At Flowers Communications Group, we’ve spent decades studying what truly moves multicultural consumers — and what drives them away. The verdict is clear: beauty, cosmetics, and wellness brands that treat inclusivity as a moment rather than a mandate are losing ground in one of the country’s most economically powerful and discerning consumer markets.
Multicultural consumers are not passively receiving brand messages. They are actively assessing whether brands reflect their identities, rituals, and well-being practices — and walking away when the answer is no. What separates the brands that earn their loyalty from the ones that lose it? It comes down to four things:
- Understanding where the money is actually going
- Leading with genuine connection
- Showing up with real cultural fluency
- Seeing the whole person — not just the purchase
In this post, we break down each of these positive deviance points and explain what they mean for brands ready to move from performative to purposeful.
- Understanding where the money is actually going
Multicultural consumers are among the most dedicated beauty and wellness spenders. Research shows that multicultural groups are more willing to invest in beauty products than other groups, spending an average of $200 or more in the past three months (Resonate 2026).
In wellness, Black women are among the fastest-growing consumer segments in areas such as mental wellness apps, holistic health products, and clean beauty. Meanwhile, Hispanic consumers are leading in personal care and wellness spending, often prioritizing products that align with generational and cultural self-care traditions.
The implication for brands is clear: this is not a niche market to acknowledge only seasonally. These consumers are spending with intention — and they are choosing brands that mirror that intentionality back to them.
- Leading with genuine connection
FCG’s analysis consistently surfaces one overriding factor in purchase decisions across multicultural audiences: connection. Once a need exists, the brand that wins is the one that earns trust through cultural resonance. Research corroborates this — multicultural consumers are 60% more likely to choose one brand over another when they feel genuinely seen [EJ2] in the influencer or celebrity featured in the promotion (Resonate 2026). That is not a soft metric. That is a competitive advantage.
This goes deeper for wellness consumers who want to see practitioners, educators, and spokespeople who reflect their cultural backgrounds and understand how wellness manifests differently across communities.
- Showing up with real cultural fluency
Multicultural groups are increasing their social media engagement to find trusted beauty and wellness recommendations. Staying tapped into social trends and community conversations is essential, but so is understanding why those trends resonate. Brands that understand the “why” behind behavior will always outperform those focused on surface-level aesthetics.
- Seeing the whole person — not just the purchase
Multicultural consumers bring a holistic view of beauty and wellness. One that connects physical appearance, mental health, cultural pride, and community well-being. Rather than being treated as a diversity checkbox, these consumers want brands that reflect the fullness of who they are: their traditions, their rituals, and their radiance.
Authentic inclusion means expanding shade ranges and ingredient transparency for diverse skin types, offering wellness products rooted in cultural traditions, and building campaigns in which multicultural consumers see themselves not as an afterthought but as the audience.
If you are a beauty or wellness brand looking for deeper insights into how to connect with the multicultural market, schedule a time to chat with us. If you enjoyed this piece and want to stay connected, please share it and follow us on all social platforms.
-Emanuel B.
VP, Integrated Strategy, Flowers Communications Group
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LinkedIn: @flowerscommunicationsgroup
Instagram: @ExploreFCG
TikTok: @Explore_FCG
Sources:
Resonate
NIQ (Nielsen IQ)
Forbes
