Beauty’s middle path

Taking on the clean beauty vs pharma skincare debate, this columnist makes a case for having the best of both

This month, I felt like a celebrity after discovering a Reddit thread about myself. ‘What’s the tea on Vasudha Rai?’ someone asked. In the comments there was a discussion about why — after talking about wellness and natural remedies — would I make the switch to tretinoin, a prescription-strength retinol? It’s a question that highlights our highly-polarised digital landscape, which leaves little room for transformation. In my opinion it would be most unfortunate to be rigid, especially in beauty routines, which must evolve in order to be effective. Also, why should we paint ourselves into a corner and prevent ourselves from enjoying the current beauty boom? Today, we’re blending ancient herbs with scientific formulations, rediscovering old tools, while also bringing doctor’s office treatments into our homes. Cosmetic aisles are bursting with green beauty products, cosmeceuticals, high-end luxuries, budget buys, DIYs, collagen powders, LED masks, micro-current tools, traditional massagers — all a blend of the old and new. So why settle for one thing when we can have it all?