A beginner’s guide to slow beauty

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by those 12-step skincare routines, you are not alone. A new wave of beauty insiders are ditching this way of consuming beauty in favour of a simpler, more-focused routine. Say hello to slow beauty — a move towards fewer, but better, products that helps consumers make more conscious choices for their skin and the planet.

Opting for multi-tasking products with eco-friendly packaging, slow beauty adepts are more mindful of what they bring into their bathroom shelf. This leaves the skin less stressed, the planet happier and the mind calmer.
Essentially, what is slow beauty? A rethinking of one’s beauty routine to include less products, resulting in a simpler approach.

Consumers should do their research and look out for brands that incorporate eco-conscious practices in every step of the supply chain; from ingredient sourcing to production and packaging, but also to diversity in the brand marketing. Transparency plays an incredibly important role and consumers are demanding more information on the ‘ins and outs’ of production before purchasing.

Many of the slow beauty brands are also unisex, rejecting the idea that there is a female or male standard in beauty. This is a welcomed aspect in the industry that has too long been based on gender. So, women and men all around Scandinavia are embracing this no-fuss approach to beauty - and in order to change our everyday rituals into something more sustainable, our beauty cabinet is a great place to start!

Below, we've rounded up seven Scandinavian beauty brands that epitomise the slow beauty movement.

This father-daughter duo aimed to create a sustainable brand without compromising on results. The multi-tasking product with its waterless formula lessens over-consumption. Their terracotta packaging has a low carbon footprint and can be upcycled as a beautiful art piece in your home. "Slow and truly sustainable beauty can and should be affordable, beautiful and effective at the same time,” says Oquist co-founder Olga Ringquist.

Maya Njie’s perfumes are inspired by her Swedish and West African heritage, taking memories from her childhood such as weekends at her grandparent's and bottling them up. With care and precision, the blends are mixed in small batches, filtered and bottled individually by hand. Maya Njie supports Ecologi by planting trees and therefore offsetting their carbon footprint.

The unisex brand RDP skincare launched last year with a moisturiser. “Slow beauty, just like slow fashion, is about investing in products that have been lovingly crafted using sustainable methods,” says Rebecca Dufour Partanen, founder of the brand. The made-in-Sweden, cruelty-free moisturiser is all-natural and its innovative packaging is entirely biodegradable. “Our packaging takes as long as a piece of wood to biodegrade in nature and leaves no micro-plastics behind.”

OM-SE started as a personal passion project for co-founder Jenny Huurinainen as she was battling unbalanced skin post-pregnancy. “We advocate for slow skincare and believe that doing more with less is the ultimate luxury,” says Jenny, co-founder of the unisex brand. Produced in Sweden using powerful botanicals, batches are small to minimise overproduction and ensure the freshness of every bottle. “The world doesn’t need more products. We need to buy fewer and better products," says other co-founder Jacob Huurinainen.

It was Josefin Landgård’s hectic lifestyle that made her discover CBD and it was “love at first drop”. She wanted to share her secret with the rest of the world. “At Mantle, we never release products just to fill up shelf space; every cannabeauty product created by our all-female team serves a true purpose in your routine," says Stina Lönnkvist, co-founder of the brand. Mantle offers multi-functional sustainable products with their key ingredient CBD, a powerful multi-purpose ingredient for a broad range of skin types.

Amne Ali and Najat Abbas wanted to share their culture with the world: “We want to help people of all genders and races to find their own beauty tradition that they can pass on to their children, just like our mothers and grandmothers did to us.” This Sweden-based haircare brand has carefully curated natural oil kits based on hair type. Sourcing from Agadir, Morocco, the founders wanted to use the best organic and ethically produced oils on the market for Zeit Care.

Inspired by the wilderness of Finland, Inari Arctic Beauty has a small product line focusing on essentials. “For me, a daily beauty routine needs to be uncomplicated and products easy to use.” Says Sirkku Hahn. She adds “It is essential to give the products enough time to work and restore your skin. I believe in slowing down in life in general.”

These brands are pushing the boundaries when it comes to sustainability, encouraging us to make better choices, not only for ourselves but ultimately for the planet. Consider these beauty routines with a good conscience.