‘Anti-ageing’ is a term that has been used thousands of times, on thousands of products in order to sell cosmetics.
This use of the term could be coming to an end however after the Royal Society for Public Health, in partnership with the Calouste Gulbenkian, published a report demanding that brands like Boots and Superdrug remove ‘anti-ageing’ in the language they use to their customers.
According to a survey carried out by the RSPH around half of women and a quarter of men say they feel pressured to stay looking young.
Following Allure magazine’s footsteps in not using the phrase, the report examines why ‘anti-ageing’ is such a societal problem and why it reinforces ageist attitudes.
“Too often ageist behaviour and language is trivialised, overlooked, or even served up as the punchline to a joke – something we would rightly not tolerate with other forms of prejudice.” Explains Shirley Cramer CBE, Chief Executive, RSPH.
The study also highlighted the effects of ageist comments on our lifespan as those with “more positive self-perceptions of ageing live on average 7.5 years longer than those with less positive self-perceptions of ageing”.
With this in mind, Cramer believes now is the time to squash this term for good and to start changing our perceptions both in the cosmetic industry and in society.
“With more people reaching older age than ever before, it is crucial to act now to promote positive integration across the generations.”
We have reached out to Boots and Superdrug for comment but have as yet not received a response.