Beauty Insiders On How To Consciously Upgrade Your Beauty Routine

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by HB Team |
Sun, 22 May 2022

One of the hottest topics in the beauty industry RN is conscious beauty. It’s becoming a significant movement that we all need to consider because it can make a massive difference to our world. Ultimately, it’s hard for us to deny the considerable impact consumerism has on the planet and our role in that. With the climate crisis reaching new heights RN, it’s time to get serious about how we can all try and make a difference.

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If you’re wondering, “okay, we know the DL on clean, vegan, and cruelty-free, but what exactly does conscious beauty mean?” Don’t worry; we’ve got the DL from two incredible female founders who live by the conscious ethos. We chatted with Amy Wilkinson-Lough, Founder of the Middle East’s new conscious online destination, Project bYouty – a site focused on skincare, self-care, and self-discovery. We also sat down with Dorian Morris, Founder of Undefined Beauty, one of our go-to skincare and wellness brands that go above and beyond. They explained what conscious beauty means and how we can be more mindful in our routines. Here’s everything you need to know.

What Is Conscious Beauty?

For Amy, conscious beauty is honest beauty that enables her to make an informed decision on where she spends her money. She dives in, “To me, simply put, conscious beauty is transparent beauty.” Dorian adds that this transparency should be all-encompassing, “It’s a mindset – strategy – and operational approach.”

From a business perspective, Amy explains her process, “I know who founded it, I know what the ingredients are, where they were sourced, what processes were used, what the company does to give back to either a particular community or the planet in general. I know everything there is to know, and once I have that knowledge, I can make a really informed decision when it comes to my routine, the products I choose to use, and the brands I choose to support.”

 

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Undefined Beauty is an excellent example of conscious beauty; the brand checks every box on Amy’s checklist, from the inkey list to the supply chain. Every detail (from packaging to pricing) is mindful and available on the site for anyone to see. For example, Dorian explains, “Across my supply chain, I partner with like-minded BIPOC, women-led, LGBTQ, and family-owned businesses. It’s about the power we all hold to vote with our dollar to be part of societal evolution and progress, and I use this tool to amplify and support businesses, like Undefined, that have been historically not given a seat at the table. We build our own table.”

At Project bYouty, Amy says, “Essentially, we try to just be honest.” When offering a product, Amy says it’s vital for them to explain, “Why we love a brand, here’s why you might need it, but similarly, here’s why you won’t need it, so please, please don’t waste your money.”

“We genuinely try to make every decision with the most positive impact on the planet – and in all transparency, that isn’t always possible. Our packaging is entirely sustainable if not biodegradable, our warehouse is entirely robotic, which significantly reduces our carbon footprint as a business, but there’s still so much more to do.” She adds, “I’d love nothing more than to see packaging disappear entirely!”

How to Make More Conscious Decisions With Your Beauty Routine

The reality is that being a conscious shopper requires effort, and sometimes, it can cost more. But it’s also so rewarding and satisfying knowing where your money goes and the positive impact it has on the planet or community by shopping from small and conscious businesses. Here are some helpful tips:

Vote with your money: Dorian explains, “Vote with your dollar to support indie brands vs. the corporate behemoths. Shift the mindset that Black-owned brands are only for Black people because that’s a false narrative, AND support diverse founders not out of charity but because we create BADASS INNOVATIVE products.” Amy agrees, adding, “Align with brands that stand for something – never has the consumer been more powerful to advocate for ethics in the beauty industry than now.”

Don’t shop for trends: Dorian recommends, “Avoid the thrill of chasing “trends” and invest in high-quality products that solve multiple pinch points – you honestly don’t need a 20-step skincare routine. Go back to basics and build a strong foundation. Invest in a core skincare regimen and be sure that includes SPF (BTW my new R&R Sun Serum Mineral SPF 50, $28, is quite innovative) because if you don’t protect your sexy from oxidative stress, all the other “fancy” serums, masks and steps are all in vain.”

Amy confirms, “Don’t believe the hype – you do not need an overflowing bathroom cabinet – you won’t use it all and chances are you’ll have no idea what worked and what didn’t by the end of it and you’re back in the vicious circle of overconsumption again.”

