For years, talking about cosmetics mainly meant discussing formulas: actives, concentrations, innovation or efficacy coexisted around conversations about the beauty sector. But the new paradigm of this begins to broaden that conversation to also focus on the experience. How a product is applied, what texture it has, what aroma it releases, or how much time we dedicate to that gesture are aspects that are gaining more and more weight when building a skincare routine. Moreover, this is very related to the stressful lifestyle that asks that through these small gestures we create relaxing rituals.
It’s not about diminishing the importance of efficacy, but about understanding that a cosmetic product is also a sensory experience and that the way we relate to it can determine, to a large extent, our ability to incorporate it into daily habits. The so-called spiritual beauty thus recovers concepts such as ritual, pause, massage and mindfulness and incorporates them into skincare that aims to be, in addition to effective, enjoyable and sustainable over time.
The ritual is also care
“I think we are starting to understand that caring for the skin does not consist solely of applying effective ingredients. The formula is fundamental, of course, but it also matters a lot how we live that moment,” explains pharmacist Elena Monje, known on social networks as Infarmarte. And indeed, turning application into a pleasant moment can have, moreover, an interesting consequence: fostering consistency. On this matter, the pharmacist adds that “when a product is pleasant to use, it is much easier for us to want to incorporate it into our routine and maintain it. And in cosmetics this is especially important, because many results do not appear overnight; they require consistency.”
This is an idea that is echoed by Dr. Rita Sêco, aesthetic physician and founder of Galerie Clinic. For the professional, “we live at a fast pace, with little time dedicated to ourselves, and the skincare ritual has become one of the few moments of the day we can devote to ourselves.” The doctor believes that the ritual does not replace the formula, but it can be decisive to ensure that it is used properly and continuously. “The existence of a ritual does not substitute the efficacy of the actives, but it is what guarantees that those actives are used continuously. Consistency is worth more than any miracle formula,” says Sêco.
What we must not do is obsess over it or turn it into an obligation. For Manuela Auñón, head of the aesthetics department at Palasiet Wellness Clinic & Thalasso in Benicàssim, it is important to stress that “the ritual should not be one more obligation on our to-do list.” The expert believes that “the true value appears when we stop thinking I have to do my routine and start feeling I am going to dedicate this moment.” She concludes that “sometimes it is ten minutes. Other times it will be three. And that is also fine.”
Experiences Beyond the Formula
Cosmetics are also experienced through the senses. Texture, temperature, aroma and touch are part of the perception we build of a product and can condition our relationship with it. “When we apply a cosmetic product we are receiving many stimuli at once: the contact of our hands with the skin, the temperature, the texture, the smell… and all of them are part of the experience,” notes pharmacist Elena Monje. That said, the expert highlights an important difference between efficacy and perception because “a cream may have a perfectly effective formula, even if we do not like its texture. But if it is pleasant, it absorbs as we expect, leaves the skin comfortable and we also like its aroma, our experience with that product will be much more positive,” the professional concludes.
Rita Sêco also underscores the role of sensory experience in the perception of results: “Sensory experience conditions our evaluation of efficacy: a product with a pleasant texture and a well-crafted aroma is perceived as more effective than another with the same formula, but with a poor sensory experience. The aroma, in particular, has a direct connection that generates emotions and memory.” Therefore, this promotes adherence because “a product that a person likes to use (for its texture or pleasant aroma) is a product that they will actually use.” In the case of more sensitive skin, the professional warns that “on sensitive, reactive or rosacea-prone skin, fragrances can be one of the main irritants.” In these cases, the sensory experience should be built through texture rather than perfume.
Steps with discernment
The rise of the ritual also arrives at a moment of reaction against the endless routines that have dominated much of skincare in recent years. The accumulation of products and actives does not necessarily imply a better routine and, in fact, can hinder its maintenance. “In recent years we have received a huge amount of information about cosmetics and actives. We have learned a lot, but we have also reached a point where some routines have become almost an endless list of products,” says the pharmacist Elena Monje. The professional believes that simplifying is the key because “a good routine does not have to be long. It has to respond to the skin’s needs and be sustainable for the person who will perform it.”
Also, Rita Sêco considers that the so-called skinimalism responds to this excess. “The era of ten or twelve steps with multiple potent actives left many skins with the skin barrier compromised. And, in my opinion, there is no point in keeping this kind of skincare, because it is not more effective for having more steps.” The efficacy is determined by whether the formula is suitable for each skin type, the doctor states. For her, the key is “fewer steps, more discernment, more consistency. It is the right path.”
The Key Word: Adherence
Beyond the well-being it may provide, the ritual has an especially relevant consequence: it can help us maintain a routine. “Yes. When a routine is pleasant, it is easier to repeat it. And when we repeat it every day, it ends up forming part of our habits and requires less mental effort,” explains Elena Monje. For her, Rita Sêco takes it a step further and believes that “that is its greatest value, and this is where the ritual stops being a matter of well-being and becomes clinically relevant.” The specialist considers that adherence is fundamental to achieving results and states that “it is the main determinant of results in dermocosmetics. And adherence depends on very human factors: if the gesture is pleasant, if it is anchored to a routine, if it is easy to perform, it sticks. If it is a complicated and unpleasant obligation, it is abandoned in a few weeks.”
Therefore, perhaps the new cosmetic luxury is not adding more steps, but finding a routine we can maintain and enjoy. Doctor Rita Sêco states that she prefers “a three-step routine performed every day rather than a ten-step routine carried out sporadically with trend products from TikTok or Instagram.” She adds Manuela Auñón: “a good ritual can also help us remember that while we care for our skin we are also giving ourselves time.” In a stressful world where we do not stop, the professional believes that “asking ourselves what we need today is one of the simplest beauty gestures and, at the same time, the most valuable.”
