Flying Saucers

Seeking the fountain of youth.

Guess all that fuss over Viagra wasn't a fluke. Aging baby boomers are creating quite a stir over all sorts of products and services designed to ease the transition into the golden years.

OK, there's nothing novel about the desire to stay forever young. Yet with 60 percent of Americans claiming to have already taken youth-enhancing steps--or to at least consider doing so--there's definitely a silver lining for companies to capitalize on.

And capitalizing they are. Indeed, one of the most interesting developments to date has been the outbreak of products (vitamins, herbal remedies and such) geared toward the growing market of menopausal women. Not only that, these same educated female baby boomers are also leading the charge for hair color aids, wrinkle creams and so on. Significantly, some 80 percent of dermatologists in a recent nationwide poll indicated an increase in over-30 female patients interested in counteracting their aging facial appearances. Fountain of youth, here they come!

This article was originally published in the December 1998 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Flying Saucers.