“Brown skin girl
Your skin is just like pearls
The best thing in the world
Never trade you for anybody else”
Beyoncé
I’ve often wondered why Beyoncé chose to liken our skin to pearls when pearls are in no way near brown. But then I realised I was being too literal…well at least in terms of colour because the more I thought about it the more it made sense. If there’s one thing we understand in the Black community it’s the importance of having well moisturised (shiny) and smooth skin.
Pearls are typically associated with wealth, femininity, purity, wisdom, patience and peace. All the characteristics and ingredients required for taking care of and maintaining our shiny and soft skin! And if there is one thing people all over the world learned to value and nurture as a result of months of Zoom meetings and uninterrupted time at home during the pandemic it’s skincare. And not in a shallow, how do I get rid of this pimple, or what’s the best makeup tip to cover these imperfections kind of way – people started investing time in understanding exactly what they were putting on their skin. We became invested in understanding how each ingredient not only impacted our long term health and wellbeing but our environment. People became enamoured with the illusion of healthy skin.
AoS sat down with qualified Somatologist, Assessor, Moderator and Beauty educator Dineo Makhubela to unpack how COVID-19 not only transformed the business of the industry but also our understanding and views of skincare. With over 10 years of experience, we asked Makhubela to share some skin care lifestyle tips and this is what the mother of two had to say…
For me, beauty is about touching hearts, through developing solutions and care for clients
Dineo Makhubela
Q. How have the past two years impacted the beauty industry?
The beauty industry has been shocked by COVID-19. Initially, our sales dropped and there have been widespread store closures. However, we have also seen an uptake in holistic skincare and online skin consultation and selling of skincare products.
Q. How has COVID-19 impacted people’s overall philosophy/values/relationship with personal care?
With people living their lives online and consuming social media content from beauty influencers, people who used to view skincare as a luxury started to see the value in taking care of their skin. People researched and adopted a ‘skinimalism’ lifestyle. Gone are the days of extensive multi-step routines – society has become more intuitive about product usage and are no longer looking for the most popular brand but are rather investing in brands that best suit their own skin needs.
Q. How have these changes influenced new trends?
Well, skincare brands are now prioritising quality over quantity and people are experimenting more with DIY and are now less inclined to use products that have excessive or harmful chemicals.
The beauty industry is constantly evolving, what does 2022 have in store for us? What new treatments and or products should we be on the lookout for?
Cryotherapy: This is a facial treatment where you expose your skin to cold temperature which causes blood vessels to contract and has a tightening effect and reduces the appearance of pores. In the past, this producer was used more on the medical aesthetic side but it’s something that we (Beauty Salons/Spa) are looking forward to introducing.
Waterless Beauty: This is another eco-friendly trend we expect to see more of in 2022. This is when we see skincare waterless products like micellar sprays and waterless hair cleansers.
Skin Barrier Treatments: We expect to see more skincare products that are focusing on healing impaired skin barriers and protecting the skin instead of hiding imperfections with cosmetics.
Blue Light Protection: We know that staring at your laptops or phones is not good for our skin so most products will introduce ingredients that protect the skin from the blue light.
Makeup: We are going to see more lined lips, we are taking it back to the 90s and enhancing the natural lip line by visibly lining the lip. We are also going to see more of the double-winged liner look.
Q. For years, beauty care has been seen as a luxury, so why is it important to regularly visit an esthetician?
First, it is important to get solutions from a more knowledgeable and skilled person. In the same way that you go to a doctor when you are sick, you should regularly visit your esthetician as they will provide the best-personalised skincare solutions. Again skincare is all about your wellbeing and estheticians do not only focus on beauty but your overall wellness.
You can follow Dineo on Instagram @lady.dee13 for more skincare tips and wisdom.