Meet the new clean beauty

Taking inspiration from the slow fashion movement, slow beauty is all about our approach to using less. Not only does it help us par back our skincare routines, but it also takes into account how many ingredients are put into our products.

With more people wanting to live in this minimalistic way, it keeps multi-step routines at bay. But most importantly it ensures that we can let our skin detox by omitting certain ingredients. After all what’s the harm in reducing the number of products we use in our skincare routines?

In 2021 and beyond, it is all about seeking out smart formulas that are truly multi-tasking and stripping away ‘filler products’ which don’t really work. This will also reduce your overall consumption. It might sound really obvious, but when we take a step back and re-evaluate what our skin actually needs, we will see a massive improvement. Take a look at Tired Faace with its potent combination of antioxidants, hydrating and brightening ingredients, including aloe vera, rosehip and caffeine.

Unlock your body’s rhythms

Skincare geared towards hormonal changes is really helping to open up a positive conversation around our bodies. For women, our menstrual cycle’s hormones play a huge part in skin health. Instead of assuming the products we use will miraculously accommodate themselves to any of the changes we experience, it is time to switch it up. The whole aim is to ensure things like breakouts and sensitivities are under wraps when you adapt a regime to your hormones.

With period poverty and the evasion of tampon tax firmly rooted in the spotlight, it is only a matter time before we make the link to our skin. But it doesn’t stop there – menopause is another key life stage that all women face. Looking to the future, we truly need to embrace every part of our life and think about how changes within our bodies are cyclical – this also includes our sleeping habits too.

The new era of diversity & inclusivity

Diversity and inclusivity are no longer buzzwords, but necessities within the beauty industry – whether it is age, race, gender or ability – we need to act on it now.

The Black Lives Matter movement has catalysed a global change, where brands need to be accountable for the language that they use on their products and marketing. Inclusivity is not a tickbox exercise, so think about whether your product can actually work on all types of skin and tackle specific issues.

Instead of grouping something into the most suitable category like anti-ageing think about it in a deeper way. The best thing to do is to check in with how your skin is doing on the day. Are you feeling super hot and bothered? Are you totally stressed out? This is a more accurate picture of tuning into your skin rather.

Disha Daswaney, lifestyle journalist & futurist @disha_daswaney