Swedish retailer bans children from buying anti-ageing skincare
In a bid to protect young people from being influenced by beauty trends online, a popular pharmacy in Sweden has decided to ban under 16s from purchasing anti-ageing skincare products.
While the societal pressure to be perfect has never been more intense, no natural human process has been vilified
Current in Fashion + Beauty
Opinion – Viral beauty trends on TikTok have gone too far
Social media is adept at consistently making us question whether or not our appearance meets an extremely high standard, all while continuing to shove algorithmic ‘sameness’ down our throats. Isn’t it time we stopped letting the Internet dictate the way we perceive our facial anatomy? Ever since TikTok took over...
Is shopping for skincare now more complicated than ever?
The rise of no-nonsense, ingredient-focused skincare lines promised to streamline our self-care regimes. But with new product lines, formulas, and beauty trends popping up every month, has taking care of our skin become over-complicated? The beauty industry has seen massive growth over the last few years, especially in the skincare...
Opinion – Clothes should not be a legal issue in 2023
A new Wisconsin Bill marks a milestone for Indigenous students. But we should be questioning why legal intervention is necessary in the first place. Under new Assembly Bill 210, students in Wisconsin will now (legally) be allowed to wear tribal regalia – like beadwork and eagle feathers – to their...
New York’s cosmetology law is breaking beauty barriers
A new requirement – that students learn to style textured hair as part of their training – is signalling change for the global beauty industry. The beauty industry has always been somewhat of a minefield for the Black community, who often find themselves on the fringes of an ostensibly inclusive business. Despite...
Startup Sulapac develops microplastic-free packaging materials
Seeking to reduce our dependence on oil-based plastics, Sulapac is making bio-based packaging components using recycled and ‘side-streamed’ materials. It’s hoped to boost fashion’s circular economy. Anyone who is even slightly into skincare will be well aware that the environmental cost of beauty cosmetics is huge. Our buy, use, and bin...
Why are toxic chemicals still in our make-up and cosmetic products?
Along with ‘forever chemicals’ that will never break down in our natural environment, many beauty products still contain ingredients that disrupt our hormones and cause harm to our bodies over time. Which chemicals should we steer clear of and what is being done to make them disappear for good? You’d think that companies making products designed to be lathered, sprayed, and smeared on our bodies would make sure that their...
Are AI-generated images perpetuating toxic beauty standards?
Viewing photos generated by apps like Midjourney, DALL-E, and Adobe is no longer a novelty. Could frequent exposure to highly idealised – and unrealistic – images of human beings potentially reshape society’s beauty standards? If you’ve ever toyed around with AI photo-generating apps, you may have noticed a trend emerging – especially when asking the technology to depict realistic-looking humans. The trend I’m referring to is that all AI-generated humans seem...
The latest TikTok trend points to Gen Z’s obsession with anti-ageing
With more social media users buying into the idea that perceived flaws must be dealt with before they’ve even begun, young people have turned their attention to a new product which promises to offset any future lip creases: a straw designed to prevent wrinkles. It’s no secret that Gen Z is obsessed with anti-ageing. Earlier this year, a 14-year-old went viral on TikTok for sharing a multi-step skincare routine with the...
London-based agency launches sustainably made edge styler
The beauty industry has become notorious for its single-use plastic problem, but one UK design agency is looking to change that with its reusable edge styling brush designed specifically for Black hair textures. A renowned London-based design agency, Blond, has just launched the Edge Slick – an innovative hair styling tool that marries form and function with sustainability. The beauty industry has become notorious for its contributions to single-use plastic waste....
