THE new sunday express MAGAZINE Voices Anand Neelakantan Ravi Shankar Utkarsh Amitabh Neha Sinha Anuja Chandramouli Sukhabodhananda Buffet People Wellness Books Food Art & Culture Entertainment July 21 2024 SUNDAY PAGES 12 Beauty and the Best The overwhelming choices of skin care products and DIY treatments available online, in salons and shops are causing chaos, leading to widespead skin damage in young and old seeking youthful effect. Decoding the syndrome. Wrinkles and face lines Barrier repair Retinol, Vitamin C Plant oils rich in fatty acids and omegas, Usnic acid Protecting your skin barrier is not just important to keep the youthful look. It also shields your body from harmful environmental toxins and getting severely dehydrated. Almost everything around you takes a toll on the skin barrier, from excess humidity and sun exposure to over-exfoliation and psychological distress, making skin repair a must. Use plant oils rich in fatty acids and omegas. Look for products with Usnic acid, a natural extract from lichens that balances skin’s microbiome To tackle wrinkles and face lines, go for products with retinol, a form of Vitamin A, which neutralises free radicals in the middle layer of your skin, helping your skin look younger by reducing the appearance of face lines. You can choose from a range of products that have anything between 0.1 to 1 per cent retinol Skin Elasticity Collagen, Glycolic acid Acne care Water Boost BHA Liquid Exfoliant, Niacinamide acid Acne happens when sebum, the oil that prevents the skin from drying, clogs the skin pores causing the skin to break out in pimples and zits, sometimes scarring it. To manage acne, and get rid of resultant blemishes, use BHA l iquid exfoliant, which removes built-up dead skin cells. It also fights blackheads. Also, using products containing Niacinamide acid minimise enlarged pores and evens out the skin tone Ceramides, hyaluronic acid Type 1 collagen is the secret to healthy bones, skin, nails and hair. Healthy levels of the protein prevent the skin from sagging. After a person crosses 25 years of age, natural collagen levels in the body start depleting. Experts recommend turning to external sources. Consume collagen-boosting food such as citrus fruits, leafy greens, chicken, fish and egg whites; or go for topical treatment with creams, serums and lotions with the protein Well-hydrated skin looks youthful and plump with a natural glow. To ensure your skin gets the right dose of hydration, incorporate products that have ceramides and/or hyaluronic acid The product order How to Layer Skin Care B By Suruchi Kapur-Gomes eauty forever. Until it isn’t. Hyaluronic acid was the magic elixir of skin care until a year ago. The naturally produced acid, which helps keep the joints lubricated was the best hydrating agent de jour. Today, the acid is old news. Niacinamide acid is the new-age elixir. It is present in creams, serums, lotions et al—a form of Vitamin B3, it minimises enlarged pores and evens the skin tone. Use it, and the skin looks younger because the lines on the face are now less. Beauty is the beast that keeps changing the goal post because like any other fairy tale, it has a script and a script-writer. It also makes boatloads of money, bloating like a bad Botox job from $374.18 billion in 2023 to $393.75 billion this year. It is ever present in side-lane salons and luxury spas; an enduring vanity since 2907 BC, when archaeologists exhumed scented unguent jars from royal tombs; unguent is a skin-hydrating substance like hyaluronic acid, and is also supple and protects the face from wrinkles from the desert’s dry heat. Let’s be clear about one thing: Science is boss. AI is there to choose the right product for the right skin type; it will also customise treatments. Skinimalism is mainstream with top beauty brands selling minimalist skincare regimen using active ingredients with multitasking products with three to five essential products max. NeuroGlow is beauty guru, channeling the interconnectedness between mental wellbeing and physical appearance. Exosomes, which are partisan guerillas in skincare meant to restore and preserve natural radiance, are getting new technology interventions. Augmented reality is animated beauty Though not . a new technology it made , a super comeback after the pandemic because it allowed— and still does—clients to try on virtual makeup, beauty filters and skincare analysis through Digital Out of Home (DOOH). Using a smartphone or an iPad, AR overlays digitally animated accessories or products on real visuals, like a face or an arm, for example. It makes it easy for brands to personalise shopping through DOOH ad campaigns. Skincare consumers in the click-bait age want well-researched and scientific evidence-based solutions, but there is a problem—the problem of plenty The desire for . alabaster skin, flawless complexion and effervescent glow is as old as time, but the sheer number of products, treatments and elixirs available in the market has transformed aspiration into an obsession. Trends sway towards skin-barrier repairing and restoring, multifunctional products and AI-based personalised skin care; according to a Gartner survey , 50 per cent consumers prefer AI-powered recommendations for beauty products. Eco-conscious sustainable products are growing in numbers. Both skin slugging (where you flood your skin with multiple products) and skin streaming (which advocates less is more) are gaining traction simultaneously. Clinical app-based solutions to beauty are already trending. Virtual try-ons, shade matching, skin reports, analysis using AI tools and tracking progress, giving beauty seekers tools at their fingertips, has been on the rise. Cosmeceuticals are trending big time, since they promote internal beauty and health, and not just offer topical relief. Elizabeth Isaac, founder, Gunam Beauty which launched last , year, sees skincare trending towards barrier-repairing, collagen-boosting and brightening. Skinimalism is the holy word here. “People are reducing the number of steps in routines. Our new supplement launches are not only aimed at skin, but also to manage overall immunity , inflammation, etc. We use Turn to page 2 “Our new supplements are not only aimed at skin, but also manage overall immunity, inflammation, etc. We use ingredients that work synergistically—curcumin and trikatu, lutein, Vitamin C and Citrus Bioflavonoids.” Elizabeth Isaac, founder, Gunam Beauty
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