Perks of Skinimalism

If you’ve never heard the term “skinimalism,” you’re not alone. This new twist on skin care is making waves. Skinimalism — a shortening of skin minimalism — is an approach to skin care that brings consumers back to the basics. It’s all about using simple ingredients and reducing a skin care routine to the necessities. It helps reduce problems that come with overusing skin care products and save users money and time. Plus, it’s a more sustainable approach for the user, who can more easily stick to a routine, and for the planet since less waste is created.

Let’s look closer at this minimalist skin care method and everything it has to offer.

What Is Skin Minimalism? 

Skin minimalism is a way of bringing a consumer’s skin care routine down a notch while also embracing natural beauty. While multi-step skin care routines are all the buzz right now, they often cause more harm than good, urging users to add unnecessary products that can be harsh on their skin or create unrealistic routines that are hard to follow.

The minimalist approach includes products that are simple, made for skin and, importantly, not damaging to the environment. Brands that participate in skin minimalism offer affordable skin care products without harsh chemicals and is an initiative to help protect the environment. Typical products of skin minimalism only include a cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen — simple and easy!

Safer, simpler and high-quality ingredients are a key part of this movement, too. Many alcohols, for instance, can be damaging or irritating on skin. Opting for ingredients like fatty alcohols, which are very well tolerated, can create a more natural product that aligns with skinimalism and removes those harsher ingredients. Sustainably sourced, plant-based ingredients like those from palm oil and coconut are great for making these kinds of products.

Skinimalism also plays a big role in green and blue beauty movements. Many have heard of the green beauty movement, which is working toward sustainability in the beauty industry. Green beauty brands work to reduce their carbon footprint, create sustainable products and make a difference in the world for future generations. Blue beauty is similar, with a focus on protecting our oceans. The blue beauty initiative aims to create clean, environmentally conscious products and support conservation efforts.

Part of being a blue brand is using simple ingredients and packaging that won’t harm sea life. This ties into skinimalism, which also focuses on these clean ingredients and reduces the products — and packaging — being used. Minimalist skin care is a great way to promote these blue ideologies and keep our oceans as clean as can be.

Why Is Skin Minimalism Important?

Skinimalism has many wide-reaching effects for both individuals and the planet.

Embracing Natural Beauty and Products

Many elements of multi-step skin care routines focus on perfecting skin to an almost unnatural level. They try to eliminate pores, get rid of all tone variation and associate the occasional zit with unhealthy skin. Skin perfection is unrealistic and trying to achieve it often creates more problems than it solves. The minimalist approach focuses on embracing natural skin and feeling beautiful in our own bodies. 

Another big part of skinimalism is reducing chemicals and embracing natural product ingredients. The harsh reality is that many skin care products contain a mixture of chemicals that have been associated with negative health outcomes. Formaldehyde and methylene glycol, for instance, are known carcinogens, while certain phthalates disrupt hormones and can cause reproductive system damage. Other, more acute effects like irritation, allergic reactions and burning are also possible.

Skinimalism aims to use more natural ingredients that are less likely to cause problems. Brands using skinimalism choose to use healthier ingredients. For instance, while formaldehyde is often used as a preservative, preservatives like SharoSense(TM) Plus 181-N, a completely natural preservative, and the Sharomix(TM) Amplify Line, “free-of” parabens and phenoxyethanol, can accomplish similar results without the negative health effects.

Saving Time and Achieving Consistency

Skinimalism allows customers to simplify their routine to something that’s easy to stick to. Instead of trying to carve out time for an hour-long process each morning and night, skin minimalism supports a sustainable approach to skin care that they can keep up with for years to come. People can realistically use a minimalist routine that allows them to continue taking care of their skin for more than a few weeks.

Supporting Blue Beauty Efforts

Skin minimalism is also a valuable component of protecting the oceans around us. Here are a few ways skin minimalism contributes to blue beauty: 

• Reuse containers: Skin minimalism pushes us to think about introducing reusable packaging, such as glass jars or refillable components. Instead of merely recycling plastic or cardboard packaging, reuse allows customers to find new purposes for their beauty containers. Reducing single-use plastic through skinimalism is a big help for blue beauty.
• Reuse materials: Many brands working to create skin minimalism will also outsource for recycled materials. This technique saves materials and money within the business. Reusing materials is a great way to reduce waste produced by an entire company. Often, these brands will promote the recycling of their products to keep the recycling going! 
• Minimal packaging: Another way that blue beauty works to protect the ocean is through packaging directly. Many beauty products come in a jar enclosed in a box. Skin minimalism removes the excess packaging, thus reducing the amount of waste they produce and thinking outside the packaging box.
• Removing harmful chemicals: Some of those chemicals mentioned above can end up in our oceans and cause problems. From plastic microbeads that enter the food chain to oxybenzone and oxtinoxate that cause coral bleaching, we know that cosmetics can have damaging effects. More natural ingredients are a great alternative.

Enjoying Marketing Benefits and Consumer Education

These blue beauty and health-conscious efforts are an excellent marketing tool in your arsenal. Word of mouth is powerful, and consumers love to see values they believe in reflected in their favorite products. Customers are increasingly aware of the importance of protecting our planet and their health. Still, they often find it difficult when they don’t know what half of the ingredients in their skin care routine are, let alone their negative impacts. 

Skinimalism is a great opportunity to help customers feel more confident in their purchases and more educated about what they’re using — many of them are happy to share the knowledge with their friends, family and social media following.

Achieving Skinimalism With Better Ingredients

Looking to join the skin minimalism movement? The first step is to work with a distributor who supports the same initiatives and values as your brand, from your packing partners to sustainable ingredient sources. With Acme-Hardesty, you can confidently implement minimalist ideologies in your skin care products through safer, ethically sourced ingredients.

With everything from castor oils and palm derivatives to surfactants and fatty alcohols, we can help you find the right ingredients for a skinimalist product. Contact us about our sustainable products for personal care and cosmetics to learn more.