Episode 39: Discussing Ageless Beauty with Kari Gran

Is the beauty industry finally adopting the notion of ageless beauty rather than using the term ‘anti-ageing’? The misnomer ‘anti-ageing’ has been viewed as politically incorrect for quite some time. If our guest in this episode of Green Beauty Conversations has her way, it will be a thing of the past sooner rather than later.

Kari Gran, founder of Kari Gran skincare, which she runs with business partner Lisa Strain, has developed commonsense natural skincare products that talk about skin health and vitality as part of a more holistic way of living; with no mention of age groups or anti-ageing. Kari Gran says that many of us when faced with a constant barrage of talk about anti-ageing feel shamed into not doing our best to look younger, or at least holding back the visible signs of time on our skin. She counterpoints this beauty industry accepted norm by saying that the conversation should shift to focus on the fact that our lifestyles play a major role in how we look and feel at any age:

“If there were a single miracle, time-defying product, there wouldn’t be the thousands of other skincare products out there on the market. At Kari Gran, we talk about the bigger, holistic picture. I can’t sell something without being honest about it. Skincare products can’t work in isolation on their own.”

Kari Gran knows all about skincare products hyping up promise and yet under delivering. Kari battled with autoimmune illnesses throughout her life until she started to really scrutinise food and personal care product labels and make significant changes to her diet and personal care routine.

Kari Gran skincare was born out of real necessity when Kari needed to take control of her health and move to natural skincare as a way to alleviate the acute dryness of her skin and reduce her exposure to certain chemicals. She realised that talk of anti-ageing was irrelevant and that what mattered above all else was looking and feeling good in your own skin rather than be stressed about age.

With Trust Pilot reviews from customers aged anywhere from their 40s to 70s saying how they love the way Kari Gran products make them feel – not just look – it’s clear that people, if not the traditional beauty industry, are quite happy to embrace and live life to the full at every age.

Podcast host Gemma and Kari Gran have a wide-ranging discussion about the need for transparency and honesty in the beauty industry and for commonsense language using terms like ageless beauty to replace the dominant discourse on women’s ageing, menopause and beauty.

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In this episode on ageless beauty, you’ll hear about:

• Why honesty in your skincare brand and product messaging is vital especially these days when customers are more aware of the value of an all-round feeling of wellness and won’t believe anti-ageing claims.
• How products aimed less at fads and so-called trends and more at promoting simple, easy-to-grasp beauty routines such as cleanse, hydrate and protect may be more appealing to consumers.
• How you can move the conversation and create a point of difference for your skincare brand not by disrupting necessarily, but by appealing to consumers’ commonsense.
• Why not all your target customers are fixated about their beauty routine – nor their age – and how that impacts your beauty brand’s positioning.

Key take-outs include:

• Think about putting Trust Pilot or similar third-party review apps on your sales’ website. They might seem a risk as you can’t edit or block reviews, only reply to them, but consumers will value your level of honesty and in return, you gain a valuable, ongoing ‘focus group’ for your products.
• Realise that much of the higher echelons of the mainstream cosmetics’ industry is dominated by men – in management and in the cosmetic labs. Their legacy, while valid and informed, has also created in part a normalised discourse about women’s beauty, which suggests, among other things, that women should constantly seek products to ‘turn back the clock’ in order to feel good about themselves.
• Just like ageing, other times in women’s lives such as childbirth and menopause aren’t ‘trends’ to be addressed by cosmetics’ products. There are of course products that have a place in helping issues such as dry skin or alleviate signs of stretch marks but they should be marketed not as products to ‘fix’ issues that are in fact all part of life’s normal passage.
• Be aware we are still mostly presented with a stereotypical view of how we should look and feel at various stages in our life, whether when turning 40, having children or passing through menopause. Ageless beauty eschews this view.
• Kari took Formula Botanica’s Skincare Expert Program whose courses were instructive in helping her not only formulate advanced products but also deep dive into the well-being that is possible using natural, organic skincare ingredients. It is vital to take a cue from Kari’s approach and celebrate naturals for their unique benefits rather than use negative claims or scaremongering in your brand’s marketing. For inspiration, see also some of our other graduates’ brands.

Find out more about Kari Gran, the brand and founder:

Kari Gran website.
Kari Gran on Facebook.
Kari Gran on Instagram.
Kari Gran on Youtube.
Kari Gran on Twitter.
Kari Gran on Pinterest.

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Gemma Ortega Perez

Gemma Ortega Perez was Formula Botanica’s Relationship Manager between 2015 – 2019. To read more about the Formula Botanica team, visit our staff page.