Slow beauty is raging and for all the right reasons. But what is ‘Slow Beauty’? It might give you an impression that it is about going make-up-free or buying exotic products or hating on certain products. But it’s none of this. This trend does bring you a step closer to nature and as a member of the ‘Save Earth’ community. Let’s understand what exactly is slow beauty and what it demands from us to be its follower!
What is the slow beauty trend?
Slow beauty is just quite what it sounds to be. It means slowing down our beauty regime by moving towards less consumption and natural products. With the advancement in skin science, we’ve really moved towards finding formulas that can provide a quick fix. Not that it is wrong but we end up forgetting other factors like sourcing of these ingredients, packaging of the product, and the impact it has on the environment. Slow beauty encourages us to move towards natural products that are sustainably made by ethically sourced ingredients and will not harm the environment. This involves eliminating products that have dyes, preservatives, artificial fragrances, alcohol, etc. Basically, a product that comes straight from nature without harming nature, is the right pick for you to start with slow beauty. Not just this, it also asks you to cut down extra skincare products and stick to just the essential, basic steps. You read this right, skincare hoarders! It’s time we wear our smart hats and be conscious consumers through slow beauty.
Why must you embrace slow beauty?
Slow beauty is a more holistic and mindful approach to skincare and makeup consumption. We can all admit to having brought products that weren’t probably a match for our skin but they were praised by many. It’s time we break these habits. Let’s look at a few perks that slow beauty brings to your life-
1. Eco-friendly approach
Slow beauty believes in looking at the packaging of the product and eliminating products that do not have sustainable packaging. We’re all aware of the damage that plastic does to our planet and we must do what we can to reduce its consumption. Opt for glass, metal, or paper packaging, and let’s not forget how the products are packed in the shipping boxes. We don’t need plastic bubble bags, paper can do to protect our product during packaging. With Sublime life, you can relax because we ship in plastic-free packaging. It’s our conscious efforts to be good to the planet with every decision that we make. We also have a recycling programme where we specifically focus on how to help you generate less waste due to your skincare consumption.
Learn more about our recycling programme here!
2. Mindful consumption
Slow beauty pushes us to double-check and read about the product and brand before we bet our money on it. When you look at your skincare cabinet after reading this piece, you might notice that there are many products that you don’t need right at that moment and chances are that you might end up forgetting about them when you need them. It’s really about questioning yourself if that particular product will not harm you or the planet before buying. When we say planet, that includes animals and plants too. Certain ingredients are sourced from animals which makes the product vicious since it is, indeed, harming the animal and thus the planet. With the rising awareness on sourcing the ingredients, we’ve started reading the labels and that is just what slow beauty does to you!
Learn more about ingredients and cruelty-free status here!
3. Light on pocket
Since it minimises the number of products you buy, it will be light on your pocket. We love money too and everything that helps us be richer. Contrary to the popular belief that organic and natural products are more expensive, we now see many budget-friendly options. Brands have pushed themselves to be authentic, organic, slow, and easy on the pocket. This is just the indeed of the hour that beauty entrepreneurs are really responsive to!
What are the rules to abide by for smooth adoption of slow beauty?
It does not particularly come with a rule book. But rules just make changes easier to adapt. So to make this a smooth transition, we’ve listed a few rules. If you follow them then we’re pretty sure you will understand how easy it is to follow slow beauty!
1. Think about multipurpose usage
The beauty of organic products is that they can be used for multiple purposes. Face oils can be used as an eye cream and lip oil as well, a lip balm can be used as eye cream since lips and eyes both have thin skin and need a thicker moisturiser. The drill is just to keep a minimal amount of products and keep them real (organic) for your skin. Instead of buying lip balm, eye cream, and serum, you can buy just a face oil that can do all of this.
