What Is Slow Beauty?

It was 1986. McDonald’s had just opened its 9,007th franchise. This one sat in Rome’s Piazza di Spagna at the base of a staircase built in 1723, adjacent to the home where John Keats died in 1812, overlooking a fountain that was built in 1627. And now the American giant was bringing in fast food for the first time in the country’s history. The irony was not lost on locals.

Moments after opening, a crowd led by journalist Carlo Petrini began chanting, “We don’t want fast food. We want slow food!” It would take a few decades, but the Slow Food movement would eventually take hold as people and companies began to recognize how unhealthy fast food can be for us, for the environment, and for future generations.

In the years following Petrini’s modest uprising, the movement has extended far beyond food. As the planet warms and the Pacific Gyre fills, we have become more educated about the T-shirts, sneakers, fleece pullovers, strapless dresses, underwear, pants, coats, entire wardrobes produced for pennies and casually discarded, ending up in landfills and waterways. We strive to support local designers and those who use sustainable manufacturing techniques and organic fabrics, producing clothing that lasts from one generation to another. And that is how Slow Fashion was born.

This is the next chapter. This is the Slow Beauty movement. It may be decades overdue, but it’s here now. And its goals are ambitious.

As pioneers of the #SlowBeauty movement, Ace of Air is committed to responsible packaging and — this is the key point of difference — reusing our packaging entirely. We don’t believe in overnight miracles. We believe in taking care of your well-being and the health of our planet because we are all connected. That’s what it means to be holistic. That is #SlowBeauty.

Like Slow Food or Slow Fashion, #SlowBeauty is about investing in products that are ethically sourced, manufactured with responsibility, and as good for you as they are for the planet. It is our mission to show the world that thoughtful consumption, with full consideration of our natural resources, benefits us all. #SlowBeauty puts a premium on quality, not immediacy. And we believe that transparency — knowing the source of a brand’s ingredients and materials, and how sustainable their production processes are — is the right place to start.

This mindful and simple approach also helps us remember that we can be using less. Less plastic, less packaging, fewer products. By 2050, our ocean will have more plastic by weight than fish. That is why a major goal of #SlowBeauty is to put an end to unnecessary consumption, packaging, and waste.

Scaling back and cutting down are essential. That means our skincare has to work better. It means instead of needing 12 jars of moisturizers and serums, perhaps we have three. Maybe four. And those three, maybe four, nourish and balance and protect both us and our planet.

Globally, packaging is a multi-billion dollar industry. Producing 120 billion units of packaging a year, and that’s just for beauty products. And only 7–9% of plastic gets recycled. How do you even begin to pare down that plastic footprint? With the first plastic bottle you don’t buy. And then the second…

“This is much more than just improving skin and overall health,” says natural pharmacist David Restrepo. “This is about the rejuvenation of our entire ecosystem.”