After Anti-Aging, the Lucrative Market of Menopause

For decades, society sidelined aging women, rendering them invisible. Their lives seemingly halted around the age when they could no longer bear children. Beyond that, they ceased to exist, even on screen. For every Meryl Streep or, later, Nicole Kidman, how many actresses disappeared or were relegated to minuscule roles? Amy Schumer's brilliant sketch, featuring Patricia Arquette, Tina Fey, and Julia Louis-Dreyfuss celebrating the "The Last Fuckable Day" of the latter, vividly illustrated this. One scarcely dares to call it by its name: menopause.

Every day in the United States, 6,000 women reach the age of 51, the peak of this period stretching from perimenopause to postmenopause. While the anti-aging market has targeted these women for ages, it is now in its infancy. The societal change is gradually unfolding, accompanied by significant business potential already grasped by numerous startups and new brands, often associated with celebrities. More aware than others of the stakes – and likely the revenues at stake – they are helping to shed light on a still-taboo phenomenon, including in the realm of health. Supported by Gwyneth Paltrow, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and football star Abby Wambach, the startup Evernow announced last spring a $28.5 million Series A funding round.

Naomi Watts, on the other hand, launched Stripes, a beauty and wellness brand addressing the challenges posed by this period of physical and mental change; Serena Williams' investment fund has heavily invested in Wile, a company with similar goals, co-founded by actress Judy Greer. These women openly share their own experiences and contribute to the emerging understanding of this stage, fueling the market. According to DelveInsight, this awareness and the aging population project a growth of over 7% in this sector, from $16 billion in 2022 to over $23 billion by 2028.