Sublime recommends D'you Hustle that has Hyaluronic Acid (Ha), 5% Niacinamide, 3 types Of Vitamin C, Arbutin, Peptides, 62% Birch Sap Juice And 10% Ferment Extracts as the key ingredients. This is one bottle that can replace your lip balm, eye cream, serum, toner, and moisturiser!
2. Read the ingredient list and about the brand
Most of the time we just read the key ingredients that the brands highlight and that’s about it. With an organic product, it’s still safe to spend minimal time reading the ingredients since it has no hidden ingredients in it. But then there comes the twist. Certain ingredients are not ethically sourced. They are derived from animals by methods that hurt and kill them. This is why slow beauty asks you to look for vegan products which is a sign that all the ingredients are plant-based.
If you want to start with vegan skincare but don’t know how, here’s your guide!
3. Be mindful of the product size you’re buying
Organic products do not contain petrochemicals, dyes, fragrances, preservatives, alcohol, etc and that means it has a small shelf life. You have to use that product within a few months. We are used to giant packages but with organic products, you will always find smaller sizes. Pick the size wisely knowing that you can or cannot use that much amount in a couple of months.
How to move towards slow beauty?
It will not happen overnight since it is tough to break old habits. The whole idea of slow beauty is to be mindful of our actions. So don’t be harsh on yourself and start cutting products from day 0. But for your next skincare shopping spree, here are a few pointers that you can keep in mind-
1. Be mindful of the environment
Before discarding the product after usage, think of whether you can use the product packaging. Maybe that pump glass bottle can be the next hand wash bottle. Certain face wash, sunscreen, and face masks contain ingredients that can pollute the water and harm the marine ecology. So one must read the ingredients well to be mindful of water pollution. Talking about water, brands have also been conscious of the amount of water they are using while making the product. We now have dry shampoo made by bamboo and charcoal powder, shampoo and conditioner available in compact bars that makes it easy to even travel with them.
Sublime recommends Juicy Chemistry Organic Hibiscus, Onion & Bhringaraj Shampoo Bar which is great for nourishing strands and it’s a must-try for those with premature grey hair.
Learn why your grey hair needs special care here!
2. Look out for natural and organic products
For every active ingredient that you may be using currently, you will find its natural alternative that can benefit your skin just as much. A great example is Retinol-based products. Usually, the formulation of these products is such that they will remain stable for a few months and so it will contain certain additional products. With a slow beauty approach, we’d recommend you to use Bakuchiol which is a plant-based alternative to Retinol, and guess what, it will help you avoid purging that Retinol causes. Just like this, for every active ingredient, you can find plant-based products available.
For Bakuchiol, Sublime recommends True Frog Face Oil With Rosehip Oil, Bakuchiol, And Olive Squalane. Paired with Rosehip and Squalane oil they can banish scars, acne marks, and tone up your skin to give you that firm and glowing skin.
What are certain limitations that slow beauty has?
Slow beauty demands change in your mindset. That is never easy. Here are a couple of pointers on slow beauty that might seem like a limitation at the beginning of the slow beauty journey-
1. Shelf life of the product
As we mentioned, slow beauty promotes eliminating anything that is not naturally obtained. For example, synthetic dyes and preservatives. It means that the natural product needs to be consumed in a few months since it has no shelf life. So the product expires sooner than you know and that means you must consume it in a short duration.
2. Product texture
While picking or assessing a product, we do look at its smell and texture. But organic products do not focus much on smell and texture. Many times, you will find subtle messages from the brand, educating its consumers that the product may change its texture but that does not mean that it is spoiled. Texture and smell are not everything for a product but they are the feel-good factor for consumers that helps them enjoy the product a bit more.
The bottom line
Slow beauty is all about embracing organic products that are sustainably made and won’t harm the ecosystem. It pushes us to be mindful of our consumption and know our products well. If we look at it, all that it asks us is to be kind to ourselves, living things around, and nature. Shifting to slow beauty can take a while but we’re all for it given that it really helps us keep the beauty of the Earth!
-Divya Salvi
