1. Ageing
Pro-ageing continues to be the new anti-ageing (seen Roger Vivier’s Fall/Winter 2019 campaign flanked by a radiant 72-year-old Susan Sarandon yet?). This growing acceptance of age-positivity, however, has not stopped women from worrying about their skin looking older. According to Google Trends, the word “ageing” ranked fifth in cosmetics-related searches here in the past 12 months, growing by 250 per cent from the year before, with users on the lookout for anti-ageing skincare products. Here are five new-to-shelves recommendations, though remember: It never hurts to read between the lines.
https://www.femalemag.com.sg/beauty/latest-beauty-buzzwords-that-everyones-tweeting-about-and-the-woke-products-that-fit-it/
ageing
Shiseido Benefiance Wrinkle Smoothing Contour Serum, $130
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An ultra-rich concoction said to promote the skin’s ability to strengthen and repair itself. An encapsulated form of retinol – released only upon coming into contact with skin enzymes – is said to fill wrinkles so effectively that it has a lifting effect. To further firm and smooth, a seaweed complex encourages the production of hyaluronic acid and better-quality keratinocytes (these produce keratin), while another ginseng-infused complex helps boost the ability of fibroblasts in skin to produce collagen.
Shiseido Legendary Enmei Ultimate Luminance Serum, $660
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Meet the serum addition to the Japanese beauty giant’s holistic-esque Future Solution LX range that’s less about anti-ageing than it is about revitalising skin. What’s in it: enmei, a herb said to have powerful regenerating properties; and a green tea derivative dubbed “Green Tea Silk” to soften and hydrate. When combined, the result is a formula that reportedly leaves the complexion looking more luminous and youthful over time.
La Prairie Skin Caviar Eye Lift, $740
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Said to be the first serum that targets the entire eye area (brows included) – in other words, where signs of ageing tend to be the most obvious. Formulated with the brand’s signature Caviar Premier technology and Exclusive Cellular Complex, it’s said to give more definition to eye contours and eyebrows, tighten the upper lids, smooth the lower lids, reduce the appearance of crow’s feet, and diminish puffiness. How’s that for an eye-opening treat?
La Mer The Regenerating Serum, $580
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An update of the brand’s famously high-end – and highly effective – serum 10 years after its debut. Its tweaked formula now has what the brand calls “Metabolic Ferment”, a plant stem cell-packed complex said to increase the natural production of collagen, as well as an additional dose of the regenerative Miracle Broth and Concentrated Miracle Broth. Coupled with the antioxidant-rich Lime Tea Concentrate, this is said to keep future damage at bay while improving firmness and reducing signs of inflammation and the appearance of pores.
Lancome Advanced Genifique Serum, $230
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Another bestseller that turns 10 this year, this watery formula continues to promote skin that looks healthier and more youthful by keeping the skin’s microbiome in a balanced state. What’s new now: It’s been enriched with prebiotics and probiotics so that it’s even more effective at strengthening the skin’s defence against aggressors.
2. Cruelty-free
A growing consciousness about ethical living means that how a product is made has become as important as the product itself. In the last 12 months in Singapore, the third most searched skincare-related topic on Google was cruelty-free products. The good news: the arrival in this country of more beauty brands whose products are stamped with the Leaping Bunny logo.
https://www.femalemag.com.sg/beauty/latest-beauty-buzzwords-that-everyones-tweeting-about-and-the-woke-products-that-fit-it/
cruelty-free
The Inkey List Turmeric Cream Moisturiser, $18, Sephora
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Cue The Inkey List, the “anti-BS” company based in Britain that debuts at Sephora this month. Besides refraining from testing on animals and working only with suppliers who do the same, it makes it a point to not sell in countries that make animal testing compulsory (yes, such places actually exist). Its pure, honest-to-goodness ethos is also reflected in its minimalist packaging and formulas: Each product is based on a single ingredient.
Our pick? Its Turmeric Cream Moisturiser that harnesses the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of one of beauty’s current It ingredients. With vitamin E as well to additionally help soothe and smooth skin, this moisturiser is said to reduce the appearance of wrinkles while rehydrating and brightening the complexion.
Biossance 100% Squalane Oil, $83, Sephora
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Also launching recently at Sephora (though only on its website for now): the US-based, all-natural Biossance that uses sustainably sourced, 100 per cent plant-derived squalane – usually obtained from shark liver oil – in all its products. The ingredient is said to be extremely hydrating, and nothing proves this better than the brand’s 100% Squalane Oil, which can be used on the face, hair and body. Besides instantly moisturising and locking in said moisture to leave skin and locks soft and smooth, it is said to accelerate the cell turnover rate to quicken damage repair.
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream, $86, Sephora
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This well-loved moisturiser has been refreshed with the addition of plant-derived ceramides to help improve the skin barrier and protect against everyday stressors. Add antioxidant-rich fermented green tea and omega acids, which help skin retain moisture, and you get a lightweight salve for dry, tired complexions.
