SKINIMALISM // Less is more

“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of anything that distracts us from it.” – Joshua Becker

Undeniable shifts are happening in most of our lives right now. I believe that more than ever people are asking themselves what truly matters. With more time being spent at home, and less time spent out – I think a lot of people are looking at their time and spending with a different set of eyes. I know we are. 

When we started Nucifera we were inspired by the notion of less is more. I wrote a book called Coconut Kitchen that used one ingredient for a variety of easy to execute recipes. This was a bit of a wakeup call for me. With a background in food as health and healing I've always had people ask me what they should eat – and I've always been appalled by how complicated the world makes it. Time and time again I've said to keep it simple. Eat foods that are in their original package. Drink water with lemon. Move more. And ultimately, to achieve better health – step away from your obsession with food.

K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid)

This philosophy can applied to all aspects of our lives. From this perspective I've realized that less is actually a form of empowerment. I never saw it as trendy, or a phrase to be coined – I just started to do the math for myself and move away from consumption as a form of evolving myself. It's not a matter of not liking nice things – but asking yourself why you are purchasing something is a really big deal.

Nobody needs ten different beauty products to get out the door and 'shelfies' are really just glaring evidence of all the product and packaging waste we are creating. The skincare industry is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to unnecessary packaging that will eventually end up in a land fill or the ocean. Much of the plastic components being made are actually too small to be processed at most recycling facilities. No brand is perfect, but we all need to do our part to try to change the image and expectations of what skincare products should be.

When I shifted my focus to skincare, it was completely out of necessity. I couldn't find something to satisfy my own skin issues, and I truly wasn't interested in buying things for their shelf appeal. (You do know you're paying for that custom packaging right?) If that's important to you, then great. If it isn't, then you can most certainly seek alternatives. What started as a project in our kitchen turned into what Nucifera is today – and as we grow so does our commitment to creating a brand that has low impact and keeps things simple. 

There is a new hashtag floating around the beauty conversation – #skinimalism. We love this hashtag because it very simply captures the core of our intentions with Nucifera. Skinimalism means less product, less time, less waste, less money.., basically less everything. It means embracing your natural beauty and your imperfections and accepting who you are. You don't need to channel some unobtainable form of perfection to be happy.

We live in a culture that is constantly telling us we need more to make our lives better. The beauty industry is one of the biggest offenders with all the multi-product, multi-step programs (now rebranded as 'rituals') to help you look your best.

This is really no different than the beauty industry of our parents – only now it's powered by social media and there's an underlying current of righteousness to go with it. A few years ago there was no advertising on social media. No Instagram unboxing stories, no fancy filters, etc. Now, it's everywhere. Even your friends are selling you things. 

All of this is building up to a crescendo that we hope more and more of us are feeling. This simply isn't sustainable. For us – or our planet.

We need less... NOW!