Our attachment to appearances and skin products
According to worldwide management consulting firm McKinsey, the global beauty market makes $500 billion in sales annually. Net-A-Porter states that skincare, which has always been second to makeup, is now emerging as the best-sellers of the beauty department.
Over the past few years, the skincare industry has seen a huge growth thanks to its popularity on social media as well as the public’s interest in more natural, simplistic beauty. The visual nature of digital marketing (notably Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat) allows for accessibility of skincare brands through beauty culture discussions such as polls, surveys and feedback. Aside from the company labels, influencers also play a vital role in publicizing skincare trends. Due to the impact of fame the influencer has upon their audience, many are likely to follow suit and mention the aforementioned products used by the influencer, thus, increasing its value.
Besides digital marketing, the rise of wellness and self-care trends has led to clean beauty, which is a distinct shift from the common use of heavy layers of makeup. By promoting the concept that true, physical attractiveness stems from having clear skin and a natural shine, skin cosmetics have been hugely in-demand in the market. This is especially true in the time of the pandemic, where “maskne”, acne breakouts caused by wearing a face mask occurs. People have become much more attentive to the state of their skin, to appear more naturally presentable.
While all these observations sound positive, it could very well take an inimical turn. As we become increasingly attentive to our external appearance, we are also more likely to heavily criticize them. The hyperfixation towards our pores and wrinkles causes us to spend ample amounts of money and energy into getting rid of them. Many people would use camera filters on social media to appear to have youthful, poreless, glass skin, instead of showcasing their natural state in fear of the judgmental looks or comments they might receive from others. This causes many people to feel pressured to look good for society’s approval.
Malaysia has always been regarded as a nation of diversity, harmonized with unique traits from each culture. To study the impact of skincare obsession upon its people, research has been done to understand the influence of skin enhancements amongst locals.
On 22nd October 2021, a survey was conducted to synthesize the relationship between Malaysians and their perspective on the internet’s obsession with skincare. It was held for a month, filled with questions asking of their race, age group, opinions on cosmetic products, and source behind their need for facial enhancements.
According to the survey, Malays and young adults (aged 18-25) are the highest consumers in the market. The majority of the participants also prefer to buy only the essential cosmetic products over trendy accessories (facial rollers, mini-fridge, etc,...) and are environmentally conscious when it comes to their purchases. When asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 on the effectiveness of skincare, many rated ⅘ for confidence and 5/5 for enhancing appearances. 67.2 percent of participants also stated their worry of others’ reactions to their visibility of acne. Lastly, 60.3 percent have shown approval towards the openness of men normalizing skincare in their everyday lives, the 39.7 percent not approving due to its complex routines and gender stereotypes.
The data were then incorporated into a visual infographic for the public to see. To develop the idea, real textures of skincare products were squeezed out onto paper in clean drops and smudges. After, the images were manipulated to vary in colour and size through PhotoShop. Soon the infographic experimented in three drafts of differing minimalistic layouts. The style of the infographic was inspired by editorial beauty pages of women-focused magazines; a white background, modern, cursive font for the title backed by a simpler sans serif typeface, and semi-realistic skincare data decorated in mellow tones throughout the poster.
The following semester, students had to resume the project by inventing an Envision Information Piece (EIP) which is the physical counterpart to the infographic that was made in the previous semester. Among the numerable options for the Envision Information Piece were a live installation (still or interactive), a digital application, and a live map. The initial option (suggested in the previous semester as Part B) was a digital visual novel game named that focuses on the effects the skincare obsession placed upon society, but for practical purposes such as skill efficiency in a short amount of time, the idea was dropped. Later, it was decided that the skincare-based project would continue most suitably with a live installation.
The live installation idea is highly inspired by the analysis made in the infographic. The data concluded that many Malaysians too, as the Westerners, were influenced by the obsession of skincare trends and its print upon our physical appearance. The installation would serve as a metaphor of how our daily accumulation of cosmetic products and hyperfixation upon looking presentable can make it seem more like a chore than a leisurely tool for personal care. To bring this statement out tangibly, the installation is made in the form of a vanity table, accompanied by a mirror, a chair and a basket, and blobs or textures (in the form of slime and cotton) of the skincare products would super-impose the items mentioned. The vision for this idea is to let the audience first sit on the chair, gaze upon the blobs and cotton smeared all over the furnitures and ponder about the value of natural beauty being overthrown by skin enhancements.
The first three weeks of the semester were devoted to developing the idea. It resulted in five different sketches of the furniture and blobs layout, and a small scale design made by clay and paper. Besides the live slimy, vanity room, the project was also accompanied by a section dedicated to taking photographs of the installation viewers and letting them state their opinions on skincare obsession. The idea for this section at first was a polaroid corner placed next to the vanity table. Viewers would be able to take polaroid pictures of themselves, pin it on a hanging board and write down their own thoughts of skincare inside a book laid on a table nearby. The idea would make the installation seem more interactive and fun, but due to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and risks of the pandemic, said polaroid section could not be carried out. The distance-friendly alternative to this idea would be a social media page that posts the installation viewer’s thoughts on skincare, from complex routines to beauty standards. Also, instead of taking photographs of the viewer, the page will create illustrations deemed fit for the post.
For the installation, the only fixed variables were the table, chair, mirror and basket. There were no confirmations yet on how and what textures will overflow on the furniture, as it would be heavily experimented first before setting it in place. Over the course of 5 weeks, there were numerous experiments done to embody the texture of the blobs including sculpting clay, light polymer clay