Holistic Skin Care Approach: How Wellness Influences Beauty?

TAGS:  Skin Care      Natural/ Organic   

1. What is Holistic Skincare?
2. The Concept of ‘Mindful Beauty’
3. Healthy Aging – By Taking Self-care
4. Personal Care Industry Shifts to More Wellness & Beauty
5. Popular Ingredients & Their Benefits in Holistic Skincare
6. How Do We Anticipate Holistic Skincare Growth?

What is Holistic Skincare?

There’s a popular saying that goes, ‘beauty is more than skin deep’. Indeed, true beauty goes beyond physical appearances. It encompasses one’s mind and sense of well-being and therefore radiates from inside out.

Holistic skincare approaches skincare from the above angle. Rather than merely seeking to place a ‘band-aid’ over symptoms of skin issues, such as skin sensitivity, dryness, wrinkles, pigmentation, acne, etc, it seeks to address the underlying and even the root causes of these issues.

Thus, many times in holistic skincare, the application of topical skincare products are combined with oral supplementation or what we like to call ‘edible skincare’.

Let's first begin by understanding the concept of mindful beauty & the sustainable ingredients used to obtain a holistic skincare approach along with their benefits.

The Concept of ‘Mindful Beauty’

Mindful beauty is a concept that has evolved over time. In the beginning, it was all about engaging the user’s senses through the use of scents and natural ingredients, and through the application of products, it calms & recharges not just the users’ skin, but also their mind and mood.

As the concept evolves, mindful beauty has extended beyond just the person. It’s also about mindfulness and awareness towards the environment, especially when people realize more and more about the importance of sustainability and the reduction of carbon footprints.

Hence today, mindful beauty takes into account of environmentally friendly packaging materials, minimal use of packaging materials, recycling, use of ingredients that are not just natural but are from sustainable sources. Increasingly, people want to play their part in protecting the environment and leaving a beautiful, livable world as a legacy for generations to come.

In addition, products that use fair trade ingredients that also help to support native communities are gaining increasing support. Feeling good while using a product is no longer just about engaging one’s senses but has now become more altruistic. And rightly so for a person who is mindful about others, is a beautiful one.

Healthy Aging – By Taking Self-care

Let’s make it clear: I do not believe that youth is an important criterion for beauty. Every age has its beauty. Narrowing the definition of beauty to youthfulness alone blinds our vision to so much wonder and diversity of beauty.

Pop culture and Hollywood stereotypes aside, I do find that many people tend to look better as they grow older. Again, it may sound like a cliché, but beauty is truly more than skin deep. Real, lasting beauty has to encompass the body-mind-spirit trinity. Think about it for a moment: it follows ideally that as a person matures and evolves, beauty acquires greater depth.

Regardless of age, most people would like to have firm, healthy skin radiating with the vitality and exuberance of life that reflects the heart and soul which are timeless and ageless.

The good news is it is definitely possible to age healthily and gracefully. However, this demands total self-responsibility as nobody can go through this process for another. By taking care of one’s body, mind, and spirit as a whole, nourishing and nurturing it with wholesome foods, good skincare, good lifestyle choices and habits, aging healthily is something everyone can do for themselves.

How has the Personal Care Industry Made a Shift to More Wellness & Beauty Approach?

In recent years, the personal care industry has become more mindful and selective in the use of ingredients. Ingredients that have been found to be potentially carcinogenic, sensitizing, or harmful to the long-term health of the skin and human physiology as a whole are gradually being phased out. As a result, many ingredients which had been widely used for decades are seeing a decline in applications.

For example, efforts have been made to ensure that products are parabens and phthalates-free as these were found to be potentially harmful with long-term use. Formulators are also reducing or omitting the use of silicones in formulas in keeping with the holistic, natural skincare concept.

At the same time, ingredients that are derived from sustainable sources and are ‘green’, natural and highly biodegradable are quickly gaining popularity. From cultivation, harvesting, processing to distribution, care is taken to ensure integrity, safety, optimal retention of potency, and minimal impact on the environment and carbon footprint. As such, these ingredients are beneficial not just to the environment but will also exert positive benefits on one’s beauty and overall well-being.

What Popular Ingredients are Known at the Moment in this Arena?

Amino Acid Surfactants – Traditional surfactants which tend to be harsh on the skin are being replaced by amino acid-based surfactants with naturally occurring amino acids profile that are similar to the skin’s natural moisturizing factor (NMF). An example of a product using amino acid-based surfactant is Recherché Amino Acid Cleansing Mousse. Recherché has replaced harsh chemicals natural, skin friendly cleansing agents derived from amino acids, which are natural building blocks found in the skin that helps to promote cellular repair and rejuvenation.

Amino acids-based surfactants are very good for both the human skin/hair and the environment as they are gentle, moisturizing and highly biodegradable, and derived from sustainable sources. Unlike traditional surfactants, such as SLS, SLES, myristic acid, lauric acid, etc., amino acids-based surfactants will not dry out the skin or strip the skin of their natural acid mantle.


Mineral Sunscreens – Increasingly, mineral, inorganic sunscreens, such as Titanium Dioxide and Zinc Oxide are preferred over chemical sunscreens, even though the former may be more challenging to formulate. At the same time, technologies have rendered inorganic sunscreens to be more user-friendly in terms of their look and feel on the skin.

For example, in the past, the greatest challenge formulators face is mineral sunscreens tend to leave an opaque, whitish layer on the skin and the finished product would feel heavy and greasy. These challenges have been mitigated with the advent of inorganic sunscreens with finer, specially treated particles that help to produce lighter, more transparent finishes when applied to the skin while maintaining good UV protection. Recherché has formulated its Protective Hydrator SPF 20 PA+++, a holistic, detoxifying sunscreen using solely inorganic sunscreen.

Compared to chemical sunscreens, mineral sunscreens are much more stable, non-sensitizing, and non-irritating. They are also globally accepted. In fact, for people with sensitive skin, including babies and young children, mineral sunscreens are able to provide safe, non-irritating, and comprehensive sun protection.


Preservatives – Another area that is seeing a surge of innovation is the area of preservatives used in personal care products. Preservatives that are conventionally used in personal care products such as parabens, phenoxyethanol, Diazolidinyl Urea, are taken over by ‘green’, more skin-friendly preservative system blends that are globally approved, stable across a wide pH range and biodegradable. An Example of a Product Using ‘Green’ Preservatives is Recherché Cell Repair Lift Serum.

New generation preservatives are derived from plant sources and boast of naturally occurring antioxidants which are beneficial to the skin as well. Thus, the new generation preservatives not just help to prevent product spoilage and contamination, but also exert skin beautifying and protective properties as well.

How Do We Anticipate Holistic Skincare Growth?

As consumers become savvier, we anticipate the growth of holistic skincare to move in tandem. In addition, the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic has increased consumers’ awareness of the importance of good skincare as a part of overall well-being. Also, with the proliferation of digital sales channels due to Covid-19, shopping preferences have shifted online. Thus, awareness and consequently growth of holistic skincare will result in the year ahead.

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