Fast fashion – a term which we have grown familiar with. But what about the term “fast beauty”? Fast beauty brands such as Kylie Cosmetics and Winky Lux are bringing new products to the shelves at a pace never seen before in the beauty industry (Collins, 2018). The term fast beauty is applicable to brands that prioritise keeping up with the latest trends (Unterberger, 2018). In order to do so, they have to drastically shorten the time typically required from product conception to launch. Doing so, allows brands to capitalise on beauty trends while catering to the instant and fickle-minded nature of the millennial beauty consumers today (Fromm, 2019).
Besides fast beauty brands paving the way, the rise of beauty influencers that we see on media platforms such as Youtube, Instagram and Tiktok are facilitators of the shift towards fast beauty as well. With Youtube “beauty gurus” to Instagram reels, this type of promotion enables brands to market and connect with consumers at a faster rate, thus increasing sales. As consumers continue to consume this content on a regular basis, it also normalises the idea that there is no limit to the amount of beauty that one can own.
Unsurprisingly, this leads to overconsumption by consumers. While we are generally aware of the environmental impacts of increased demand for resources to meet production as well as waste generation from consumption, fast beauty poses another area of concern. Fast beauty warrants environmentally damaging production resources and practices in order to achieve warp speed time to the market. In terms of manpower, this can often lead to unethical labour, be it child labour or underpaying overworked labourers. In terms of the environment, a common ingredient found in beauty products, palm oil, is associated with deforestation and diminished soil viability. For example, lipsticks that we adore. They come from the reddish pulp of the fruit found on oil palms, particularly the African oil palm (Elaeis guineensis). The oil is essential for the manufacture of lipsticks due to its properties of being able to hold colour well, no taste, and high melting points. Consequently, the fast beauty industry has called for rapid destructive methods such as burning to clear forests to make way for oil palm plantations (Young, 2021).
While consumers are not oblivious to these impacts, the appeal of fast beauty makes it easy for one to fall into the spiral of consumption. Despite so, there are still beauty brands in the market that are slowing down the industry. Stay tuned for the next blog as I share more about these brands.
References
Collins, A. (2018, May 15). Fast beauty: New business models cause industry-wide shift. WWD. https://wwd.com/beauty-industry-news/beauty-features/fast-beauty-new-business-models-cause-industry-wide-shift-1202648539/
Fromm, J. (2019). Marketing convenience to the modern consumer. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jefffromm/2019/01/04/marketing-convenience-to-the-modern-consumer/
Unterberger, L. (2018). Is ‘fast beauty’ plagued by the same ethical challenges as fast fashion? Fashionista. https://fashionista.com/2018/07/fast-beauty-business-industry-problems
Young, O. (2021). Palm oil in cosmetics: Environmental impact and sustainability concerns. Treehugger. https://www.treehugger.com/palm-oil-cosmetics-5206444