RRemember when the Patanjali Neem Facewash in your bathroom cabinet was enough to leave you feeling clean after a long day? Or when one no marks tube was enough for your acne woes? And yes, you probably had something hidden in your dresser too, along the lines of Fair and Lovely or Lakme BB Cream? Long ago, Patanjali, Colgate, Pear and Talab dominated the middle class households. A television ad with a glowing, white-skinned woman was all the information beauty enthusiasts needed to get started with their favorite products.
But lately, who gets their skincare products at a general store anymore?
From Hyram to James Welsh and Cassandra Bankson, Instagram and YouTube skincare gurus have transformed not only our bathroom shelves, but how we view beauty. It is no longer based on blind faith in celebrities. It has become a science, and information reigns supreme. Sure, it might burn a hole or two in your pocket, but what happens to one’s skin is, after all, holy right?
A basic beauty shopping list now starts with a seaweed face wash, then includes a vitamin C serum, a crystal toner, a rosehip oil because who doesn’t want that? Most importantly, a retinol night cream and of course, everyone’s favorite – sunscreen. Even better if it contains zinc oxide or a mixture of new-age chemical filters like Tinosorb S. And boy, from Re’Equil to Sunscoop, there are so many sunscreens on the market that we’ll never know if we’re even using it right.
Too much information, too many noisy labels and way too many brands – some good, some green and some just marketing gimmicks.
“I personally love using Dermaco products, specifically their Kojic Acid Face Serum and Salicylic Acid Face Wash. Skincare has become a lot easier now as brands have become more and more transparent with their use. Yours It’s easy to find information online about skin type needs, especially with so many influential people who are also dermatologists,” says Tanya Hasija, a 25-year-old lawyer who is also a regular in the skincare world.
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Loudly labeled ‘science-y’
Canadian favorite The Ordinary, which was recently launched in India, is marking its foray into the Indian skin care space with its science-backed formulas.
“We set out on a mission to bring transparency to the beauty industry and, in doing so, have seen an increase in audiences educating themselves about their skin type, concerns and how to use certain ingredients,” Told Nicola Kilner, CEO and co-founder of the brand’s parent company DECIEM.
For a growing group of consumers who are heavily involved in the skincare game and its labels, The Ordinary—with its minimalist, no-nonsense packaging that follows through by disclosing ingredients and percentages—is proving to be quite a treat. And many Indian brands are now following in his footsteps.
“I’ve mainly used Mamaearth products, but lately I’m shifting to using Minimalist. I believe it tells me what I’m applying to my skin and India It is an affordable option even in the U.S.,” says 24-year-old beauty enthusiast Priyanka Prashant.
But Minimalist is not the only brand of choice in the Indian markets. Aqualogica, Chemist at Play and Conscious Chemist are some of the other players that have announced their intention to offer well-researched formulas to the consumers with their names as well.
Read also: Not all Indians need sunscreen. There haven’t been enough studies on its effects on our skin.
The Beauty Of Online ‘Skincare’
Stumble upon sensory videos of women religiously performing their 10-step Korean skincare routine, or simply scrolling through reels of shelves adorned with colored glass bottles, words you don’t fully understand The field has become so complex that for some, it can feel aspirational. But for others, sometimes the beauty of this almost magical world can create a sense of comfort.
The reason skincare is big now isn’t as much information about when to apply vitamin C or whether to use a cream containing niacinamide on a daily basis. It’s also because of how products are packaged and presented, and skincare companies are reveling in the psychology of that.
Many brands are now capitalizing on ‘clean’ or ‘sustainable’ skincare that is also earthy and natural. Additionally, if a label also reads ‘antioxidant’ or ‘paraben-free’, that’s a brownie point.
“I stumbled upon a nutrition and health influencer’s Instagram on a brand called Re’Equil. I loved their clean labels and easy-to-read packaging that told me exactly what I was applying to my face Their Fruit Aha face wash is something I swear by,” says 20-year-old Prisha Raja.
It’s possible that creams or cleansers we’ve traditionally used had some of these ingredients. But just because they weren’t gleaming in our faces, or read aloud in a brand’s Instagram carousel, they no longer capture their attention.
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Vanity, elitism or self-care?
Most of the products now booming online are usually beyond something affordable for an average consumer. Whether it is a 50 gm ‘water gel’ for your face that costs over Rs 1000 or a luxury rose water mist that costs fifteen times the Dabur rose water we grew up using, it is an endless abyss. Which may confuse you more than ever. And yet, most of us buy it all.
Even though more and more ‘affordable drugstore options’ are now entering the world of online skincare, the range of products is still wide enough to make even a simple purchase confusing.
But another hook to this consumer culture isn’t necessarily the vanity that comes with it.
Talking about skin care, owning it, talking about it, and telling yourself that they’ve done the best they can for their outward physical health is almost like a measure in life. . It’s hardly about having a good cream or being happy about owning a sulfate-free shampoo.
Carol Hamilton, group president of L’Oréal USA’s Luxe division, says the skincare boom points to an overall wellness trend. “Skincare, in terms of wellness, is a new beauty standard shaping tool,” she They say, “It has also become a new status symbol.”
A skincare routine that takes a good 15 minutes during the day or includes at least five products helps you tell yourself that you’re taking good care of your body, that you’ve been productive, and You did a good job on yourself today. Because of the association with self-love and self-care in recent times, the number of products you have now is proportional to the increase in your health barometer.
Is having hyaluronic acid, niacinamide and salicylic acid in your regular skincare routine such a great need or interest? Perhaps it’s only fueled by the illusion of taking good care of yourself and the bombardment of ‘acid’ words that tell you you’re doing something right.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)