What do you get when you mix the clean and serene philosophy of Goop with the skincare expertise (and accessible prices) French pharmacies are celebrated for? Enter Holidermie, a holistic wellness brand founded by Mélanie Huynh, France’s answer to Gwyneth Paltrow (minus the courtroom drama and vagina-scented candles).
While growing up in Paris in a multicultural household – her mother is French and her father is Chinese – Huynh was exposed to a plethora of beauty and wellness philosophies from a young age, something she built upon later over the course of many years spent travelling. After a decade spent styling shoots for French Vogue – during which time she made full use of the beauty cupboard – in 2019 she launched her very own beauty and wellness brand. “Holidermie was born from my desire to share my experiences and beauty rituals acquired over the past 20 years,” she says. “Through my travels, experiences and meetings with the most advanced wellness experts.”
While Huynh, who is a big believer in “wellness from within”, oversees the making of Holidermie products in France (the brand’s signature grape extract is farmed on the family Château in Bordeaux), her brand is very much rooted in ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines. “In my opinion, a cream is not enough,” she says. “Beauty has to be considered as a whole. You can’t work on your beauty rituals without incorporating a notion of physical and psychological wellbeing.”
Below, Huynh breaks down her personal approach to holistic wellness.
Be glass half full
Practise positive thinking and focus on what’s going well rather than what’s not.
Rest is best
Always ensure you get enough sleep. This has an influence on the mind and its ability to concentrate – but also on the skin.
If in doubt, meditate
Practise meditation every day to ground yourself and refocus. Based on breathing and letting go, it helps to counter stress, depression and anxiety.
Be more mindful
Where you can, adopt the “slow living” trend, and approach your day with mindfulness.
If you only wear one thing, make it SPF
Never go out without sun protection (even in winter).
Adapt to the seasons
With each change of season, update your cosmetics protocol. Your skin’s needs are not the same in both hot and cold weather. For example, avoid peels in cold weather, when your skin is very sensitive and vulnerable to thermal shock. The result could be more than disappointing.
Indulge in regular treatments
Where possible, make time for regular facial treatments like a Hydrafacial. Thoroughly cleansing your skin is so important to eliminate impurities and bacteria that builds up.
Experiment with Gandusha
Include the Gandusha ritual in your daily routine. This ancient Ayurvedic oil pulling ritual promises to eliminate bacteria lurking in the mouth – and by extension help to detoxify the lymph nodes, glands and even the skin.
Change up your exercise routine
Adopt different kinds of exercises to allow your body to stay refreshed. I like the balance between gentle practices like yoga and more physical ones like boxing, to sculpt my body and let off steam.
Eat seasonally
Regarding food, the best rule is to follow the seasons: respect and follow what nature brings us. A varied diet is important to ensure a sufficient intake of nutrients and active ingredients. And I have to say, I’m deeply convinced by Jessie Inchauspé’s method.
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