Is 'green juice' skincare dead? Meet the new 'anti-wellness' beauty brands for party people.

In a world that is irrevocably consumed by all things wellness (see: 'that girl' trend and 'clean girl' beauty), there appears to be a giant shift taking place in the beauty scene. Put simply, an 'anti-wellness' movement is on the rise, and it's fuelled by skincare brands wanting to flip the switch.

Off the back of Y2k beauty trend solidified by the current obsession with everything from the early 2000s — grungy eye makeup, heavy liner, smudgy 'morning after' makeup, messy hair — it looks like the rise of the 'party girl' aesthetic is officially moving into our skincare cabinets.

And this movement is prompting a wave of trending beauty brands promoting a less regimented style that doesn't involve 5am wake-ups, green juices, journalling and yoga twice a day.

Thank. Goodness.

Watch: Wanna learn how to do a smokey eye? Makeup Artist Natalie Wright teaches us her techniques for a smokey eye with a twist... there's no black eyeshadow in sight. Post continues below.

As put by the popular trend forecasting TikTok account @digifairy, we're currently in the midst of something described as "the indie sleazification of skincare." 

And honestly, we're here for it.

Just take a look at this:

@thedigifairy The indie sleazification of skincare 🍝#4am#badhabits#cerave#emmachamberlain#2022trends@badhabitbeauty #indiesleaze#beautytrends#thatgirl ♬ Pretty - Coco & Clair Clair

Interesting, right? 

As @digifairy explained, the focus is on "living less-rigid lifestyles," including "drinking and staying out all night, and eating food that's not 'healthy'."

A great example of this is the US beauty brand 4am — a tight, no-fuss skincare range that leans into nightlife and minimalism as the crux of their inspiration.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by 4AM (@4amskin)

On the 4am website, it puts it like this: "Grueling work schedules, glaring iPhone screens, and sleepless nights aren’t going away anytime soon. Time is our most precious commodity, but most multi-step skincare routines would make it seem otherwise."

"We're not here to fix your bad habits, we're here to help your skin avoid the consequences of them. A better routine is here."  

The brand features two serums — Rise (an antioxidant-rich formula for the AM) and Rest (a vitamin B booster for the PM) — as well as reusable silicone Overtime Undereye Masks for 'late nights and early mornings'. And... that's it. 

It essentially encompasses the idea that skincare routines should be simple and low-maintenance.

The skincare line Bad Habit Beauty takes a similar approach — it's based on the idea of taking care of your skin co-existing with 'bad habits'.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Bad Habit (@badhabitbeauty)

The brand describes itself as, "Skincare that’s good to your skin, even when you’re not."

"Our proven ingredients, functional fragrances, and sensorial textures work together to give your skin the good it needs to cancel out all your bad habits."

And these kinds of brands are hitting peak popularity because they feel authentic and relatable. 

They understand that while you might like to dabble in viral skincare trends and new products, day-to-day you're not down for putting in a huge amount of effort. 

People are deciding not to spend an entire hour every morning slapping on a full face of makeup. They're sick of that s**t.

So, instead of bringing more products to your skincare cabinets, this kind of movement is encouraging you to pare it back with a 'less is more' routine.

It's uncomplicated. Effective. And can fit into any lifestyle.

And look, skin minimalism (or 'skinimalism') isn't anything new — it's been something that has been trending for a while now, especially with the rise of simple, pared-back routines and affordable 'unsexy' skincare brands you can pick up at the chemist.

Nonetheless, it's interesting to see just how much the beauty industry has continued to change over recent years. 

This shift seems to reflect the shared realisation that the Internet's obsession with 'striving for better health' is exhausting. Toxic. Unattainable.

No one wants to be told they're "not doing enough" — and that's largely at the core of a lot of these popular 'green juice' skincare and wellness brands.

The bottom line is we all Iive our lives differently, and our individual health, our devotion to 'wellness' and our skincare routines shouldn't be a competition or a comparison. 

Refreshingly, these kinds of brands realise that.

Want to hear more from Erin Docherty? Follow her on Instagram.

We want to hear your thoughts! What do you think of 'anti-wellness' beauty and the low-maintenance approach to skincare? Share with us in the comment section below.

Feature image: Instagram; @4amskin/@izzyrobertti.