Are You Buying Skincare to Fix a Problem or to Live Your Values?
As dedicated as I am to natural skincare and my deep love for AYA Balm, running your own business isn't always easy. The truth is, talking about being an entrepreneur is so much more glamorous than it actually is. It’s rarely as alluring as the Instagram quotes make it sound.
During one of the more challenging times, I just thought I couldn't take another day of this. I actively started looking for a part-time, remote job. The idea of a simple hourly rate, a managed and ordered workflow, and a boss whose shoulders bore the weight of all the big, hard, and horrible decisions? It sounded so much more appealing.
I explored this extensively and even tried it out for a while. That brief detour taught me two vital lessons. First, I quickly realised that having a boss is seriously overrated. The true trick to it all was in working on my own "boss" skills - a deep commitment to leadership, self-management and making sure I was, first and foremost, a decent human being to myself and to the magnificent people who work at AYA Natural Skin. The second thing I discovered is that I love to write. Blogging is my happy place.
This, in turn, sent me down the SEO rabbit hole, the language of the internet. On a particular day, inspiration struck as I listened to a brilliant podcast about the intentions behind search terms.
Understanding the Intentional Search for Natural Skincare
I realised that what we all look for on the great wide web when seeking natural skincare differs. We don't just type in product names or uses; we look for so much more. I kept thinking about what it is that we look for and what words we use. Is the choice simply a reflection of our needs (or customer pain point, as marketing professionals like to call it)? Or is it driven by what we believe, what we value, what motivates us towards a better, more ethical existence?
My mind wrestled with this until I came to a clear recognition: it is two-fold. Yes, the search is absolutely about our "pain point"—the solution we need. But it is equally about our values - the ethical, sustainable, or natural foundation on which we require the solution to be built. Understanding and clarifying this dual intention is key, making it much easier for our customers and us at AYA Natural Skin.
My Skin’s Story: The Origin of the Pain Point
In my life, there have been many times when I have struggled with being uncomfortable in my own skin.
Teenage Horrors and Roaccutane
In my teens, I had horrible skin, and the matriarchs in my family were determined to solve this problem. I went through many skincare specialists over the years, and finally went on Roaccutane, where the skin on my feet peeled. I was sure it was the start of a zombie apocalypse in my own body. This should have been my first handbreak and redirect moment.
Corporate Stress and Eczema
Next up was the stress of corporate life in the male-dominated shipping industry. I developed eczema, and it was so outrageous that I would get these huge purple welts under my bra area to the point where I actually couldn't move properly. This felt like the toughest time: I did not feel connected to my work or to myself at all. To say I was deeply unhappy is a gross understatement.
The Final Straw: Pregnancy and Allergy
The final straw in my skin discomfort story was my son's birth. I literally gave birth to a giant: my newborn son was the size of a six-month-old and is now six feet and something tall at fifteen. Being pregnant in my last trimester was challenging; I tore a muscle in my stomach, which was so outrageous. But here is the point, the hospital used a kind of plastic adhesive tape to keep me in place, and my allergy to elastin revealed itself. Interestingly enough, my son also has this. I finally learned my lesson, and my complete commitment to “anything and everything” natural skincare was solidified.
Decoding the Messages Our Skin Sends
This is where the “pain point” comes in, where do we go when we are so uncomfortable in our own skin? How does our skin look and feel? What should we look for?
What I have learnt over the years is that it all starts with you, listening and connecting with yourself deeply. Here are a few of the times when I haven't listened and needed to learn to.
Teenage Skin: When I was a teenager, my parents had a tumultuous relationship, and we were shipped off to boarding school and then shipped back home. The shipping back home came with the wild-and-misspent-youth bit. Coca-Cola was my staple and a whole lot of other things! It wasn't a healthy time, and it wasn't an easy time, and my skin was telling the whole story.
Exzama in the Shipping Industry: My skin went on strike and completely shut down; my whole being expressed itself Behemently in my skin eczema moment and said, "Enough is enough". I can assure you that the copious chocolate, Chicken Licken (still a rare treat), Diet Coke, and general excess did not help.
