What Exactly is “Slow Beauty”?

Much like buying secondhand clothing is an ever-growing and rising practice to stem the tide of and put a buffer on the social and environmental impact of fast fashion, the beauty world is seeing a similar emerging movement appear, slow beauty. While there seems to be no technical, hard-and-fast definition of slow beauty, its ideologies are quite often a far cry from the typical business practices and marketing messages upheld by the makeup and skincare industries. In essence, slow beauty is a holistic approach to external health, wellness, and aesthetic and working with and embracing the natural self for what it is rather than seeking to change it. There are many brands, especially in the more eco/organic/Green Beauty realm have founded themselves upon philosophies and principles that are in perfect alignment with slow beauty, such as Inlight Beauty and Laurel Whole Plant Organics as examples. Brands like these place an even stronger emphasis on the sustainable production of products and product packaging, often have small production lines to ensure the responsible sourcing of and the best and most potent quality of the crops they harvest for ingredients as well as the ethics of the relationships for the farmers and manufactures who grow and make the products, etc.

For me, though the ideas behind the slow beauty movement that resonate even more strongly are ones that reframe our way of thinking about beauty and beauty products from what many of us, myself included, have been told to believe In these ways especially.

Redefining Attitudes Towards Aging: One of the biggest cornerstones of slow beauty is celebrating the self at every age. So often in the mainstream beauty world, aging is portrayed as something to fear or that only ever has negative consequences. But the philosophies surrounding slow beauty definitely are seeking to change that. By replacing the word “anti-aging” with terms like “slow aging” or ”healthy aging”, we start to see aging for what it is, a natural process that does not have anything to do with our beauty or how we look. Many brands that take this. “healthful aging” to their products and advertising actively seek to hire more mature models to photograph In product shots and formulate products for maturing skin in a way that focuses in supporting moisture barrier function and firming and brightening them rather than expressly attacking fine lines and wrinkles.

Reminding That “Slow and Steady Wins the Race”: A slow beauty approach encourages us to take a gentler approach to skincare and keeping routines more simplified and consistent. Of course, everyone’s interpretation of slow beauty will differ based on their preferences and needs, but the focus of a slow beauty skincare routine, for example, relies for many much more on the basics of keeping the skin cleansed and giving it ample moisture and hydration rather than using so many treatment products to tone, firm, or aggressively combat acne or wrinkles. Certainly also, this creates a more product-minimal method of skincare as well as less of swapping products in and out for the next biggest trend or hyped up ingredient. Personally, as much as I love trying all kinds of beauty things there is something to be said for really sticking to a product long-term and letting my skin truly “get to know” and become comfortable with a product or set regimen. It becomes such a pleasure to know and love the things you have and to really come to depend on them. This is perhaps my favorite takeaway from slow beauty.

Respecting That It is More Than Skin—And Even Body—Deep: As I’ve said, slow beauty is so much about looking at and embracing the body and beauty for what it is and has a whole, it is not just about the naturalness of any products we may use, our mindset towards beauty, or even something as important to our total wellness as nutrition and exercise. It is also about our mental and emotional well-being. It is often said that happy, energized people have a glow about them, so doing the things that bring us joy and enrich our souls can contribute just as much to how we look on the outside as how we feel internally. Spending more in nature, making art, and journaling may just be the steps in your beauty routine you didn’t know you needed it. And perhaps they will be the most impactful of all.

Slow beauty may seem trendy or like something that is easier said than done. But in finding out more about what it truly means, the more I’m inspired by it. I hope to carry some of these new mindsets and ideals with me from now on, and I hope you do too.