We spoke to industry experts and pored over the latest research, and all signs point to a 2019 that’s going to make us feel healthier and prettier.
Alternate Anti-Ageing Routine: Fasting
Intermittent, reverse or the 5:2 diet are great for shedding the extra kilos, and if done right, skipping a few meals could help you achieve healthier skin too. Dr Harald Stossier, founder of the celeb-favourite wellness clinics VIVAMAYR, explains, “A big meal in the evening makes it difficult for our body temperature to drop, which is an absolute must to metabolise melatonin and growth hormone. Both these hormones are produced at night and activate our regeneration process (think quicker healing and skin cell renewal). The simple strategy of fasting can extend life form, reduce the ageing process and stop premature ageing.” Besides fasting under the guidance of a medical expert, Dr Stossier also recommends practising mindful eating habits. “Eat slowly, chew well, stop when you feel it’s enough and allow your body to digest the food in the best way.”
Diet Update: Meso-Dosing
Just when we wrapped our heads around macros and micros, another type of nutrient, mesonutrient is claiming to be the answer to our improved wellness. In Greek, while macro stands for ‘big’ and micro for ‘small’, meso quite literally means ‘inside’. The good news is we don’t need to count calories anymore, but focus on foods that have higher nutrients. So instead of diluting the effects of turmeric in a latte, meso-dosing enthusiasts suggest curcumin (the anti-inflammatory hero in turmeric) supplements for its optimum benefits. Other stars in the meso-cabinet include berberine from barberries to balance blood sugar, phycocyanin found in blue spirulina to boost energy, and anthocyanins that are derived from berries and cherries to improve immunity. We wonder if cheese has any mesonutrients?
New Make-Up Agenda: Skincare
“Good skin is the most important thing and it underpins all the trends for the upcoming season—it’s the glow that really counts,” says British make-up artist Ruby Hammer. With all the skin-focussed looks at fashion weeks, make-up artists have made skincare a big part of their make-up routines backstage. Not only will you have to apply lesser foundation, well-moisturised skin also helps the make-up stay on longer. You can try something as simple as a face mask, or even facial cupping to soothe tense facial muscle and relax lines and wrinkles. “It’s not just your face, extend the same love to your neck and décolletage as well,” says Hammer.
Photograph: Gruiz Laura
Next Big Thing: Bodycare
The boring and often forgotten body lotions, butters and cleansers are about to get as sophisticated as your favourite face mask. It’s bodycare 2.0, with microneedling devices, body serums with light-diffusing minerals and active ingredients that could put your skincare routine to shame.
Do-It-All Skin Treatment: Transabrasion
“It is dermaplaning meets microneedling meets vacuum-assisted pore cleansing and serum infusion. It’s just one (in-clinic treatment) that cleanses, protects and stimulates the collagen to give you the skin you had as a baby,” says Dr Sethi of the latest skin resurfacing treatment.
Genius Beauty BFF: Artificial Intelligence
Think of it as Siri in the beauty aisles, as a new breed of tech to help us shop for the perfect products. Companies like Proven (provenskincare.com) assess everything from diet to the weather before matching you to your ideal skincare regimen. At Function of Beauty (functionofbeauty.com), MIT engineers and data scientists built an algorithm that can create a unique shampoo and conditioner formula for each customer. And My Beauty Matches (mybeautymatches. com) goes through their database of 4,00,000 products to make impartial recommendations for your needs and budget. Rest assured you’ll never have to go down the rabbit hole of online research.
Revised Skincare Routine: Skip-care
Call it lazy, but we’re taking note of Korean millennials who are eschewing the 10-step routine for a streamlined regimen with fewer products. Multi-tasking hybrid products finally get the validation they deserve under this restrictive diet—they deliver all the benefits without the need to pile on excess products. Skip layers of moisturisers in favour of just one hydrating serum and cleansing water instead of a face wash and toner. This way we’ll still have glowing skin and extra time in bed.
Ingredients To Know
Look at your skincare labels closely for these wonders:
SQUALANE: One of our biggest allies in the battle against pollution, squalane is naturally occurring in our skin and helps hydrate and repair it. “It’s quite popular in global markets, and will be big in India soon,” says Dr Aneesh Sheth, formulation scientist and CEO of Dr Sheth’s skincare. “Pollution oxidises the squalane in our skin, and reapplying it helps counter that damage.”
COPPER: Dr Kiran Sethi, dermatologist and founder, Isya clinics says, “It’s effective to reverse the effects of ageing and inflammations, and is a vital cofactor in the skin renewal process”. Basically, it will reset our skin to a younger healthier condition. Watch out for it in night creams, serums, sunscreens and hair growth formulas.