Check the packaging: Dorian reminds us to, “Look for PCR (post-consumer recycled) packaging when possible, which is more sustainable for our planet.”

Shop locally: Amy stresses that we should, “Shop locally, you have no idea how much you’re doing for the planet by doing that – there are so many choices here you really don’t need to be ordering overseas anymore.”

Ditch single-use products: “Do away with simple things like cotton wool, swabs, and tissues we have recyclable, biodegradable versions of them all. If we all just made that small change I can’t begin to tell you the effect that would have on the planet” said Amy.

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Next time you need a beauty product, why not check out Undefined Beauty and Project bYouty? Here’s the scoop on both brands…

Undefined Beauty

If you’re a regular on Huda Beauty, you’ll have heard about Undefined Beauty. We’re obsessed – the formulas are insane, and the brand ethos and mission are something we believe in wholeheartedly. So, without further ado, here’s some background on the brand from the founder herself.

Dorian begins, “Undefined is focused on creating Clean, Conscious, Inclusive, Plant Magic so it’s a core piece of our value system and what makes us tick. Those four pillars are my true north that keeps me focused on my mission to democratize beauty and “undefine” what the industry looks like.”

Dorian breaks down these four essential pillars:

Clean: “I formulate with a “clean-ical” approach fusing Mother Nature’s plant wisdom with powerful active ingredients to create plant-based solutions.”

Conscious: “Conscious Capitalism is a key Undefined value, and we partner with Female-Founded, BIPOC, and LGBTQ businesses across our supply chain because business empowers business.”

Inclusive: “I incorporate diverse illustrations on my packaging to tie back to the ancient plant magic in the formula or end benefit of the product – showcasing the beauty of diversity and inclusivity in action. Representation matters. Seeing is believing is becoming. Economic inclusivity is also important with a focus on accessible luxury with high quality yet accessibly-priced products.”

Plant Magic: “My goal is to demystify plant-based tools that can have an immense impact on our skin health and internal wellness. It’s about making wellness understandable – simplifying it – and bringing people into the conversations that have been historically left out.”

Our top product picks: We love the R&R Day Serum, $28, for a radiant glow, as well as the Glow Detox Bath Salta, $32, to soothe our body and relieve any aches or pains. It’s the ultimate wellness staple.

Project bYouty

Next up we have Project bYouty, a Middle Eastern beauty site that focuses on conscious skincare, self-care, and wellness products. They have so many incredible brands that offer everything from clean beauty serums to sustainable menstrual products.

We asked Amy about the vetting process for a brand to make it onto her site, and rest assured the process is vigorous. She begins, “First of all, we absolutely do not entertain any brand that tests on animals – ProjectbYouty.com is an entirely cruelty-free platform and it always will be. Additionally to that, a brand should have one other attribute, so vegan, halal, organic, clean, or sustainable. Assuming those boxes are ticked off, we’ll jump on a call with the founder and just ask them to take us through the story of the brand, what’s the why? What’s the USP?”

After asking these questions, they ask another: is it really necessary for them to distribute the product? She explains, “The industry is already so overwhelming we don’t want to be a site that has 150 moisturizers on it – we want the very best, the most effective, and certainly the most ethically responsible.” Once this process has been carried out, she adds “Products are then sent to us and we test everything, all of us, on rotation because then and only then can we really determine how effective a brand or product is. You’d be surprised how many brands we’ve turned down.”

Amy’s top product picks: “There’s so many to choose from and I genuinely love them all!” Although if she had to pick some faves, she tells us that she really loves the Emma Hardie Moringa Cleansing Balm, 240 AED ($65) the Mara Algae & Moringa Universal Face Oil, 155 AED ($42) as well as the True Skin’s Avocado and Evening Primrose Facial Oil, 68 AED ($19).

Okay, so now you know about conscious beauty and how to shop it… Real talk: is it time for you to have a conscious uncoupling with fast fashion and any of your fave beauty brands? We confess that we have work to do, too! But there’s no need to feel guilty; instead, think of conscious ways you can make a small impact and take it from there.

Let us know what changes you’d like to get started on in the comments below.

Disclaimer: Every product we review has been independently selected and tested without bias by our editorial team. Although some brands allow affiliate links, we never take payment to review products, so we may earn a commission if you purchase a product by clicking on one of our links.