World Wellbeing Week and the role of beauty
The word “wellbeing” today encompasses a huge range of issues, and that is reflected in the broad scope of World Wellbeing Week. How you feel is influenced so many factors, from the physical through to mental, financial through to environmental.
So when we think about how to support our own wellbeing, it can be overwhelming to try narrow down what will positively impact mood.
The wide ranging scope of what wellbeing means has resulted in “wellness” becoming a booming area of the global economic market, covering a multitude of products and services. In light of CV-19 increasing stress and anxiety, Mintel highlights that many brands have shifted even more focus into this area to ensure they meet consumer desires to stay “in control of emotional, physical and mental health”.
Wellbeing in the beauty industry
The Beauty Industry is no different, with a huge range of wellbeing focused products available. From spa treatments to a new haircut to signify a fresh start, or picking up a new lipstick for a mood boost, beauty has historically had a big role in supporting wellbeing and mood. So how qualified is the beauty industry to position itself as a positive contributor to how good we feel? As we all know, the beauty industry has in the past been criticised for negatively impacted our mental wellbeing e.g. by projecting unrealistic beauty standards in its advertising, focusing on anti-ageing instead of celebrating beauty at every age, and ignoring environmental needs in the interests of bigger, bolder, flashier beauty packaging.
However, the tide has begun to turn on many of these issues, with beauty brands now striving to do better in the face of consumer criticism. It’s now much more commonplace to be able to buy into brands like Five Dot Botanics who champion ingredients transparency, Ethique for plastic-free beauty, or to find images that represent everyone in society, regardless of age, gender, size or skin colour. The beauty industry has recognised that wellbeing has to be more holistic, and in tune with what supports consumers emotionally, mentally, ethically, as well as physically.
Aside from buying into brands whose ethics support wellbeing, you can easily adjust your beauty routine to include products that positively impact your mood. The good news is that self-care is one of the hottest beauty trends in 2020 as a result of CV-19, so wellness focused products are now accessible at every price point.
We have chosen 3 of our go to self-care products - perfect for building into your usual beauty routine for a moment of calmness when you need it most this week.
Scented Candles
According to the NPD Group, sales of home fragrance candles are booming during CV-19. In the UK in March 2020 sales of prestige room fresheners increased by 37%, prestige candles by 6% and diffusers by 3%. It seems that creating a relaxing environment has been an important part of our at-home self care rituals - especially as candles offer away to experience fragrance when buying perfume without the instore experience became much more difficult. We love this offer from Cowshed to bring a little spa-like zen calmness into your home.
Washing & Bathing
Retailers such as Zalando and Amazon US saw sales spikes in washing & bathing products at the start of lock-down as we all eased ourselves into a bubble bath to escape the reality of lockdown life. From bath oils to scrubs, there is plenty of choice out there to relax tired muscles and minds - we personally love a bath bomb (making a bit of a comeback at the moment!) to help fizz away our worries when needed.
Face Oils
There is just something very soothing about the act of massaging an oil into your skin. Not only does the action help to relax muscles, but this type of product takes longer to apply, helping you to carve out a moment to yourself when you need to destress. Face oils have historically been more of a niche format, but there are oils out there now for every skin type and need.
So there you have it, our quick look at what wellbeing-focused products you can incorporate into your routine during World Wellbeing Week. If there are any products that instantly help you feel better when you need a boost, let us know.
#worldwellbeingweek
THE BEAUTY BRAND COACH