It’s time the beauty industry got a makeover
Ilana Pearce
The beauty industry is not exactly known for being ‘real’. In fact, the sole purpose behind
most beauty products is to change what’s already there. To correct, to smooth out, to pluck,
shape and fix until our pores are invisible and our flaws are concealed. Brands have mastered
the art of telling us what’s wrong with our appearance then offering us the solution in shiny
bottles, boasting magical new ingredients proven effective by the latest science. Skin too
dull? Try this glowy potion. Dark circles getting you down? You’ll need an eye cream for
those bags. It’s no wonder Dove’s research revealed that only 4% of women around the
world consider themselves beautiful. We’ve been conditioned to look at ourselves through a
lens of imperfection, prodding at bumps and blemishes until our insecurities obscure the rest
of our features.
But the beauty industry is constantly evolving. What’s trending one week is old news the
next, and in recent years our definition of beauty seems to have shifted away from the fake,
the photoshopped and the filtered. Today, we’re noticing a new era of beauty, a move
towards natural skin, honest advertising and no-nonsense consumerism. So, what do some of
these trends look like, and do they really represent a change for the better?
YouTube has transformed the way we interact with the beauty industry. Product reviews,
sponsored videos and makeup tutorials make powerful marketing tools, and beauty-related
content accounts for billions of views on the platform each year. Though it has flourished, the
beauty community has often been associated with an atmosphere of toxicity. Many of the
most-watched ‘beauty gurus’ have seen their share of scandal and drama, and the dreaded
apology video has become almost a rite of passage. However, while these creators remain
popular, there appears to be an increasing demand for a more ‘real’ depiction of beauty
online.
A recent viral TikTok video by @abbyroberts highlights the deceiving nature of the beauty
industry, stating that beauty gurus and brands 'lied' to consumers and sold them 'airbrushing'
and 'undetectable' products whilst applying blurring filters to their videos. Abby stresses that
makeup will always look like skin and texture is normal, but we have been misled and as a
result have unrealistic standards as to what our makeup should look like in real life. Many
YouTubers now produce content which aligns with this positive message. Professional
makeup artist Robert Welsh aims to teach his viewers makeup techniques that translate into
real life. In one video he switches off his studio lights one by one to expose the power of his
recording set-up, making a revealing statement about what we perceive on social media
compared to what we see in reality.
Another influencer leading the charge on the ‘real’ revolution is makeup artist Sasha Louise
Pallari, who created the #FilterDrop campaign to challenge the face-altering filters that she
believes undermine our self-worth. This year, the campaign persuaded the
Advertising Standards Association (ASA) in the UK to rule against the use of misleading
filters in the advertising of makeup products. Her efforts mark an important change in the
beauty community and demonstrate an evolution of values, explained by her statement, ‘The
more real skin we see, the more we can accept our own’.
When it comes to the portrayal of ‘real skin’, the beauty industry has made progress where
diversity is concerned and must continue to do so. As with calls for the fashion industry to
represent bodies of different shapes and sizes, the shade ranges of makeup products are
gradually expanding. Brands like Uoma Beauty and Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty recognise the
importance of inclusivity, embracing all skin tones and creating products which are
accessible to all. In addition, makeup is not just for women and nor should it be.
Representation may be about empowerment or the image of a brand, but above all it is a
long-overdue step towards what is right.
There are several trends in beauty today which exemplify a new era of realistic makeup. The
‘No-Makeup Makeup’ look is by no means a new concept, but its increasing popularity is
perhaps one of the more welcome side effects of a global lockdown. The ideology of ‘your
skin but better’ appears in many of the celebrity beauty routines of Vogue’s ‘Beauty Secrets’
series on YouTube. Singer Madison Beer’s tutorial has 6.8 million views, and shows her
donning a series of skincare products and layering lots of blush to make her cheeks look
healthy and youthful. Other videos include Hailee Steinfeld’s ‘Guide to Glowing Skin’, and
Addison Rae’s tutorial in which she creates faux freckles.
Online influencers perpetuate the spread of this new beauty philosophy. As a result, there
seems to be a preference for natural-looking skin in many of the current makeup trends: using
skin tints and CC creams instead of full coverage foundations, lip glosses and balms instead
of lip sticks, fluffy brows instead of blocky ‘Instagram’ brows, and dewy skin taking over
from the matte craze. Our changing priorities are evident in the names and descriptions of
products too. Just a quick skim of the Boots website reveals adjectives like ‘hydrating’,
‘natural’, ‘radiant’, ‘sheer’ and ‘fresh’, and acts of covering or correcting seem to have been
replaced by terms such as ‘enhance’ and ‘glow’.
One TikTok trend which highlights these changes is the ‘Makeup in 2016 vs 2021’ challenge,
in which people draw a line down the centre of their face and demonstrate their makeup looks
from each year on either side. The differences are clear– while makeup application in 2016
was heavy and ‘cakey’, the aesthetic favoured by today’s techniques is far more natural.
However, that’s not to say there’s anything wrong with more glamorous and intense makeup
looks. The point is that there is choice. Makeup has historically been used as a way of
restricting women. If a woman wears too much makeup, she’s criticised for looking fake or
unattractive. If she wears too little, she’s told she looks pale, tired or unwell. With either
extreme we define women in terms of their appearance, devaluing them based on a surfacelevel feature that does not affect their work ethic or ability.
Keen to promote this freedom to choose, singer Alicia Keys has decided to embrace her inner
beauty and go makeup-free in photo shoots, album covers and on the red carpet. Following
her example, others on social media began sharing #NoMakeup selfies and challenging the
social expectations placed on women throughout the ages. Today, makeup is many things,
but a tool for expressing outdated and sexist values should not be one of them. When we
remove the pressure to look a certain way, makeup is a form of expression and escapism, a
way to boost confidence, an art and a hobby.
It’s easy to become disillusioned with the false advertising and unachievable examples of
beauty we see online. But it’s remarkable how a few small changes in our viewing habits, be
it unfollowing certain influencers or discovering new ones, can completely transform our
attitude towards the beauty industry as well as towards ourselves. We’ve been chasing a nonexistent ideal for too long. Skin is skin. It will never be a blank canvas, and our faces are not
a painting. We are human beings, whose features set us apart from one another and whose
skin ‘carries the memory of where it’s been’ (@abbyroberts). Our faces show the imprints of
the life we’ve lead. Smile lines and wrinkles are evidence of the good times and the bad.
The definition of a filter is a device which removes impurities. By its very nature, it ‘filters
out’ unwanted material and leaves us with only the ‘flawless’ part of a whole. But after a year
of lockdown, mask-wearing and dressing up for Zoom, flawless is no longer the aim. Let’s
accept ourselves as a whole, and learn to reject perfection in favour of what’s real, what’s
natural, and what’s ours.