As the pandemic brought health and wellness into sharp focus, statistics have shown that more people are indulging in the art of self-care as a way to nurture mental wellbeing. Sharna Waid explores the beauty and personal care products empowering people to relax, recharge and reset in the comfort of their own homes
Since the pandemic, our understanding of self-care has grown from buzzword to basic need. The term – defined as ‘the practice of taking action to preserve or improve one’s own health’ – is becoming more prevalent in conversations around mental wellbeing and overall wellness. And as a result, it’s being regarded as a necessity rather than an indulgent treat.
In 2021, a national survey conducted by Hearst UK showed that 84% of the UK felt there should be a greater focus on self-care following the effects of COVID-19. This comes as no surprise since more people had the time and space to prioritize wellbeing – perhaps something they previously neglected due to busy lifestyles.
Unlike walking, reading, meditation and other mindfulness-related activities, self-care can come in the form of ‘pampering’ with the use of beauty and wellness products. According to UK spa group Champneys, 30% of Brits are dedicating more time to self-care than they were before the pandemic began in 2020 – including skincare, waxing and facials, ‘with a focus on home care and wellness treatments’.
From aromatherapy products to eye masks, body oils and scented mists, the market is booming with products which help to support customers with their self-soothing rituals – and in turn, help us as a nation get back to feeling ourselves again.
Bath and body
Aromatherapy and essential oils are a sure-fire way to create a relaxing environment for self-care practices. And there are several body and bath brands making it even easier for people to create spa-like treatments in the comfort of their own homes, using natural and organic ingredients and relaxing smells and essential oils to unwind the mind. For example, Tisserand’s Nature’s Spa Collection is a selection of wellbeing treats fragranced with essential oils, including bath soaks, body washes, hand washes, soaps and hand creams. From Lavender & Neroli to Rose & Ylang Ylang, the blended organic oil-enriched formulas aim to ‘melt away tension and support your wellbeing holistically’.
BetterYou is also on a mission to help people take care of their bodies and minds with the use of essential oils and magnesium – known to help with muscle relaxation and sleep. The brand has recently launched Magnesium Relax Bath Flakes and Magnesium Revive Bath Flakes, made with magnesium chloride and essential oils such as grapefruit, eucalyptus, rose geranium, bergamot, sweet orange and basil.
Customers seeking the ultimate spa experience should look to brands pulling together luxurious collections in perfectly curated aromatherapy kits or self-care boxes. Terre Verdi has released The Selfcare Box – Organic Spa Gift Set, which contains cruelty-free products full of soothing ingredients that are ‘perfect for an at-home facial’. The Selfcare Box contains two full sized treatments that can moisturize from head to toe, while also providing an aromatherapy experience that boosts wellbeing.
Along with other brands on the market, Scentered sells sets that contain a full-sized De-Stress Therapy Balm (in Chamomile, Neroli and Mandarin) and a mini Sleep Well Therapy Balm (in Palmarosa, Lavender and Ylang Ylang) as well as a microwavable wheat bag which helps to release tension in the neck and shoulders. To round off its de-stressing toolkit, the brand collaborated with Popmask to create a Chamomile Scented Self-warming Steam Mask, which heats in 30 seconds and provides 20 minutes of soothing warmth.
Face the day
Treatments for the face have soared in popularity since the pandemic. The UK Beauty & Grooming Report 2022 surveyed 1,000 UK consumers and discovered 85% of people are carrying out beauty and grooming treatments at home. The most popular DIY treatment is a face mask or facial (45%).
Other research suggests that the use of sheet masks have been dominating skincare trends across the globe. In 2018, the estimated global sheet mask market volume was some 206.7 million units – and it’s forecast to reach 332 million units by 2026. Originating from Korea’s K-Beauty phenomenon, sheet masks render benefits such as hydration and moisturization, along with balancing, calming and skin-brightening properties. Unlike the paste-based face masks, sheet masks don’t dry out, keeping the skin supple and hydrated for a longer treatment.
The report also found that consumers are more likely to seek out brands promoting ‘clean beauty’; 45% say they take a brand’s use of natural or clean ingredients into consideration when making purchasing decisions.
Lavera has introduced sheet masks produced using natural and organic cucumber and glacier water, while Sukin has created a biodegradable version of sheet masks (in recyclable packaging), made with detoxifying supergreen ingredients – including kale, spirulina, parsley and chlorella.
It’s not just sheet masks helping to bring convenience to people’s homes. Traditional clay or liquid peel masks can also double up as cleansers – a perfect addition to someone’s self-care routine.
Katie Hill, co-founder of ethical and sustainable lifestyle hub My Green Pod, comments: “We’re seeing multi-tasking products that cut costs and clutter performing well. The purchasing trends suggest people are looking for a more streamlined beauty routine underwritten by the mantra [that] healthy, natural ingredients support naturally healthy skin and wellbeing.”
Green People’s AHA Radiance Peel Mask is infused with replenishing aloe vera to safeguard skin from irritation during exfoliation, and features a blend of natural fruit extracts that deliver five gently exfoliating AHAs to the skin. Skin Proud Wonder Clay is a natural cleanser which doubles as a mask. Made with purifying pink clay, it aims to reduce excess oil and remove impurities with blemish-fighting tea tree oil, neem leaf and marshmallow root extracts.
Calm space, calm mind
For many, wellness treatments aren’t the same unless the environment’s right. Setting the space for self-care – sometimes known as ‘environmental self-care’ – is also a major part of someone’s pampering experience. This means creating moments of stillness and relaxation, cleaning personal spaces and lighting candles or diffusers. This idea became especially prevalent through the pandemic as people were spending more time at home. As a result, some new brands have emerged catering to this environmental self-care trend.
