Gen Z no longer wants to buy into a picture-perfect lifestyle. They want their purchases to be useful to them.

For the younger generation, a good logo, trendy packaging, and a perfect Instagram feed are no longer enough to make them pull out their bank card. Gen Z watches its spending, checks ingredients, looks for reviews, and increasingly chooses tangible benefits over status. For young gay men, this shift is particularly interesting: a market that spent decades selling men attractive bodies, expensive possessions, and the image of a perfect life must now explain why anyone needs any of it in the first place.

Until recently, a good brand could follow a fairly simple rule: make the product look attractive, create a recognizable logo, hire a photographer who knows how to capture perfect bodies, and showcase it all in the right kind of Instagram feed.

It worked.

It worked especially well in the market for men's cosmetics, clothing, fragrances, and everything else related to appearance. In the gay community, this model practically became a language of its own. The packaging had to look expensive. The man in the photo had to look as if he had just stepped out of the gym, come back from vacation, and finished a photo shoot—all at the same time. And the product itself had to promise not just a cream or a T-shirt, but a new version of you.

Now that is no longer enough.

Gen Z постепенно меняет сам вопрос, который покупатель задает бренду. Это уже не только: “Красиво ли это выглядит?”

Increasingly, the question sounds different:

“А что я получу за свои деньги?”

From Prada to a Jar of Drugstore Cream

Research by NielsenIQ and World Data Lab shows just how significant an economic force Gen Z is becoming. They estimate that the generation's spending power will reach $12 trillion by 2030.

And brands will have to compete for that money by a new set of rules.

In its study of Gen Z consumer behavior, PwC describes a combination that seems rather unusual at first glance. Young people save money, look for discounts, and readily buy cheaper alternatives to well-known products. At the same time, however, they are willing to spend money on small things that bring them emotional satisfaction or a sense of genuine value.

That is not to say that Gen Z has suddenly stopped consuming.

They have become much more discerning about what exactly they are willing to spend their money on.

An expensive sweater may lose out to a good thrift-store find.

A premium cream may lose out to a product with transparent ingredients and proven results.

A well-known brand may lose out to a store's private label.

And a huge advertising campaign may lose out to a single honest review from someone who has actually used the product.

This is a fairly serious blow to the old logic of consumption.

Потому что бренд больше не может сказать: “Мы дорогие, потому что мы красивые”.

It will have to explain why it costs more.

And This Is Where It Gets Interesting for Us

For a long time, gay men were practically the beauty industry's ideal consumers.

They were expected to take care of their skin.

Take care of their hair.

Take care of their bodies.

Buy clothes.

Know their fragrances.

Go to the gym.

Travel.

Look young.

And preferably do it all with style.

Entire markets for men's grooming and lifestyle products were built around a fairly straightforward idea: you can keep improving yourself.

A new serum will improve your skin.

A new fragrance will make you sexier.

New clothes will make you more attractive.

A new gym membership will bring you closer to the perfect body.

The idea was very simple: buy the right things and gradually become the person you want to be.

But the new generation is far more skeptical of this formula.

You don't have to buy a €60 jar just because it looks good in your bathroom.

You don't have to buy a €150 T-shirt just for the tiny logo.

Не обязательно покупать очередную “революционную” сыворотку, если непонятно, чем она отличается от продукта за €15.

And you certainly don't have to pay for the feeling of belonging to a particular class if you're not even sure you want to belong to it.

Beauty Hasn't Gone Anywhere

This is important.

It's not that Gen Z has suddenly stopped loving beautiful packaging, fashion, or aesthetics.

On the contrary, visual culture remains extremely important to this generation. Social platforms, recommendations, content creators, and visual algorithms continue to have a major influence on what young people notice and buy. For example, a Pinterest study published by the National Retail Federation shows that about 66% Gen Z who regularly use Pinterest name it as one of the first places they go to shop.

But something else is happening.

A beautiful product now has to pass a second test.

The first test:

“Хочу ли я это?”

The second:

“Зачем мне это?”

And the second question is becoming increasingly important.

You can create the perfect packaging for a serum.

But if a customer turns to Google, TikTok, Reddit, or AI and finds that the brand's claims don't really hold up, attractive packaging won't save the day.

The New Status Symbol: Not Spending More Than You Need To

For previous generations, owning an expensive item could be proof of success in itself.

I can afford it.

This is exactly what I buy.

I know this brand.

I've reached a certain level of status.

Gen Z is gradually rethinking this system.

Sometimes, status comes not from owning an expensive item, but from being able not to overpay for it.

Это хорошо видно по популярности dupes, то есть более дешевых аналогов известных продуктов. В исследовании PwC 82% опрошенных представителей Gen Z заявили, что собираются покупать более дешевые альтернативы товарам в праздничный сезон. 63% также планировали покупать винтажные или переработанные вещи.

And this is a very important cultural shift.

