There has been a movement of late toward ‘handcrafted’, ‘all-natural’, ‘small batch’, ‘artisanal’ and ‘hand-made’. Whether it’s cosmetics, food or beverages, the implication is that these products are somehow superior or safer for you to consume. While this may very well be the case in some instances, it’s not always true.
When it comes to handcrafted skin care products, you may want to consider a few things before you jump on the bandwagon.
Where Was The Small Batch Product Produced? While there is nothing inherently wrong with whipping things up in your kitchen, a kitchen is quite different to a dedicated manufacturing facility. Labs that produce cosmetics for retail purposes (or commercial kitchens that prepare food) are often government inspected and must prove that they follow stringent protocols to ensure the safety of the end product. Wiping down the counter with rubbing alcohol isn’t good enough!
Quality Control. Can you guarantee that each batch is the same? A solid formulation, proper equipment and knowledge regarding ingredient sourcing help to ensure that the tenth batch is the same as the first one. If policies and procedures aren’t adhered to, there is no way to guarantee that every batch will be the same.
Contamination/Safety. Whether from unhygienic equipment or surfaces; tainted ingredients or improper preservation, there is always the risk for contamination. While this is true even for experienced producers, the chances of contamination increase with individuals who are less experienced. Contaminated skin care products not only smell and look bad, they may also contain bacteria, mold or fungi, making them downright dangerous to apply to your skin. Preservative free products sitting out in the sun all day? Um, no thanks!
Elegance. Otherwise known as a pleasing texture, small batch cosmetics often feel thick, heavy and greasy. Not always, but in general, I have not been impressed by products whipped up by home crafters. I’m not sure whether it’s inexperience, the choice of ingredients or lack of proper equipment that leads to this, but if it doesn’t feel good on my skin, I’m not going to use it. No matter how safe it claims to be.
Efficacy. Many handcrafted skin care lines focus on being ‘natural’. Natural isn’t a regulated word so it can mean anything. Yes, it may be safe, but is it really doing anything for your skin? Before you believe the claims, check out the ingredient list to make sure you’re getting what you’re paying for.
I love summer with its many outdoor events including festivals and markets and I always have a blast checking out local vendors who often set up stalls. Whether it’s beautiful jewelry, pottery, or decadent desserts, I love to wander and sample – it’s exciting to discover something new and feels good to support a small, local business if I can. I like to peruse handcrafted skin care products as well, but I’m very cautious about what I purchase because I understand the process behind creating safe and effective products. I hope that this post has helped you too.
A skincare routine that only "works" but feels like a chore rarely lasts.
The ones that stick tend to be the ones that feel like something worth doing, not just another task squeezed in before bed. That's not about adding candles and playlists to what you already do — it's about choosing a routine simple and pleasant enough that showing up for it feels effortless.
Why Does Enjoying Your Routine Matter for Results?
Consistency is what actually delivers results, and consistency is much easier when a routine feels good to do.
A routine that feels rushed, complicated, or unpleasant gets skipped on tired nights — and tired nights are exactly when skin needs support the most. A routine that feels good to complete gets done anyway, which is what actually compounds into visible results over time.
What Makes a Routine Feel Like Self-Care Instead of a Chore?
It usually comes down to fewer steps done well, rather than more steps rushed through.
Products with a texture you enjoy. A face oil that feels luxurious to press in, or a serum with a texture you look forward to, makes the few minutes spent on it feel worthwhile rather than transactional.
A short enough routine to actually savor. A five-step routine gives you time to notice how each product feels. A ten-step routine rarely allows that same pace.
A moment built into the process, not added onto it. Pressing a face oil into slightly damp skin, or taking an extra few seconds during cleansing, turns a functional step into a small, grounding pause in the day.
How Can You Turn an Existing Routine Into Something You Look Forward To?
Small shifts in how you use your products matter more than adding new ones.
Slow down one step, rather than rushing through all of them. Applying face oil with intention, for example, takes the same few seconds but feels entirely different.
Notice the sensory details — scent, texture, how a product feels absorbing into skin — rather than treating each step as purely functional.
Keep the routine short enough to actually enjoy, since a rushed ten-step process rarely feels like self-care, no matter how good the products are.
FAQ
Does enjoying your skincare routine actually improve results?
Indirectly, yes. A routine you enjoy is one you're more likely to complete consistently, and consistency is one of the biggest factors in whether a skincare routine delivers visible results over time.
Do you need a long routine for it to feel like self-care?
No. A shorter, well-chosen routine often allows more time to actually notice and enjoy each step, compared to a long routine that gets rushed through out of necessity.
What's a simple way to make an existing routine feel more intentional?
Slowing down just one step — like taking a moment to press in a face oil rather than rushing it on — can shift a routine from feeling purely functional to something that feels like a small pause in your day.
Why do complicated routines get abandoned more easily?
A routine with many steps takes more time and effort to complete, which makes it more likely to be skipped on busy or tired days — exactly the days skin often needs consistent care the most.
If your routine has started to feel like a task on a checklist rather than something you look forward to, simplifying it might bring the enjoyment back.
Marula Face Oil is often the easiest step to slow down and savor, since a few pressed-in drops take seconds but feel like more.
Related Reading
Skincare is Self Care. Make it a Ritual.
Curious About How to Use a Face Oil? 4 Tips
The One Skincare Habit That Matters More Than Any Product
Using the same moisturizer on your eye area that you use on the rest of your face isn't wrong exactly, but it's leaving results on the table. The short answer: skin around the eyes is up to 40% thinner than the rest of your face, moves constantly through expression, and shows the earliest signs of aging as a result, which is why it benefits from a formula built specifically for its structure rather than a general face product applied a little more carefully.
Our Glow Getter 3 combines all three, alongside vitamin E, which helps stabilize the vitamin C forms and contributes its own antioxidant protection. The result is broader, more consistent free-radical defense without asking one unstable ingredient to do all the work at a concentration your skin has to tolerate.
This matters even more once your skin barrier is already working harder than it used to. A serum that's gentle enough to use every day, consistently, tends to outperform a stronger one you can only tolerate occasionally.
