BeReal launches BeRealz community to link Japan's Gen Z users with brands

French social photo‑sharing app BeReal announced on July 27 that it has created a new community called BeRealz. The initiative connects high‑school and university users in Japan with companies seeking real‑world input for product development, advertising and campaign planning. Through surveys, focus groups, review sessions and co‑creation workshops, brands can hear how Gen Z perceives products and messaging. An early pilot partnered with Maybelline New York for a cosmetics discussion.

Alongside the launch, BeReal released a report on Gen Z cosmetics buying behavior based on a focus group and a quantitative survey of 361 students aged 15‑22. The findings show that friends’ real‑world usage and word‑of‑mouth outweigh celebrity or influencer influence. High‑school students tend to test products with friends before purchasing, while university students move faster but still value trying items with peers. BeReal’s unfiltered, natural‑looking posts help users assess makeup and colour contacts. The data also reveal that BeReal users are more active cosmetics consumers (42.8 % vs 17.1 % among non‑users) and spend more on beauty products.