Globally, 57% of consumers say ‘ageing well’ is more important than it was five years ago (NielsenIQ, 2025). Smart brands are rejecting rigid, puritanical wellness narratives – reframing cultural and social pursuits (in addition to physical health) as crucial to longevity. US health tech brand Oura offers a standout example with its semi-subversive take on senior wellbeing, while American skincare brand Paula’s Choice spotlights older sportswomen (including a centennial) to counter narratives of ‘slowing down’.

Among UK women over 35, 45% say they feel unnoticed in social settings (OnePoll x Klass, 2025) – a phenomenon known to increase with age. Campaigns from Finisterre, Mecca and Manic Panic correct this lack of visibility (often with a focus on friendship) via short films documenting over-50s surf communities, glamourous seniors delivering frank life advice, and silver social media creator collabs encouraging audiences to “age disgracefully”.

Over half (57%) of Brits feel the media fails to spotlight the sex appeal of people over 30 (OnePoll x Klass, 2025), rendering later-life romance and sexuality nearly invisible. Three campaigns – Havaianas’ ultra-stylish age-agnostic Valentine’s ad, Burger King’s steamy spotlight on older couples’ desire, and Bloom & Wild’s risqué riff on empty nester sexuality – offer stereotype-defying representations of ageing and intimacy.

Globally, consumers over 55 account for 20.8% of total annual beauty spending (Cosmoprof, 2025), but are frequently neglected in advertising. We unpack how British beauty brand Refy’s ‘Iconic Never Gets Old’ campaign leverages beauty as a crucible for confident self-expression, recalibrating representation.