In the past, you could say:

“У меня оригинал”.

Now, a perfectly reasonable response is:

“Зачем мне оригинал?”

If two items serve the same purpose, the difference in the logo no longer always seems like a good enough reason to pay more.

Men's Grooming Is Also Shifting from a Luxury to a Tool

For gay consumers, this shift is especially noticeable in beauty.

Cosmetics are no longer solely a symbol of self-care or even luxury. They are becoming an everyday tool.

People need a cream not because it has a beautiful logo.

They need it because their skin gets drier.

People need shampoo not because the bottle looks beautiful in the bathroom.

They need it because the product actually works.

People need sunscreen not as a lifestyle accessory, but because they want to protect their skin.

This is precisely why health and wellness are becoming one of the most exciting areas for growth.

NIQ and World Data Lab identify health as one of the categories in which consumer demand will grow particularly rapidly through 2030. Their research also notes that Gen Z is particularly interested in products with clear ingredient information and health benefits.

PwC reached a similar conclusion in its 2026 global study: consumers are increasingly making health a factor in their everyday purchases, from food and sleep to appearance, fitness, and monitoring their physical well-being.

In other words, the line between beauty and health is gradually becoming less distinct.

And this is especially relevant to men.

What Does This Mean for Gay Men?

Let's imagine a hypothetical 23-year-old gay man.

He lives in a big city, is constantly online, and sees dozens of ads every day.

He is shown expensive watches.

Perfume.

Sneakers.

Clothing.

Cosmetics.

Sports nutrition.

Supplements.

Hair care products.

Skincare products.

All of this promises more or less the same thing: become a better version of yourself.

But they have a limited budget.

And that’s when the filtering begins.

Sneakers can be bought on sale.

Clothes can be found on resale platforms.

Cosmetics can be compared by their ingredients.

You can read ten reviews before making a purchase.

And instead of buying five expensive products, choose the two you actually need.

This is a completely different type of consumer.

Not necessarily poor.

More likely rational.

And here, it is important not to fall into the trap of stereotyping young gay men as supposedly being more obsessed with appearance than anyone else. This generation is simply much more attuned to how products relate to identity, the body, health, and self-presentation.

That is a huge audience.

And brands understand this perfectly well.

That's Why a Rainbow Logo No Longer Works Automatically Either

There is another important point.

If a young LGBTQ shopper genuinely cares not only about a brand’s image but also about its actions, then a standard Pride collection becomes far less convincing.

Putting a rainbow on the packaging in June is easy.

It is much harder to explain what the company does for LGBTQ+ people during the other 11 months of the year.

Исследование Omnisend, проведенное в США в 2026 году, показало, что участие брендов в Pride особенно важно для Gen Z: 69% представителей поколения назвали его значимым. Среди LGBTQ+ потребителей показатель был еще выше, 76%. При этом 45% опрошенных ожидали от компаний именно подлинной, а не исключительно сезонной поддержки LGBTQ+ сообщества.

This results in a fairly strict rule:

show not what you put on the packaging, but what you actually do.

This applies to more than just Pride.

If a brand talks about diversity, where is that diversity in its advertising?

If it sells men's grooming products, does it account for different skin and body types?

If it talks about health, does it provide sound information instead of yet another miraculous promise?

If it targets gay men, does it actually understand how its customers live?

Gen Z finds it much easier to verify such claims.

The Dream of a Normal Life Is Replacing the Dream of Luxury

This is probably the most interesting change.

Old-school lifestyle marketing often sold a dream.

A handsome man.

A beautiful home.

A wonderful vacation.

A beautiful body.

A beautiful brand.

Everything had to look as though you'd already made it.

The new consumer culture is far more likely to sell not a perfect life, but small improvements to the life you already have.

Good coffee.

Comfortable sneakers.

Cosmetics that work.

A decent mattress.

Supplements, if they are genuinely needed.

Clothes that feel comfortable.

A product that saves time.

A product that helps you feel better.

This isn't about giving up pleasure.

Rather, it's about no longer feeling the need to prove your social status through every purchase.

And This Could Transform Gay Male Culture

For gay media, there is a particularly interesting question here.

Not: “Стань идеальным”. But: “Сделай свою жизнь удобнее”.

Not: “Купи этот продукт, чтобы соответствовать”. But: “Купи его, если он действительно тебе нужен”.

Not: “Вот мужчина, которым ты должен быть”. But: “Вот инструмент, который поможет тебе жить так, как тебе удобно”.

And this is a far more profound shift than it may seem.

Because it changes the very idea of consumption.

Beautiful branding isn’t going anywhere. Great packaging isn’t going anywhere. Fashion isn’t going anywhere. And the desire to look good certainly isn’t going anywhere.

But a pretty façade alone is no longer enough.

Gen Z is poised to spend trillions of dollars. According to NIQ and World Data Lab, the generation’s spending power will reach $12 trillion by 2030.