How has lockdown changed our beauty and skincare habits?

After a year of lockdowns, Zoom calls and a seriously reduced social life - it’s not surprising that when it comes to beauty, our habits have changed.

Stylist Magazine recently reported that in May 2020 research by Mintel showed cosmetic sales were in decline by 5%. But interestingly, as we focused less on make-up, we invested in our skin with sales of skincare increasing by 18%.

Is this change of scaling back on make-up in favour of investing in restoring and rejuvenating our skin here to stay, or will we simply revert back to our old ways as soon as we wave goodbye to lockdown?

We asked our Instagram community how their approach to skincare had changed and they mirrored this shift. One follower said, “Less make-up, less single use plastic” with another describing their new approach as just “simpler”.

We’re thrilled that so many of you have taken on our #LessIsMore ethos when it comes to skincare but what is it about this year that has made us spend our cash on our skin rather than our beloved make-up?

As well as keeping our skin cared for, the routine and ritual skincare provides us with is also great for our state of mind. Whether you call it ‘self-care’ or ‘me-time’ - we’ve all needed a little more TLC for our mind, body and souls. This, we believe, is what skincare provides - there is more to skincare than just good skin.

We started SBTRCT with the belief that the bathroom was a sacred space in our home. Now, as we have been spending so much more time at home, the importance of this room, a place of respite, has become even more apparent.

Aesthetics, scent and experience are integral parts of our skincare routine which is why when investing in skincare it isn't just about the effectiveness of the products, we deserve the whole package.

As well as believing that we all need less ‘stuff’ - we know that more time spent on you is important. But we don’t need a 17 step routine costing thousands of pounds or days spent at the spa to feel the benefits of this type of ‘self care’.

Simplifying our skincare routine, considering the ritual of shutting out the world, decompressing in the bathroom each day and taking time to cleanse and care for our skin is transformative.

Whilst we won’t be going make-up free just yet, as the world gradually reopens and we emerge back into our new normal, we hope one thing remains; that when it comes to our skincare habits, we keep it simple. Less Is More.