Why Do Millennials Look Younger Than They Are?

Some say that millennials look much younger than they really are. In this article, we'll analyze what lies behind these claims.

Reviewed and approved by the doctor Leonardo Biolatto.

Written by Aylin Stefany Rodriguez Vinasco

Last update: 31 August, 2023

The viral nature of content on social networks has raised several myths about generations such as millennials, who are said to look much younger than they really are. Even these assumptions have become widespread, due to the experiences of some people who belong to this group and have made their stories known publicly.

But is this true, what is behind these claims? In this article, we’re going to delve a little deeper into this generation that has marked a milestone in the history of mankind and review what’s true in the statement that millennials look much younger.

Who are “millennials”?

According to some authors, millennials are the generation of people born between 1980 and 2000. One of the facts that has marked this population group the most is the arrival of the digital era and its constant evolutions. This is something that previous generations did not have and that has given way to very significant changes that would even have to do with their physical appearance.

Because millennials grew up in a context in which information was at a reach never seen before and that their training included a great mental openness, this group is consolidated as the largest workforce in the world. Among other things, because those who belong to this generation tend to have a high mastery of different subjects and have an incredible facility to learn, quickly, what is unknown to them. They know how and where in the cloud to find it.

Even, due to the thirst for new knowledge, these people tend to jump jobs very often. This was confirmed by a study conducted by the consulting firm Gallup, which identified that “60% of millennials say they are open to a different job opportunity”. Could this relate to the fact that some look younger than they are?

5 reasons why millennials look younger than they really are

First, it must be said that the oldest millennials are  43 years old today, and the youngest are 23. In other words, in the same generation we find, according to the stages of human development, young and adult contemporaries.

This would allow us to intuit that TikTok’s viral videos, which have more than 20 million views, could be referring to the youngest members of the so-called “millennial generation”.

However, there are other factors that may be leading older millennials to look much younger than they really are. Let’s take a closer look at them.

1. They undergo various beauty treatments

Access to information and viral beauty trends would be related to the fact that millennials look younger than they are. A study carried out by the Spanish Society of Aesthetic Medicine (SEME) detailed that in 2021 the consumption of aesthetic treatments increased in young people in their 20s.

This generated a worldwide alarm, considering that the average age at which people were accessing this type of services was 35 years old. According to the institution, the modification of physical characteristics in this population is due to the fact that young people are exposed to high expectations created by social networks, where there is access to filters that allow simulating new features.

According to this same study, the most frequent facial treatments in young people are the injection of botulinum toxin (42%) and the injection of hyaluronic acid (32%). Both have a high potential to make wrinkles disappear for a while, achieving much younger and more “Instagrammable” faces.

2. They have healthier habits

As reported by the news agency EFE, citing the report Deep understanding of the importance and perception of health by the millennial generation, conducted by the Mapfre Foundation, this population has a clear tendency to take care of their physical and mental health.

Regarding the eating habits of millennials, it was found that most of them prefer to consume healthy recipes (72%) and eat a healthy and balanced diet (69%), with women having a stronger preference for good nutrition. Added to this is the fact that one in three millennials is physically active or practices some kind of sport.

Now, healthy lifestyle habits that start at an early age prevent premature aging and are triggers for good health. This could be another reason to ensure that millennials who follow this type of guidelines can look younger than they really are.

3. They follow fashion and self-care trends

Another characteristic of the millennial generation is related to their consumption habits, being a population segment that follows different trends. Access to social networks allows them to quickly identify what are the clothes, materials, combinations, and products in vogue.

In short, following these guidelines can make them look much younger, because they are included in trends in skincare and the use of specific products for their particularities, displacing substances that are considered harmful to the skin and even to the planet. There’s usually a clear inclination to take care of both themselves and the environment.

4. They tend to live less complicated lives

The clear tendency of millennials to travel has been the subject of several studies. Among some of the findings, we highlight the philosophy of having nothing, or minimalism. According to many millennials, experiences are more important than material goods.

Traveling and touring the world, not only from the screens of their cell phones, could be another reason why millennials look younger because they give the feeling that they have so few responsibilities that they can take this kind of license. However, those who think this way have another advantage in their favor, since with today’s mastery of technological tools, many of these people can be working from anywhere in the world.

5. They take advantage of the benefits of social networks

Finally, it’s worth mentioning that not everything that appears on social networks is the way it looks. The platforms have implemented different filters and strategies so that people can be what they want to be in just a few seconds – enough to be captured in videos or photographs.

Millennials are an interesting case for research

Choosing one or several reasons to identify why millennials look younger than they really are might not be easy. After all, we’re talking about people, not things, so it’s not so easy to quantify.

However, perhaps as time goes by, we’ll discover more details about this trend. It’s clear that different industries are interested in discovering the behavior and consumption habits of this segment of the population.