BEYOND SKIN DEEP
With everyone turning to 360-degree holistic well-being, YI LI DAWSON discovers beauty’s latest obession with ayurveda
SO YOU’VE LEFT your facial, you’re glowing, and you’ve been convinced to buy a new collection of branded skincare in the hopes that you can replicate the process at home. And it doesn’t work. Many underestimate the power of taking the time to massage your face. Much like all of your other muscles, your facial muscles get tired, too, and taking 30 seconds to stimulate them and improve circulation will give you that radiance that you haven’t been able to achieve at home.
This concept lies at the heart of ayurveda, an ancient healing philosophy from India that focuses on balancing the body and mind holistically, and is one of the hottest trends in beauty right now. From ayurvedic teas and diets to shirodhara – a therapy that involves dripping a warm blend of oils over your “third eye” (forehead) – the beauty and wellness world have been all over this non-traditional approach to holistic well-being. Sound too otherworldly? If you’ve been into turmeric lattes lately, then you’ve already experienced a little dose of ayurveda.
“More people are realising that beauty really goes much deeper than skin deep,” says Shrankhla Holeck, founder of the luxury ayurveda-inspired beauty brand
Uma Oils, at a beauty launch with Lane Crawford in
Hong Kong. “It’s important to spend more time with your skin and body, and is much more effective in addressing them together than individually.”
Abhyanga, the act of anointing one’s body and mind with oil, is an increasingly popular self-massage practice rooted in ayurveda, which looks to promote overall mindbody balance through essential oils that not only work to soothe the nervous system, boost lymphatic drainage and nourish the skin, but also to reconnect yourself with your body. It’s an indulgent lifestyle practice that works perfectly with our millennial obsession with self-care. In fact, the word for oil in Sanskrit translates to “love”.
It’s simply taking the time to take care of and reconnect with yourself through self-massage, which has been scientifically proven to decrease the level of cortisol
( your body’s main stress hormone) and stimulate more of the feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin.
“What you put on your skin can also boost your emotional well-being and balance,” explains Holeck. “So our whole concept goes beyond just product use and touches on ayurveda; it’s more of a lifestyle practice that is also rooted in science.”
Facial and body oils are nothing new; with most, if not all, of the biggest luxury beauty brands offering a version of their own. However, many are finding that expensive products don’t necessarily equate to the best-quality ingredients. Instead, they’re turning to alternative beauty brands such as Uma, Subtle Energies, Sundara Holistic, Jiva-Apoha and Rasasara Skinfood, which combine ancient healing therapies with scientifically proven formulas. They’re able to set themselves apart from more traditional beauty brands by using food-grade ingredients in their purest form. No matter if it’s a cleanser, serum or moisturiser, they’re all natural, organic and, essentially, edible. The transparency of the formulas speak for themselves.
Uma’s best-selling Ultimate Brightening Face Oil contains a blend of sandalwood, rose, orange, neroli and frankincense mixed with a pomegranate oil base – which has the smallest molecular size of any oil, allowing for deeper and more effective penetration. Subtle Energies’ Wild Kashmir Purifying Emulsion uses wild turmeric, Kashmir lavender, palmarosa, mogra and frankincense oils for lightweight and soothing hydration. Trendy turmeric – which is seemingly being used in everything, even lattes – acts as a detoxifying and anti-inflammatory agent. These are age-old ingredients, but they’ve only just started being accepted into skincare, and are just as good for your diet and nutrition as they are on your skin.
Ayurveda is all about achieving balance – something every young person is struggling to do in an increasingly immersive digital world. Why so many of us are looking back to more ritualistic and ancient beauty routines could be for this very reason. After decades of obsessing over the latest technology, we’re all tired, stressed and burnt out, and are starting to realise that skincare isn’t just about how you look, but ties into your overall lifestyle. Using a combination of ayurvedic oils and herbs, these new beauty brands are creating formulas such as organic body scrubs and wellness body oils that specifically target stress or lack of sleep to cultivate your mind-body balance. Beauty truly does start from within, so if our beauty regimen can keep us looking great while boosting our overall well-being, we’re all in. Another turmeric latte, please!