Skin care VS inner health: Transparency that skincare brands don’t consider

The saying goes beauty is skin-deep, but have beauty brands considered this during the conception of their brands and each product? Whenever we notice a fault in our skin’s appearance our first reaction is to treat it externally with topical products or mask it with cosmetics. Women spend around $160,000 on cosmetics and hair care over their lifetime but imagine how much less could be spent if we got to the root of our issues rather than covering them up? 

We all know someone, or even ourselves that have had a skin condition that is deeper than skincare, so should transparency include warnings or some sort of effort to inform the consumer that they should consult medical advice before depending immensely on one miracle serum to fix something that could be internal? How far can brands go in providing transparency but not pressuring their brand into taking too much responsibility for the consumers well being, because after all a skincare brand is for skincare.

3 Skin and hair conditions that need more than just a serum:

PCOS: Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is a hormonal disorder common among women of reproductive age. Women with PCOS may experience aggressive acne that could be painful. These women need medical attention and skincare that is medically and dermatologically focused, trialed and tested.

Bags under the eyes: Sure, sometimes a good night cream or eye cream could do wonders, but what if it could also be diabetes or allergies?

Hair loss: No, sometimes its not an indication to switch to a sulphate free, paraben free hair routine it could also be signs of hormonal imbalances.

The rise of medical skincare is quiet but it is there, Medicated Skin Care Products market worldwide will grow by a projected US$1.1 Billion by 2027. This market does not receive as much attention as these brands don’t focus on branding and aesthetic of their products, this shows the real reason why most consumers purchase products, if they don’t have nice packaging, then its not cool. Think why does The Ordinary sell? Or Kylie Skin or KKW beauty? What do they all have in common? AESTHETIC. So are consumers themselves prioritising actual health over a cute aesthetic?

To an extent the skincare industry does profit off health issues because the consumer wouldn’t know any better. The point is, there is so much pressure on consumers to constantly look surface level perfect, when deeper help is needed instead of brands claiming to fix their insecurities. 

Then again, skincare is skincare, some responsibility should lay on the consumer right? Brands can’t be the answer for all skincare ailments. At the same time, just like commission based sales, playing on the consumers actual health issues is not the correct approach either.

The happy medium is committing to being as transparent with your consumers as possible. Ingredient transparency is one of the best ways to provide transparency to your consumers. Ingredients are often the elements effecting, curing or exasperating any kind of health issue. Providing ingredient transparency discloses so much information to your consumer and enables them to avoid potential allergic reactions or triggering anything else.