The Beauty Industry is Powered by FOMO

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For a while now, I’ve complained about the beauty industry generally being exhausting with its oversaturated product launches. There’s been little innovation; the brands are largely trend-chasing rather than trend-setting.

The severity of the symptom is newer, but the root cause isn’t. Fundamentally, the consumerism that advances success of the beauty industry is powered by FOMO. It isn’t an internet or social media problem, either, though they certainly exacerbate it; think of, pre-widespread internet adoption – people were buying glossy magazines. Different format, but just another example of how the modern beauty industry is powered by FOMO (or, was).

Clarification

Quick pause – in case you, like me, resent cutesy acronyms and would benefit from knowing WTF I’m talking about:

FOMO, or the, “fear of missing out,” is a psychological phenomenon whereby people have an irrational desire to partake in an experience to avoid the regret of not doing so.

So, in other words, brands that fuel the FOMO engine are the most successful. FOMO is the reason behind flash sales, waiting lists, and social media “unboxing” videos. Unfortunately, FOMO is also the reason why the beauty industry is in a constant state of “newness.”

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Recall: Carcinogens in Dry Shampoo

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We had a post go live today, but I sat down this afternoon and wrote a whole entire ‘nother because this is NONSENSE. First, sunscreen. Now, there’s a multi-brand recall due to carcinogens in dry shampoo. It’s the same we’ve been seeing in sunscreen: benzene.

The amount of things being recalled for benzene in the last few years is too damn high. Carcinogens weren’t even really top-of-mind for me when I stopped buying dry shampoo a while back (which I JUST shared before this news hit), but there’s a hell of a good reason!

The Affected Brands

Per the release, which you can read on FDA.gov, this recall applies to products under Unilever’s sprawling umbrella. If you use any of these,

  • Dove
  • TRESemme
  • Nexxus
  • Suave
  • Tigi

You need to check the UPC and lot codes, which you can do here, to see if you need to take further action. Please note that just because you bought it recently doesn’t necessarily mean it was manufactured super recently! CHECK.

If it isn’t one of these, you may be in the clear – but I’ll come back to this.

Reimbursement

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Owala FreeSip

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Owala FreeSip

Welcome to the latest installment of, “How is the Editor going to try to trick herself into drinking water consistently?!” Yeah, recurring theme here. I’m bad at doing the thing that you’re supposed to just do. I’m certainly better than I was when this blog started – by leaps and bounds. I still need to set myself up for success, and the Owala FreeSip is getting me closer.

Over the years I’ve tried – and shared here, on this blog, a few different water bottles I’ve tried and liked. They’ve all helped, but they haven’t been my version of perfect. (Previous posts on the matter: previous posts on the matter: Contigo Chill, PSA: Drink More Water!)

Quick Aside:

Did you know that cats can be finicky about water? It isn’t their fault, it is evolutionary biology. It’s why so many of them are drawn to running faucets. Over time, they’ve come to understand that running/moving water = safe(r) and therefore more appetizing water, and it is why cat drinking fountains are so successful – because it tricks them into drinking more.

The Common Flaw Lies in the Straw (or lack thereof, or mouthpiece)

I like the convenience of a straw. In general, I find I drink more water if it is in a vessel with a straw. I don’t know why this is; I speculate that there’s a mindlessness in execution that appeals to me on a subconscious level. That was a long way to write, “I’m lazy.”

However, most water bottles with a straw or similar functionality are atrocious to clean. Sure, you can pop the straw itself off, but the mouthpiece? I mean, sure, you can, but its surgery.

If I can’t easily take care of it, I don’t need it. So, most of the time I want a straw, and I don’t want cleaning it to be a nightmare.

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Brands Going Out of Business Since 2020

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Since I’ve been more-or-less off the beauty reservation for a while, I missed a LOT of news about brands going out of business since 2020. As in, I had no idea that as many brands closed down in the past two years.

Here’s a summary of companies that have closed since the start of the pandemic. We’ll address the timing, too – because there’s a myth that the pandemic caused these closures.

Clarisonic

During the lockdowns of 2020, I wrote about Clarisonic’s sudden shutter because, well, I was a customer. Although my opinion of how it was handled remains the same, I’ve come to think that the end-result isn’t a bad thing. After all, even if I really liked the product, it’s now not as easy to spend money on disposable plastic and e-waste, right? Net positive for the planet.

But it isn’t just Clarisonic.

Coastal Scents

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Why I Quit Buying Dry Shampoo

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Somehow, I forgot to mention in this post that I quit buying dry shampoo. That doesn’t mean I wash my hair every day – which is both time consuming and often times too much for our hair and scalp.

Why I Quit Buying Dry Shampoo

I’ve used several dry shampoo products in the past that I’ve enjoyed. Unfortunately, my favorites were discontinued or changed to be a totally different product with the same name (such is my shitty superpower).

After trying a couple others that either met my low-or-no fragrance requirement but not my effectiveness requirement, or were effective in absorbing oil but choked me with fragrance (looking at you, special edition Grapefruit Mimosa Drybar Detox!), I was fed up.

Unfortunately, dry shampoo is one of those things that I can’t just push myself to use up if it is overly fragrant; it’ll make me sick smelling it all day.

What I Do Instead

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Checking In: Billie Razors

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Billie Razors

Several years ago, I switched from Gillette razor products to Billie Razors. But it’s time to revisit!

Do I Still Use Billie Razors?

I do! Now that I’ve concluded my laser treatment, though, I go through blades extremely slowly. When I say extremely slowly, I mean I haven’t had blades shipped to me since April 2021 I was already going through them slowly back then and had several on hand. That April 2021 shipment gave me four more and I’ve just been working off that stockpile.

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