London, April 29 (IANS) Beauty companies focus more on how cosmetic products can make women look young but instead, they can replan marketing strategies on how these products can make them look good and feel confident, say researchers.
The findings showed that 62 percent of women used make-up daily and that only three percent used it to look younger. The majority -- 52 per cent - used it to look good and 28 percent used it to feel confident.
Many middle-aged and older women feel underrepresented or not represented realistically in the media which affects their confidence and feelings of self-worth.
They also dislike the young, airbrushed, or cosmetically-altered models used as they struggle to relate to them and consequently, to the products, said Carolyn Mair from the London College of Fashion.
The team analysed over 500 women aged 40-89 years who participated in an online survey.
They were asked on use of make-up like how they viewed advertisements aimed at their age group, how they perceived advertising and the impact of this on their self-worth.
The team found that few older women claim to use cosmetic products to look younger but majority say they use them to look good and feel confident.
"It would be a step in the right direction if advertisers could reconsider some of their marketing strategies and focus less on how a product makes a women look younger and more about how the product can make her feel good about herself," Mair added.
The study was scheduled to be presented this week at the British Psychological Society's 2016 annual conference in Nottingham.
