Spa & Wellness MexiCaribe 49 Spring 2023

4. WELLNESS + BEAUTY:
FROM 'CLEAN' TO BIOTECH BEAUTY
BY JESSICA SMITH
In beauty, there is a shift towards science-based products and
solutions with consumer awareness of ingredients, effectiveness, and
the impact of beauty products on wellbeing. Ingredient formulations
now include pharmaceutical-grade substances, such as hypochlorous
acid, a molecule found in white blood cells that activates the immune
system’s ability to heal itself, improving the skin's moisture barrier
when applied topically.
By the 2030s, biome-kind beauty will end the 'natural versus science'
debate, as skin-natural ingredients are shown to be more natural
to the skin than nature-derived ingredients. Research in topical
probiotics suggests that beauty products may have the potential to
be used in conjunction with traditional medicine.
At the Babraham Institute, researchers restored the skin cells of a
53-year-old woman to match the profile of a 30-year-old. Jasmina
Aganovic, CEO of Arcaea, is exploring how proteins can alter the
shape of hair, imagine shampoos that create waves, curls or straight
hair, and sunscreens that can make skin more resistant to UVA and
UVB rays.
The demand for planetary-conscious beauty products is rising;
according to Shopify, 63% of consumers are more likely to recommend
a product if they believe it is less harmful to the environment.
5. WELLNESS + CITIES:
URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE JUST MIGHT SAVE CITIES
BY ROBBIE HAMMOND AND OMAR TORO-VACA
Post-pandemic travelers are ready for adventure and Cities across the
globe are at an inflection point; widespread decline in people’s health
and the overall decrease in healthcare quality have exacerbated an
economic crisis that is most sharply seen in cities. However, some
cities and businesses have discovered a solution: building wellness
into their infrastructure to address social, mental, and physical health.
The American Planning Association now advocates encompassing
wellness principles like community, belonging and resilience.
Successful economies are reorienting toward urban wellness
infrastructure, building a more resilient and more vibrant vision of
what a city can be. Healthy communities make prosperous cities
and research shows the strong relationship between the health of a
population and the strength of the economy.
A new vision of wellness spills out of the spa and into the streets.
If a wellness center cannot be reached by public transit, is it really
accessible? If parks and public spaces are made unsafe by crime,
do they serve a wellness purpose? Smart commercial real estate
developers know that wellness is good business for any enterprise
serving the public, from shopping centers to hotels to museums.
The High Line’s creators formed the High Line Network, which has
helped fuel more than 60 adaptive reuse projects across the Americas,
including La Mexicana Park in Mexico City.
www.spawellnessmexico.com 17
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