Health and beauty UK giant Boots has launched its 2021 Beauty Box, a collection of skincare staples for under half the retail price. With pandemic-era shoppers indulging in skincare rituals as part of self-care, skincare bundles are on track to become an increasingly attractive product.

The social media era has made it easy to discover skincare products, yet while influencers and media outlets champion various high-priced and hard-to-find items, a growing number of TikTok users are turning to their local drugstore. Why are ‘skintellectuals’ snapping everyman brands?

Skincare aficionados may have spent the best part of the 2010s championing K-beauty, but amid the uncertainty of the pandemic, Japanese rituals have gained fresh relevance around the world. How is J-beauty balancing old and new wisdom to meet evolving consumer needs?

As anxieties around COVID-19 have segued into a deeper and more consistent malaise, a longing for simpler times has caused some people to reshape everyday behaviours around comforting goods and long-established rituals. How is this sense of nostalgia impacting beauty and wellness habits?