I sent a birthday/mother's day gift to my influencer SIL, and the tracking said it had arrived. I finally texted to make sure she had it, and her response was "OHH I get so much in the mail from PR lists, this just got thrown into the pile and I never saw it." It made me so sad :( I wanted her to feel special and happy and my thoughtful gift just got lumped into "shit that comes for me in the mail". She thanked me for sending but never gave a judgment-- no "I liked it" or "That was cute" ... maybe it's because she gets more expensive stuff more regularly from randos, so mine was small potatoes??
I realize this is not the topic of this article but I feel compelled to note: the fridge in the picture is a totally normal-size fridge for French people, not a mini fridge. 😆
So good, and especially your last answer. We sure do keep waiting for capitalism to fix capitalism-created problems by looking to brands to solve all this. Especially in the U.S., (existentially necessary) regulations feel largely unthinkable. But it can (and must) be done!
I am complete agreement with you. As a new business owner of skincare product, I understand the draw to have the bells and whistles with a new product launch, but I personally did my best to be intentional with my product packaging. With Aadenbeauty.com I was intentional and mindful, I selected packaging that aligns with environmental responsibility while bringing a touch of joy. Every element of the packaging is designed for multiple purposes - it can be reused as packaging or transformed into plant-seeded paper, allowing you to enjoy beautiful blooms.
Thank you for this! It’s so true. The beauty industry contributes so much waste and consumers are encouraged to buy/hoard as much as possible. At one point, I had close to 20 lipsticks, glosses and balms. It was insane!
This is why I continue to subscribe to your Substack - such great insight and info and I appreciate you sharing the RAW files (as it were) even when they don't make the final edit. I am wondering if we are (hopefully) living in the end times of influencing and The Influencer? I do see some push back against the excess and over stimulation of the influencer economy.
Realizing that all makeup was essentially trash was a turning point for me. I'm starting to think about my clothes too, and how much has polyester aka plastic (omg the sports jerseys). We've been fooled as consumers but also we're all turning a blind eye to the destruction fossil fuels and plastics have had and will continue to have.
"...the more data we get about global warming and about the beauty industry's impact on it...the more we're seeing the beauty industry overall increase in intensity...More products, more waste, more PR packages with more excess, which is very concerning, but also just very distracting. It's a distraction tactic."
Yes it is! And so true across industries. Well said and observed.
Love this interview (per usual!) and grateful your voice is having such an impact. When I walked away from beauty editorial last Fall — which I've mentioned previously, and covered on my substack post titled "Coming Clean" — I found myself thrilled to not be inundated with packages, emails and demands that felt increasingly disingenuous and shameless. Along with a simpler skincare regimen and no use for a box cutter, I have peace of mind.
I sent a birthday/mother's day gift to my influencer SIL, and the tracking said it had arrived. I finally texted to make sure she had it, and her response was "OHH I get so much in the mail from PR lists, this just got thrown into the pile and I never saw it." It made me so sad :( I wanted her to feel special and happy and my thoughtful gift just got lumped into "shit that comes for me in the mail". She thanked me for sending but never gave a judgment-- no "I liked it" or "That was cute" ... maybe it's because she gets more expensive stuff more regularly from randos, so mine was small potatoes??
:(
I realize this is not the topic of this article but I feel compelled to note: the fridge in the picture is a totally normal-size fridge for French people, not a mini fridge. 😆
lolll american excess strikes again
So good, and especially your last answer. We sure do keep waiting for capitalism to fix capitalism-created problems by looking to brands to solve all this. Especially in the U.S., (existentially necessary) regulations feel largely unthinkable. But it can (and must) be done!
It’s just so sad brands don’t take their environmental destruction more seriously.
I am complete agreement with you. As a new business owner of skincare product, I understand the draw to have the bells and whistles with a new product launch, but I personally did my best to be intentional with my product packaging. With Aadenbeauty.com I was intentional and mindful, I selected packaging that aligns with environmental responsibility while bringing a touch of joy. Every element of the packaging is designed for multiple purposes - it can be reused as packaging or transformed into plant-seeded paper, allowing you to enjoy beautiful blooms.
Thank you for this! It’s so true. The beauty industry contributes so much waste and consumers are encouraged to buy/hoard as much as possible. At one point, I had close to 20 lipsticks, glosses and balms. It was insane!
This is why I continue to subscribe to your Substack - such great insight and info and I appreciate you sharing the RAW files (as it were) even when they don't make the final edit. I am wondering if we are (hopefully) living in the end times of influencing and The Influencer? I do see some push back against the excess and over stimulation of the influencer economy.
Realizing that all makeup was essentially trash was a turning point for me. I'm starting to think about my clothes too, and how much has polyester aka plastic (omg the sports jerseys). We've been fooled as consumers but also we're all turning a blind eye to the destruction fossil fuels and plastics have had and will continue to have.
"...the more data we get about global warming and about the beauty industry's impact on it...the more we're seeing the beauty industry overall increase in intensity...More products, more waste, more PR packages with more excess, which is very concerning, but also just very distracting. It's a distraction tactic."
Yes it is! And so true across industries. Well said and observed.
Love this interview (per usual!) and grateful your voice is having such an impact. When I walked away from beauty editorial last Fall — which I've mentioned previously, and covered on my substack post titled "Coming Clean" — I found myself thrilled to not be inundated with packages, emails and demands that felt increasingly disingenuous and shameless. Along with a simpler skincare regimen and no use for a box cutter, I have peace of mind.
Hi Jessica, big fan! So I hope you won't hold it against me that I spotted 2 typos:
"Sometimes they'll they'll keep it.."
"I also think think that what"
Great article as always!
This is a transcript of a spoken interview, it happens!
Ahh, that makes sense!