Harry Styles’ beauty brand reignites discussion of modern masculinity
Not one to turn down a purple feather boa or a pearl drop earring, Harry Styles’ new beauty line, ‘Pleasing’, has reignited questions of sexuality and gender that constantly swirl around him. But must a man’s foray into makeup and skirts always be the subject of such social debate? On...
Current in Fashion + Beauty
Beauty taps into the metaverse
Blurring the boundaries between real and virtual, the future of the internet has already caught the attention of cosmetics brands determined to keep tech-savvy consumers interested. As in a large majority of sectors, the worlds of beauty and technology have collided at an accelerating pace during the last few...
Why has Lush decided to quit social media?
The cosmetics brand is deactivating four of its accounts until platforms ‘take action to provide a safer environment’ for users. In an increasingly connected world, the idea of a leading company quitting social media seems unthinkable. Alas, just this week, British cosmetics brand Lush announced its decision to quit Facebook, Instagram,...
Could your skincare regime be endangering sharks further?
One ingredient in popular skincare items is regularly sourced from endangered, deep ocean dwellers. Shark fin soup has racked up serious blame for the depletion of shark populations around the world. But even if you aren’t eating sharks, there’s still a possibility that your daily habits are contributing to the...
Relaxed attitudes towards cosmetic procedures are dangerous
Cosmetic surgeries have become commonplace in our society, but even non-evasive procedures are never without risk. What can we learn about self-acceptance from one top model’s botched experience? The year is 2021, and you’d be hard pressed to find a celebrity who hasn’t undergone a nose job, brow lift, or...
Why the beauty industry should be selling rejected products
To save our planet, the environmentally damaging industry would do well to follow in sustainable fashion’s footsteps and begin turning unwanted off cuts into a zero-waste solution. In 2021, the negative connotations once linked to pre-owned fashion are no more. During a time in which the threat of climate change...
How Gen Z is pushing beauty to be more diverse and accepting
Leaning into a natural skin aesthetic while still leaving room for makeup experimentation, Gen Z is changing the way we approach beauty products. We already know that Gen Z is the driving force of pushing boundaries, both in terms of social change and creating new trends. This is especially evident in the beauty industry, which has had to adapt itself to earn the respect and trust of younger consumers. A core ethos...
For Stella McCartney fungi are the future of fashion
On a mission to change one of the world’s most polluting industries from the inside, the luxury designer just launched a collection inspired by mushrooms and their potential for saving the planet. During the pandemic, conscious consumers and environmentalists watched in anticipation as fashion inched towards hitting the much-needed reset button. An opportunity for brands to acknowledge the urgency for change amid our current climate crisis, these last 18 months have...
The difficult truth about ‘natural’ beauty’s contribution to climate change
Environmentally conscious consumers are ditching synthetic beauty products in favour of natural alternatives, but there's a dark side to the boom in their popularity. At present, the general consensus that ‘natural,’ ‘green,’ ‘organic,’ and ‘clean’ means better is ubiquitous within the beauty industry and frankly speaking, it makes a lot of sense. Buzzwords used by cosmetics and skincare companies to shift products; they promise eco-friendly alternatives that seem to be...
Could circular beauty remedy the industry’s waste problem?
The ever-expanding sector generates 120 billion tonnes of throwaway packaging annually. Given we can no longer recycle our way out of this mess, are circular-designed products the answer? Unless your skincare routine involves using leftover ingredients from last night’s meal to create that homemade face mask you saw on TikTok once, then you’ll be well aware that the cost of looking our best is taking a significant toll on the...
