Back in the day, stores used to be…well, stores. Where you’d just shop (and make a beeline away from employees asking if you need any help).
Recently, however, your fave beauty boutiques have become more social—hosting events, panels, and IRL demonstrations. And buying beauty products has become more of a wellness hybrid, in which there’s an ongoing conversation among women about which serums to purchase, the best ingestibles for glowy skin, and how to execute the perfect glossy lids.
Welcome to the era of the clean beauty hangout.
One of the early adopters of this 360-degree store-slash-education-center was CAP Beauty, the charming boutique tucked away in New York City’s West Village (which has since opened shop in Los Angeles). The store regularly holds talks with wellness experts on everything from the skin’s microbiome to why you should be getting colonics.
“We hold events at CAP to broaden our reach and share the power of naturals with as many as possible,” says Kerrilynn Pamer, co-founder of CAP. “We have access to such an amazing group of experts and love to share their knowledge with our beautiful crew. This is our way of giving back and creating a strong, intelligent and engaged community.”
“We hold events at CAP to broaden our reach and share the power of naturals with as many as possible.”
NYC is also home to the upcoming Sacred Beauty Collective (which starts April 5) launched by celebrity makeup artist Rebecca Casciano. It’s a six-month long program that gathers women and aligns with all sorts of experts to explore the different aspects of beauty, from nourishment to movement. (In the past this group has even held its meetings at Follain, which is the clean-beauty storefront created by Tara Foley). If you’re not local, you can even stream the session online.
“As a wellness coach and someone who has struggled with skin issues, I’ve discovered that true beauty comes from within and is much more about how we feel than how we look,” says Casciano. “I’m passionate about gathering women together because I truly believe we need sisterhood in our lives.”
Over on the West Coast, non-toxic beauty shop The Detox Market does a similar thing: hosting discussions with clean brands on finding authenticity or naturopathic consultations. “Events are a big part of The Detox Market’s DNA,” says Romain Gaillard, founder and CEO of the store. “Since our first store in 2010, our goal was to create a community for green beauty and wellness. In-store events are the ultimate bridge between our brands and customers.”
And Credo Beauty, which has locations in California, New York, and in between (think Dallas and Chicago), holds talks with beauty founders on things like makeup tips to enhance your best features.
It’s a new era of retail, and one that helps to bring the beauty bottle to life. So perhaps instead of your next barre and then brunch, your women’s circle’s next destination can be all about beauty (sounds good to me).
If you’re looking to shop, here are 9 game-changing acne-fighting face masks and some non-toxic beauty deals at Ulta.
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