Finally, I left the industry, went on a holistic health path, extremes can be my thing! Met my lovely husband, had two kids, and finally learnt to listen to my skin through my son, whose skin had plenty to say. Whatever his skin has to say to him is his own journey; what it led to was the creation of AYA Balm and AYA Natural Skin. For that alone, I am always truly grateful.
So when we look at our skin's “pain points”, what are they telling us? What can we change, and where can we shift? Change is rarely simple or easy, but if we can make space to hear ourselves amid the noise of modern life, we can find the words to articulate our skin's needs and create a sense of ease and comfort. Example: Think about how to channel a teen's disruptive, burning energy to ease and calm their skin (this question would be from a parent's perspective). A teen's search would simply be, "How to get clear skin as a teen." They have a different focus, but the ultimate goal is the same: comfort and clear skin (the word healthy would be the parents' add-in).
From Need to Values: The Ethical Foundation
Then, to bring values into the discussion. Unbeknownst to me, I would become a vocal advocate for natural skincare, ready to jump on any soapbox at every opportunity. In hindsight, I would never have tried any of the products or methods suggested to me over the years. They simply do not align with what I believe or what I want for my life.
The Problem with 'Fast Skincare'
Today's skincare industry increasingly resembles the fast-fashion trend cycle. Remaining in this arena is impossible for AYA Natural Skin while staying committed to our natural values and seed-to-skin philosophy. This pervasive "fast skincare" operates in two destructive directions: acceleration toward trends quickly discarded and the ubiquitous use of hidden micro- and liquid plastics.
The beauty and skincare industry is driven by social media influencers, rapid trend cycles and aggressive marketing; products are constantly pushed into the spotlight only to be discarded once the next trend appears. A perfect example of this is the trend of plastic microbeads for “gentle” skin exfoliation. This was a fast skincare solution that proved disastrous for both skin health and the environment. Marketed as gentle exfoliants, these synthetic particles were ineffective at meaningful exfoliation and often clogged pores and disrupted the skin's natural protective barrier. And of course, the damage to the environment from non-biodegradable plastics like polyethene, where billions of tiny microbeads are flushed directly into oceans. These microplastics and liquid plastics are poisoning our marine life and are now found in our food chain. This has led to a move in global legislative bans that hopefully will resolve this wholly unhealthy trend.
Unrealistic Aesthetic Standards
Another real bugbear I have with the concept of fast skincare trend is that it also establishes completely unrealistic and unnatural aesthetic standards, particularly concerning anti-ageing. Learning to love ourselves and our skin where we are is our biggest challenge; rather than embracing ourselves, we are pushed to the constant demand to achieve an impossible "perfect glow" or to erase every line that tells our story. A natural, value-driven brand like AYA is rooted in the belief that skin is a living organ that tells a story, rather than just a facade that must be aggressively smoothed or filled. When the aesthetic goal is unnatural perfection, the resulting demand drives the environmentally destructive practices of fast consumption and reliance on synthetic ingredients.
Our commitment to truly natural, ethical, and simple skincare is a conscious statement against this system. It is a commitment to the long-term health of our customers and the planet, prioritising values and intentionality over ephemeral trends and cheap synthetic shortcuts.
The Dual Intention: Choose Your Words, Define Your Values
The short and disastrous search for a boss led me to find one of my greatest pleasures, writing. But it also created room for me to understand how my own search for ease and comfort in my skin is about the words I choose to use. My discomfort and, at times, pain demanded a solution, and my own stories dictated the value of that solution. In the end, it boils down to the fact that intentionality is everything.
Our pain points, whether the burning energy of a teenager's skin or the deep exhaustion of a parent's challenged parent, will always drive us to search for a solution. Being clear on our actual needs and the values we choose to live by allows us to navigate through the overwhelming, unsustainable, unethical, and “naturally” questionable products. We need to be clear about what the terms "ethical," "sustainable," or "purely natural" mean to us to find our own solution.