Celebrating the Simplicity series: Self-pampering and skin-care during the pandemic

It’s 7pm on Monday and Paayal Mahajan is live with her weekly face workout party, taking us through her signature 10-10-10 massage.

As founder of the luxury skincare brand Essential Body Couture, Mahajan is now making a name for herself as face massage guru. With a 10-module, in-depth face massage course, her classes are limited to 10 people only. Just three months ago such a course would’ve barely registered.

Looking inward

Before Covid-19 transformed our lives, work, friends and chores took precedence. Within the realm of beauty, this was apparent with the rising demands for lunchtime procedures that allowed us to dip in and out of the doctor’s office. But as everything familiar is taken away, we’re learning beauty is not skin deep.

“During lockdown, people realised that not wearing make-up brought into focus skin imperfections caused by the wrong lifestyle choices” -Dr Renita Rajan

For Delhi-based sports nutritionist Lovneet Batra, business has almost doubled. “From focusing on weight loss for weddings and holidays, people now want to increase immunity and get rid of lifestyle diseases,” she says.

The fear of going to the hospital combined with the impact of co-morbidities on the severity of Covid-19 symptoms has underlined the focus inwards. “Self-care isn’t just a luxury, but a necessity,” says Batra, who talks of increased interest in ‘the Covid-19 diet’. Among other things it includes supplementation with Vitamin C, zinc and Vitamin D.

Getting real

Beauty from the inside-out is also the theme with Dr Renita Rajan, founder and chief consulting dermatologist, Render Skin & Hair Clinic, Chennai. “The lockdown was in three phases – first when everyone was in holiday mode, second when people realised that not wearing make-up brought into focus skin imperfections caused by the wrong lifestyle choices.”

Just a quick look at Instagram will show people juicing, cleansing and detoxing their way to radiance

The third stage is now, when women realise they need to take consistent care of their skin for it to be healthy. “Sunscreen is the best self-care ritual,” Dr Rajan says. “Just four years of regular application shows clear anti-ageing benefits.”

Dr Rajan has also seen a surge in supplementation, including collagen.

Theory & practice

Just a quick look at Instagram will show people juicing, cleansing and detoxing their way to radiance. For Mumbai-based 21 Organic that provides organic and seasonal produce without using single-use plastic, the customer has transformed priorities.

“From focusing on weight loss for weddings and holidays, people now want to increase immunity” -Lovneet Batra

“From passively ordering to actively asking questions about farming and composting, it’s clear that we now consider health to be our wisest investment,” says Aditi Deshmukh, founder of 21 Organic.

Even though we’ve known health and beauty are intertwined, we’re now putting theory into practice.

The writer is a beauty expert and former beauty director of women’s magazines.

This is the concluding part of the Celebrating Simplicity series in HT Brunch

From HT Brunch, August 9, 2020