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength Daily Peel, $135, Sephora
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The newest offering of this Peta-approved brand is a heavy-duty take on its signature daily two-step peel. This extra-strength version sees the inclusion of seven acids, antioxidants and vitamins that help skin shed dead cells as well as excess oil and impurities – all while evening out skin tone and smoothing its texture.
3. Packaging and Labelling
According to Elsie Rutterford and Dominika Minarovic, the founders of Bybi Beauty who were in town recently to promote their latest launches, how beauty products are packaged has become possibly the most talked-about aspect of sustainable beauty. That’s because packaging makes up a whopping 70 per cent of the waste the industry generates. Here’s where the two-year-old British-based label comes in. As much as 97 per cent of its products come in recyclable packaging, with glass being the favoured material as it is infinitely recyclable, and all its labels are printed with plant-based ink.
https://www.femalemag.com.sg/beauty/latest-beauty-buzzwords-that-everyones-tweeting-about-and-the-woke-products-that-fit-it/
Packaging and Labelling
Bybi Beauty Babe Balm, $35, Sephora
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For products that can’t be housed within glass vials – like its new hydrating, sensitive skin-friendly Babe Balm – a bioplastic material derived from biodegradable sugarcane is used instead. And the sugarcane is grown in south-west Brazil, where there is no rainforest.
Gallinee Face Mask & Scrub, $43, Sephora
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Another brand that pays attention to its choice of packaging: the French Gallinee that uses only recyclable plastic and avoids all secondary packaging. What this means: The tube of its popular Face Mask & Scrub – enriched with purifying kaolin white clay and revitalising sea minerals – pictured here, comes as is because, really, don’t we just always end up throwing the box away?
Read more on the next page.
4. Cultural Insensitivity
Be it the inappropriate naming of Australian beauty retailer Mecca, Kim K’s #KimOhNo saga (or the brownface controversies plaguing the local mediascape at press time), it’s obvious that wokedom has become critical in all that we do. To call the creation of universal shades an antidote would be naively reductive (we know – relax), but one can’t deny how such an option can be seen as an attempt to cater to all skin tones. If anything, it makes the process of choosing the right colour for oneself easier.
https://www.femalemag.com.sg/beauty/latest-beauty-buzzwords-that-everyones-tweeting-about-and-the-woke-products-that-fit-it/
cultural insensitivity
YSL Beaute All Hours Setting Powder Universal Shade, $75
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YSL Beaute All Hours Setting Powder is available in 24 shades, the brand has also made it a point to create an additional universal version. As good as weightless and said to instantly absorb oils to mattify skin, set foundation and keep the complexion shine-free for 24 hours, the latter is created with translucent microspheres that are buildable and reportedly won’t cake.
Dior Prestige Le Micro-Fluide Teint de Rose, $155
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To avoid the risk of using potentially offensive terminology (even Rihanna’s pro-diversity Fenty Beauty has been guilty of it), beauty giants are reconsidering their naming system. Take Dior, which categorises its foundation shades with numerics and the alphabet “CR” (for cool undertones), “N” (for neutral) and “W” (for warm). Its latest include the deeply hydrating Dior Prestige Le Micro-Fluide Teint de Rose, the first foundation from the high-end line to contain Rose de Granville micronutrients and gold-infused rose micro-pearls to boost radiance and give you a rosy complexion;
Dior Forever Couture Perfect Cushion, $92
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And the Dior Forever Couture Perfect Cushion, a 24-hour-wear compact that has moisturising wild pansy extract and the line’s signature rose fruit extract to fight external stressors.
5. No Makeup
Granted that this sounds like no new topic, going by how it’s been trending on the runways and in K-beauty in recent years, it’s taken on a whole new dimension in the face of the growing, ongoing conversation about self-love and acceptance. Consider makeup artists like Kandee Johnson teaming up with influential beauty brands to advocate for confidence in one’s own skin. These are the new launches meant to enhance one’s natural features and help you feel like a “100” sans that full-coverage foundation.
https://www.femalemag.com.sg/beauty/latest-beauty-buzzwords-that-everyones-tweeting-about-and-the-woke-products-that-fit-it/
no makeup
Dior Dreamskin Care & Perfect Perfect Skin Creator, $150 for 30ml and $200 for 50ml
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Think of this skincare-makeup hybrid as Facetune in a bottle with a complex of radiance-boosting ultra-micronised mother-of-pearl, colour-correcting pigments and blurring micro-powders to give the overall effect of augmented instant perfection. It’s been reformulated for the third time with more skincare ingredients – and benefits. Shea butter nourishes and softens, while soothing vitamin B3 counterbalances the harmful effects of toxins to boost radiance, neutralise yellowing and redness, and accelerate cellular renewal. Over time, it is also said to improve skin quality.
Sulwhasoo Essential Lip Mask, $58 each
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A sleeping mask for your lips that doubles as a cleanser to remove remnants of other products. The “Recovery” version soothes and promotes skin regeneration with an ingredient derived from the centella plant and liquorice extract. For an even more kissable natural pout, apply the “Moisture” version that is made using water from the roots of the angelica acutiloba and cnidium herbs, and jujube extract to deeply quench lips. Ceramide further locks in the moisture and smooths roughness.