BEAUTY COLUMN

The lowdown on buzzwords, sun-kissed nail polish, fresh scents & makeup and more.

Megan Bedford talks beauty buzzwords and new products.

Ilove a catchy beauty buzzword. Recently the term ‘skinimalism’ has been bandied about a lot. It refers to the preference for sticking to just one, two or three effective and often multitasking skincare products rather than a host of formulations.

It’s a funny one because although I talk about this serum and that, the results a double cleanse will bring and how a resurfacing acid will change your life, the reality is, skinimalism is just the normal course of action for most people with very little ‘routine’ to speak of; just a bit of moisturiser here, some SPF there – maybe on a sunny day! Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

If, however, you are on the other end of the spectrum, and have been dipping in and out of new skincare releases and approaches and find yourself becoming overwhelmed, you’ll also find yourself in good company. It’s why you’ll increasingly hear about skinimalism; it’s really just another way of referring to paring back to the must-haves. In my book that includes cleanser, moisturiser and SPF, but your mileage may vary.

Some other terms that are increasingly popular:

‘Sk-indie’ brands – Initially small, independent but fantastic skin brands that have been propelled by the fanaticism of skincare enthusiasts (yes, it’s now a hobby, only instead of trainspotting it’s reading skincare ingredient lists!) into the spotlight – which are then purchased by larger conglomerates or promoted as the next big thing by mega beauty retailers like Mecca and Sephora.

‘Clean-ical’ skincare – Used to describe the flourishing number of ‘clean’ or natural skincare brands that use respected research methods and clinical results to promote products or ingredients. It’s an interesting position, and more useful than just emblazoning a product with extensive ‘free from’ lists. It’s also very topical. This month there has been an increased stand-off between clean beauty proponents, and those that seek to address their blanket claims around certain ingredients. DECIEM, creators of affordable skincare brand The Ordinary, has undertaken a campaign called ‘everything is chemicals’ to explain product composition, saying clean beauty marketing often feeds on fear and lack of understanding, disregards the work of scientists, regulations and the finer details around what makes an ingredient ‘unsafe.’ Figures like John Melo, CEO of Amyris Inc, that owns popular clean beauty brands including Biossance, have welcomed the dialogue, but argue the chemistry involved is nuanced and that his position is about simplifying formulas to do more with less. He told digital publication Beauty Independent: “There’s two issues, the chemistry itself, but, then even more importantly, the impurity profile of the chemistry and, therefore, how it impacts the formulation and how that formulation performs, not only on us, but our planet.”

Obviously there are retail sales at stake for both sides and whether the ‘man vs nature’ divide between clean beauty and science-first approaches only deepens remains to be seen, but I suspect it will. Expect to hear more in the coming months.

Elevated hygiene – Basically, glamorous soap and hand sanitiser. There are an increasing number of brands that are turning the necessities of 2020 into the luxuries of 2021. I like Paume – a new brand with a stylish hand sanitiser pump (right), making a household and workplace necessity a little more aesthetically appealing!