VISAGE DAILY
Dear Disruptors 😎
We believe beauty, fashion, and lifestyle are not performances or trends, but rituals, identities, and cultural languages. Our mission is to explore these domains as forces of self-expression, ethics, inclusivity, and emotional truth.
We share stories which elevates everyday practices into meaningful narratives, rooted in care for people, culture, and the planet.
Let’s dive in.
FASHION
Materials Shaping The Future of Fashion
Key Points:
Fashion is constantly searching for newer materials that reduce pressure on natural resources, create less waste, and cut dependence on petroleum-based synthetic fibres.
Latest innovations don't just include fibers but span the entire production chain, from plant-based dyes and room-temperature dyeing technology to PFAS-free waterproof finishes, and bio-based leather tanning.
The goal is to create materials that are more sustainable, easier to recycle or biodegrade, without compromising performance and durability.
Sustainability claims by brands are not always third-party verified, making it important to look beyond greenwashing and examine the evidence.
Details:
Brazil’s rainforest leaves and skin of Amazon's pirarucu fish are turned into leather alternatives.
They utilize food waste and avoid chromium and other heavy metals used in conventional leather tanning processes.
Used in luxury bags, shoes, belts, clothing, and interiors; commercially used by Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana, and Brazil’s Osklen.
French BioFluff converts plant fibers from hemp, nettle, and flax into plant-based fur, Savian.
Alternative to animal and petroleum-based faux fur; biodegradable and microplastic-free.
Featured in collections by Stella McCartney, Ganni, and Louis Vuitton.
Applications include coats, outerwear, accessories, plush, and children's products.
US-based Keel Labs turns farmed seaweed into textile fiber, Kelsun.
Used in knitwear, shirts, beachwear, and other apparel; commercially adopted by Stella McCartney, H&M, and Outerknown.
100% biodegradable but blending it with synthetic fibres compromise biodegradability and recyclability.
Sugarcane’s sugar is fermented and converted into PLA, a plant-derived bioplastic that can be spun into textile fibers.
Japan's Bioworks adds a plant-based additive to PLA to create PlaX, improving its durability and heat resistance.
Used in tops, bodywear, socks, knitwear, innerwear, and fleece outerwear.
Used by The North Face, Neutralworks, Seivson, and Japanese fashion brands.
Uses around 90% less water than cotton in production, but its biodegradability is compromised when blended with other fibers.
Why It Matters: Innovation alone doesn’t make a material sustainable. Its environmental impact depends on which existing textile problem it solves, how it is produced and scaled, how long it lasts, and what happens to it when it is discarded. For consumers, the interesting shift is not simply seeing new materials at trade shows or on runways, but watching which ones make the jump from innovation to everyday clothing. Read our previous coverage for more nature-derived fibres.
BEAUTY
Dry Brushing Your Way to Beautiful Skin. Really?
Photo by Content Pixie on Unsplash
Key Points:
Dry brushing is a skincare ritual that involves sweeping a stiff, natural-bristle brush across dry skin all over the body before showering.
It is claimed to smooth and soften skin, boost blood circulation, drain toxins, reduce cellulites, and promote lymphatic drainage - the clearing of excess fluid from body tissues.
Popularized through wellness brands, spa menus, and celebrity routines, the practice has become a mainstream modern self-care ritual.
Beyond mechanical exfoliation, most of its claims lack scientific evidence.
Done aggressively or too often, it can worsen dryness and irritation, cause micro-tears, and increase stinging when applying skincare products.
Details:
Dry brushing is often confused with Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD), a clinical massage technique performed by trained therapists to help patients with swelling, but a consumer brush is a different intervention with no equivalent evidence base.
The “detox” claim is biologically impossible. Your liver and kidneys handle removing wastes and toxins from the body, and a brush can not alter their workload in any measurable way.
Cellulite is the dimpled, lumpy appearance of skin, usually on the thighs and buttocks, a structural issue no surface brush can address, and any temporary smoothing simply reflects increased blood flow.
Its clearest benefit is physically removing dead skin cells, which can temporarily make the skin feel smoother.
People with eczema, acne, contact dermatitis, or broken skin should avoid it entirely, as it can trigger flare-ups and delay recovery.
Why It Matters: Wellness marketing often turns a pleasant sensory experience into a medical promise. If smoother skin is your goal, chemical exfoliants provide better results backed by scientific evidence. AHAs such as glycolic or lactic acid improve texture and tone, and BHAs such as salicylic acid clear congested pores. If lymphatic health or cellulite is your concern, seek medical advice and proven clinical treatments. The promise of dry brushing comes in spa-marketing terms, while its actual benefits are less than modest.
LIFESTYLE
“Cutting Jelly”: The Truth Behind “Korean Ozempic”
Key Points:
“Cutting Jelly” is a Korean supplement sold as jelly sticks, with companies using varying blends of fibre, fruit extracts, and plant compounds.
It is marketed for weight management, with claims of curbing cravings, giving a feel of fullness, supporting fat loss, and improving digestion.
Kylie Jenner made it viral, claiming it curbed her snacking and eased bloating, earning it the social media nickname “Korean Ozempic”.
Several formulas are also marketed as “carb blockers”, claiming their ingredients stop the body from converting excess carbohydrate into stored fat.
Clinical evidence for “Cutting Jelly” is limited, while studies of its individual ingredients do not show strong evidence that they produce meaningful, sustained fat loss.
Details:
A popular ingredient used in “Cutting Jelly” is Garcinia Cambogia, a fruit whose rind contains hydroxycitric acid (HCA) which interferes with the conversion of unused carbohydrates into fat.
Research shows hydroxycitric acid (HCA):
Does not stop carbohydrates from being digested or absorbed by the body so it can't block all excess carbs from becoming fat.
Produces minimal to no weight-loss effect.
Produced a small average extra weight loss of 0.88 kg over 2 to 12 weeks, but it wasn't lasting or reliable.
Cutting Jelly contains soluble fibres that absorb water and form a gel-like bulk in the digestive system, which can increase feeling of fullness and potentially help reduce food intake.
Experts maintain the “Korean Ozempic” comparison is misleading as Ozempic is a regulator-approved prescription medicine, while Cutting Jelly is a dietary supplement without comparable clinical evidence for weight loss.
Cutting Jelly may help with weight loss by replacing higher-calorie snacks with a lower-calorie option, reducing overall calorie intake.
Why It Matters: Cutting Jelly’s marketing claims sound more convincing than the science behind them. Labeled as a Korean version of Ozempic, it borrows the drug's reputation, though it works nothing like it. “Food noise,” “fat burn,” and “carb-blocking” are hyped phrases that lack scientific evidence and fit into quick-fix diet culture. For nutrition advice, trust professionals, not influencers who may not understand the science behind the product. Any meaningful weight loss from Cutting Jelly ultimately depends on whether it helps you consume fewer calories over time, not on the jelly itself acting as a powerful fat-burning treatment.
Until next week,
Visage Daily