the cosmetics industry. But the campaign captures a cultural shift that major beauty brands can no longer ignore. Consumers are demanding more representation ,but also more credibility. They may want to treat their wrinkles without hating them. They may appreciate the sophistication of premium skincare without subscribing to an anxiety-inducing narrative about aging.
It is precisely in this nuance that a new kind of luxury is emerging. A luxury where performance no longer necessarily consists of promising to turn back time. A luxury where advice counts as much as the product. A luxury where aging and remaining desirable are no longer presented as two contradictory ideas.
And above all, a luxury that finally understands that after 40, 50, 60 or 70 years, the most interesting question is perhaps no longer: "How to look younger?" But simply: what comes next?
Official French sources
- Insee – Population by sex and age in 2022, data published on June 26, 2025.They notably allow us to establish the demographic weight of women aged 40 and over in France.
- DGCCRF – Cosmetic products, official fact sheet published on December 4, 2025, dedicated to the regulations, labeling and obligations applicable to cosmetics.
- DGCCRF - Claims on cosmetic products: not everything is allowed!,publication of November 17, 2023, detailing in particular the justification requirements applicable to moisturizing, antioxidant or anti-aging.
Official campaign sources
- Bluemercury – Up Next : official platform presenting the campaign manifesto and its six participants.
- Bluemercury – press release of September 15, 2025 : official announcement of the campaign and results of research commissioned by the brand.
- Macy's, Inc. – Bluemercury Company Profile : History of Bluemercury, created in 1999 and integrated into the Macy's group since 2015.