Skar Organics is ‘the UK’s first certified organic candle’ brand, made with organic beeswax and essential oils. In close partnership with the Soil Association, Skar Organics ensures ethics and sustainability are at its core. Some ingredients (like pesticide-intensive cotton, GM soya wax, etcetera) may have a negative impact on the environment – plus some candles include paraffin or synthetic fragrances, so natural, organic and sustainable alternatives with essential oils are quickly becoming a better option for the home.
In September 2020, THE ZEN HUB launched during the peak of the pandemic as a way for the founder Alice Whitemore ‘to share her passion for mindfulness and wellbeing at a time when the world needed it the most’. Launching a line of scents, from candles to oil diffusers, each product is crafted with essential oils for their aromatherapy benefits. Commenting on her reasons for founding the company, Whitemore says: “In all honesty, my own experience within the self-care and wellbeing world and the benefits I have reaped from it gave me the motivation to bring a little bit of zen to people’s homes and lives. When the world stopped, we all stopped with it. I knew that it was my time.”
For those on the go, Green People’s Alexandra Kay well-being range offers Time to Inhale – a new mini handheld diffuser. Designed to deliver a mindful moment wherever and whenever needed, it’s described as ‘ideal for when you’re in need of a nerve-settling confidence boost, a burst of energy to prepare for an exercise session or are feeling the effects of fatigue at the end of a long day at work’.
Sustainable self-care
For people who incorporate a self-care practice into their everyday routines, reusables are a good way to ease the environmental guilt when carving out some me time – after all, knowing that you are doing better for the planet is a form of care in itself.
“We’re seeing products with minimal packaging go from strength to strength – shampoo bars and solid deodorants from companies like Pit-Tastic! and Scence continue to sell brilliantly,” adds Hill. “People are trying to make a bigger difference to the planet by looking for more sustainable alternatives to the products they use every day, which is something we really encourage and support at My Green Pod.”
Bear Botanicals – a new brand that emerged from the pandemic – has created a range of fun, bear-shaped headbands and konjac sponges, and reusable bamboo make-up pads and silicone cotton buds.
The brand’s naturally antibacterial, organic Bear Pads Eye and Face Bamboo Cotton Pads act as a sustainable alternative to dis-posable cotton pads and single-use wipes, while its Bear Buff Cherry Blossom Infused Konjac Sponge can be safely composted or used in the garden to help plants hold moisture. One Bear Botanicals customer commented: “Beauty should be fun, and this makes the small self-care moments even more special!”
Self-care is an important part of life, and for many retailers stocking the right tools to help nurture this practice is essential. Self-care is now recognized as more than just an indulgent treat; for some people it’s an important everyday ritual. So, providing solutions that address the body, mind, space – as well as the environment – is the perfect way to cater to a nation seeking calm after an unprecedented storm.
Mind Spa™ essential oil blend
Clarity Blend
E-mail: [email protected]
www.clarityblend.com
Clarity Blend is an award-winning wellness UK brand with a focus on natural products, founded by a clinical aromatherapist. We specialise in high-quality, natural aromatherapy formulations to help with different wellness needs, created in our Berkshire’s workshop. Mind Spa™ is a deeply calming essential oil blend. It features blue gum eucalyptus to help ease and slow breathing, allowing you to take a deep breath from life’s stresses and create spa-at-home experience. Eucalyptus is blended harmoniously with lemongrass and patchouli for a luxurious tonic of calm. The citrusy notes of Sicilian bergamot uplift the spirits and help banish anxiety and fatigue.
JUST SLEEP GIFT SET
Elan Skincare Ltd
Tel: 07412 676905
E-mail: [email protected]
www.elanskincare.co.uk
The pandemic has rendered an increase in sleeping problems and left individuals with higher levels of stress and anxiety. Elan Skincare offers a multi-purpose solution – a set of JUST ROCK Himalayan Salt Crystals & JUST SLEEP Aromatherapy Blend of nature’s purest essential oils. Formulated with the most soothing and comforting scents of bergamot, geranium, lavender, and frankincense to help relax, alleviate stress and anxiety, and improve overall wellbeing. Breathe yourself to sleep. Add a few drops onto the crystals and breathe in. Alternatively, place a scented crystal in the bath to create a spa-like experience.
Shea Butter Cleansing Bar
Friendly Soap
Tel: 01422 400282
E-mail: [email protected]
www.friendlysoap.co.uk
You can’t beat the rich blend of fatty acids packed into this cleansing bar. It’s a beautifully simple product. Gentle, moisturising and containing vitamin A, it’s nature to the rescue, and perfect for a daily skin routine. Each shea butter bar is handmade with just four natural ingredients. Shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil and aqua. This product is brought to you by Friendly Soap. Every bar is plant-based and hand made in the UK without the use of preservatives. Using plastic-free recycled and recyclable packaging. Skin cleansing never felt so good!
Skin Sapiens Glow Facial Serum
Skin Sapiens
Tel: 020 3286 8229
E-mail: [email protected]
www.skinsapiens.com
This multivitamin serum is made with a 99% of natural ingredients. It blends smoothly with your skin, leaving a natural and vivid look. Perfect for dark spots and dull, maturing skin. Made with a blend of vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and with a natural scent of orange blossom. This serum is vegan, cruelty free, sustainable and dermatologically tested. Perfect for sensitive skin. Apply 3 to 5 drops and massage onto skin twice a day to give tightened and plumber skin. As members of 1% for the Planet, 1% of every sale of this product goes to charities fighting climate change.
