less-is-more - WE ARE CLEAN - Clean Beauty

Less is more, a pillar of the Clean Beauty philosophy

“Less, but better”, a new state of mind that calls beauty dogma into question. Routines are being simplified. The number of products used is dropping. Quality is taking the place of quantity. We’re looking for formulations that follow Clean Beauty principles. This means products that are healthy and risk-free, that address the essential issues, without an excess of anything, to let the skin breathe and restore its natural balance.

It all starts with sorting the passes from the fails among your beauty products, and reviewing the way in which you use them. Using fewer products implies selecting those that meet your current needs perfectly. Your skin will thank you for lightening up your beauty regimen, saving you time and money to boot

Fewer steps in your routine 

Skip care 

Skip care - Clean Beauty - WE ARE CLEAN

Skip care (also known as ‘skinimalism‘), an emerging trend in Asia, translates into a drop in the number of beauty products used. You stick to what’s essential, with a single aim: to not ask too much of the skin.

Skip care also fits with a wish to engage in cleaner, more responsible consumer behaviour. This means fewer beauty products, but higher-quality ones that are as natural as possible. You identify undesirable ingredients by reading the INCI list, using the many apps available. You focus on the essential needs of your skin, such as cleansing and hydration, even if it means also using a product for a specific skin problem (blemishes, etc.) or a temporary need (protection from the sun).

Skip care is the opposite of the infamous layering. This overloads the skin by piling 10 skincare and make-up products onto it one after the other, totalling over a hundred ingredients.

Multipurpose skincare products

Skincare products that work in several beneficial ways are referred to as “multipurpose”.

The famous BB cream, which hydrates, mattifies, corrects imperfections and protects the skin from the sun’s rays is a good example of a multipurpose skincare product. An “all-in-one” cream combining skincare and make-up. 

Other hybrid formulations, made from pure natural ingredients, can be applied either to the hair, face or body. Many plant-based oils are used to take care of the face, body, fingernails and hair (dry tips).

With these beauty products the beauty regimen is easier: super short, handy and quick. It is also economical, clean and effective.

The cosmetic diet: zero product

This radical method straight out of Japan consists of “skin fasting”. Where’s the benefit in not applying any products to the skin for a night, a weekend or for several days running? The skin renews and regenerates itself naturally. It may be that it is then healthier, with less visible pores and a more glowing complexion?

This kind of temporary detox will perhaps not suit everyone, but it has a few devotees. The best way to see what you think of it is to try it out!

Fewer ingredients 

On average, women use 16 different products per day (including toothpaste and shampoo), and men use eight*. Multiplied by a good 20 or so ingredients per product on average, that equals 400 ingredients per day. Just imagine how many interactions they set off in one day. 

A pared-down ingredients list

Beauty product formulations have moved on. These days it’s possible (but not easy!) to find products on the market that are effective, clean and have a pleasant consistency while comprising fewer than 20 ingredients (INCI list). This is where the bar needs to be set. These ingredients have been carefully selected to pare the formulation down while being genuinely effective. Quality takes the place of quantity. That means out with “filler” ingredients, which have no real effect and only make INCI lists longer needlessly.

 A better-quality formulation

A better-quality formulation is one without undesirable ingredients. Ingredients that are not polluting, and not potentially bad for your skin.

It’s also a formulation in which relevant, tried and trusted active ingredients of impeccable quality predominate. 

Multipurpose active ingredients

Clean brands often opt for versatile active ingredients, for good reason! An ingredient can, after all, be antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, regenerative, reparative and antibacterial, etc. all at once.

The Less is More regimen

This regimen is limited to two products (a cleanser and a moisturiser) to which you can add a serum and/or a specific skincare product:

  • Cleanser: it’s the basic morning and evening routine to rid the skin of pollution, cleanse the pores and keep the skin’s surface flora balanced. Opt for a gentle formulation with a pH close to that of your skin.
  • Moisturiser: the must-have morning skincare product, due to its barrier effect that protects the skin throughout the day and its moisturising action that maintains an optimal level of hydration in the skin’s various layers. For women looking for benefits in terms of smoothing out wrinkles and firming the skin, anti-ageing cream can take the place of moisturising cream.
  • Serum: to be used morning and/or evening depending on the skin issues to be addressed (fatigue, dull complexion, dark spots…)
  •  Specific skincare products: isotonic mist, moisturising mask, eye cream, blemish cream, regenerative night cream, sunscreen, etc.

Packaging is following the minimalist trend too: fewer sleeves, leaflets, sheaths – the packaging thickness and weight are dropping. This is a feelgood philosophy. Go with it!

* 20,000 persons polled, study conducted by the UBO, published in 2017.

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