From avocado jelly masks to almond cookie shea soufflé, cosmetics have taken a surprisingly gastronomic turn. What’s behind the beauty industry’s obsession with selling products “good enough to eat”?
May 31st, 2018
by Hillary Bonhomme
The last time I went to replenish the staples of my nighttime skin care regime, I noticed something odd. Full disclosure: It had been a little while. I’m daunted by the array of oils, serums, and peels available at the average pharmacy or makeup store, and I try to shop for essentials—moisturizer, cleanser, maybe a face mask—no more than once a year. But when I logged onto Sephora’s website, something had changed since I’d last stocked up. The offerings had taken an unmistakably gastronomic turn.
I saw an air-whipped moisturizer “packed with leafy superfoods”—kale, spinach, and green tea. An eye cream fortified with cucumber extract. A sleep mask with pumpkin and papaya enzymes. A coconut lip balm enriched with a “blend of apricot kernel, black currant seed, and grapeseed oils.” There were so many food items in the product names, I almost felt like I was shopping for groceries.
When, I found myself wondering, did food become the center of the skin care conversation?
Link: https://newfoodeconomy.org/food-skin-care-natural-makeup-marketing/
