Older buyers are the novelty for consumer brands

The pandemic has disproportionately harmed the elderly, who say executives emphasize the importance of staying healthy later in life.

This change is taking companies like Nestlé SA,

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Colgate-Palmolive Co.

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and Danone SA

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to launch new products aimed at consumers who say they are increasingly interested in aging well.

“We clearly see healthy aging, especially now with the Covid world, as a major trend,” said Danone Chief Executive Emmanuel Faber.

In November, Danone said it was creating a new healthy aging unit to accelerate research on how nutrition affects cognition and mobility. Yogurt maker Activia recently launched Fortifit Pro in Brazil, a whey protein product that claims to help muscles, joints and bones, and said it plans to develop more products designed to help people age better.

It is estimated that the number of countries with more than 20% of the population aged 65 and over will increase from 15 last year to 44 in 2030, according to the UN. That number is expected to reach 61 in 2050, when it will include the USA and China and Brazil.

The researchers estimate that economic uncertainty related to Covid-19 will also accelerate the decline in birth rates in the US and China.

Last month Nestlé launched a powdered milk drink in China under its Yiyang brand, aimed at older adults, which it claims to increase mobility during aging.

In recent years, the company’s health sciences unit has shifted its focus from making food and beverages to helping people recover in hospitals, to helping prevent people from being hospitalized in the first place, said Greg Behar, who heads the unit.

“There are more and more people who want to proactively manage their health in the aging process,” said Behar. “What affects people the most is the drop in physical and cognitive functions and there is also the element of beauty and skin.”

About 20% of Nestlé Health Science’s research budget is now dedicated to aging. The company uses tiny nematode worms known as C. elegans, which age quickly with a shelf life of just two days, to test its chances of nutrition.

Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, which makes the infant formula brand Enfamil, has also launched a dairy drink aimed at older consumers in China that claims to contain ingredients to boost the immune system.

Overall, Reckitt says the Chinese milk market with ingredients added to provide specific benefits is worth £ 500 million, the equivalent of $ 686 million, and growing 13% a year. The company is developing several products to capitalize on the self-care trend and expects Covid-19 to accelerate demand.

Other companies are improving products to serve the elderly who, they say, will spend more time living at home, rather than in social assistance facilities.

IKEA started selling vertical seats with higher seats to facilitate lifting, inclined footrests to promote blood circulation and jug claws to help unscrew caps, among its products for people with reduced mobility, including the elderly.

The line is part of an effort to imbue design aimed at people with different capabilities in IKEA products, said Britt Monti, a senior designer who worked on the collection. IKEA has avoided labeling the interval as being specifically for the elderly, she added.

“Especially later in life, you don’t want to be labeled as older,” said Monti. “We don’t want to make this a big event, we just want it to be a natural part of the design process.”

Procter & Gamble Co.

Last year, it started selling a razor blade for caregivers in Canada, where the company said the data shows that one in four people helps someone with needs related to aging, disability or long-term health. The Gillette Treo, which was already available in the United States, has a safety comb and a wider handle filled with shaving gel that is designed to give caregivers better control when shaving their elderly.

In beauty and skin care, older consumers tend to spend more, making them an important demographic for companies like L’Oréal SA

. In France, women over 65 spend 184 euros, the equivalent of $ 223, on beauty products each year, compared to 120 euros for people aged 25 to 30, said Delphine Viguier, global president of L’Oréal Paris brand.

Last year, the company said growth in the skin care market has accelerated, driven in part by an aging population. He expects the trend to continue in the long run.

Others have succeeded in targeting anti-aging products for younger consumers.

When Colgate launched a sophisticated amino acid toothpaste last year in China to reverse visible signs of aging gums, the company focused its marketing on a young audience, using celebrity bloggers and social media apps. Colgate took the approach after Filorga, its anti-aging facial care brand, became popular online with women aged 25 to 35. The company said 80% of buyers who buy Colgate Miracle Repair were under 30.

“In China, aging is for the young consumer,” said Colgate CEO Noel Wallace last year. “They are taking anti-aging products – whether for skin health or otherwise – and very, very much looking to offer benefits for themselves from an early age.”

Write to Saabira Chaudhuri at [email protected]