Who is WELLBEAUTY?

She needed a name so I gave her one

Hello Mall Talkers,

How are we doing on this fine Tuesday? It is gray and cold, a typical November day in New York, and I low key love it. It makes for great writing weather. It’s cozy, and I don’t feel bad about staying inside to get some work done. I set up the space heater right behind my desk, and lay the dog bed down in front of it so the littles can curl up together. They love it.

I have a short and sweet one for you today.

Today’s post is about the new hot girl in town, and her name is wellbeauty.

Based on the reactions of shock, horror, disbelief, and confusion (not really) I’ve received in using this term to describe not just my business but also the evolving corner of the market, I thought I’d dissect it for you and see what YOU think. In this post I’ll cover:

• How I define wellbeauty

• Worlds divided - how beauty and wellness have remained separate until recently

• Why wellbeauty is the future of both the beauty and wellness industries combined

But first, some housekeeping. This is my 15th week writing for Substack(!!) and I love to see how the Mall Talk community has continued to grow, inch by inch. It’s fun to see who it resonates with.

Substack runs on likes and comments, in other words, your engagement with this post. Please give this post a 💛 to support Mall Talk, and leave a comment if you feel compelled. And subscribe if you want more spice. This will help my little seedling newsletter to grow 🌱

Wellbeauty, defined

I define wellbeauty as the convergence of what we know to be beauty products and rituals and what we know to be wellness products and practices to enhance our inner and outer beauty synergistically. This can take the form of using topical and ingestible products to glow inside and out, so to speak, as is the case with Good Psyche. It could be red light therapy, which has been shown to improve our skin health and induce hair growth, while also reducing bodily pain and improving sleep. Wellbeauty defines a holistic way to optimize our outward appearance - more resilient skin, thicker hair - and internal functions - improved mood, sleep, digestion - simultaneously. And brings it all together in an easy to understand and accessible package for consumers.

I’ll use Good Psyche, which I define as a wellbeauty brand, as an example. GP makes products with medicinal plants for inner and outer beauty. The very nature of medicinal plants is their ability to holistically heal, repair, and enhance our overall wellbeing. No medicinal plant or herb does just one thing.

Each organic substance enters our bodies and minds with an immersive approach; working to bring our internal and external health closer to homeostasis - a sustainable and optimal way of being.

The face and body mist is soothing, nourishing, and improves the health and quality of your skin, while the ingestible spray improves your body’s ability to respond to stress. Both play a significant role in your physical and emotional health, and outward appearance.

Curious if you would define wellbeauty differently.

Worlds divided

Historically, beauty has been treated as a separate industry to health and wellness. Their respective products are found in separate aisles in grocery stores, convenient stores, and until very recently, big box beauty retailers like Sephora and Ulta didn’t carry ingestible wellness products.

One of the first brands I can recall showing up in Sephora with both topical and ingestible SKUs in their line was Moon Juice. Since then, they haven’t added much by way of typical wellness products except for a handful of supplements, and they still don’t have a menu on their website for wellness; you have to type it into the search bar.

Wellbeauty has received an overwhelmingly positive response in conversations I’ve had with people in my circle, customers, and strangers I meet at events. That said, there have been one or two people who cock their head at its mention. In those rare moments, I like to remind myself of the adage: if people think you’re crazy, you’re on to something.

Wellbeauty as the future of holistic health

In my assessment, both beauty and wellness industries are a bit slow to respond to the concept. The wellness industry is distracted by weight loss, which is not at all a bad thing as Americans need it desperately.

Meanwhile, the beauty industry is caught up in their latest craze, fragrance, and are too busy to occupy themselves with innovation. The exception to both of these is the new booming industry of longevity. People want to look better and feel better for as long as possible, and longevity companies are capitalizing on that innate desire in all of us.

Monia Merabet

of Beyond Beauty writes about the burgeoning longevity industry in her brilliant four-part series. I’d consider longevity and all its rituals, treatments, and supplements a facilitator of wellbeauty to keep us looking and feeling younger, longer.

That’s all I’ll say about it for now. I’d love to hear your take on wellbeauty and weather it resonates. Thanks for reading જ⁀➴