A man walks into a beauty bar…Well, you know how it goes (he doesn’t).
I have exactly two steps in my skincare routine every morning. First, splash running water while vehemently rubbing my face with both hands, and second, pat my cold mug with a towel as my wife stares in disbelief. So, when I entered a world of AI-powered Korean beauty and wellness, to say I was out of my element would be an understatement.
“Connected Within” is billed as a journey to connect with yourself, a partnership between Globe Telecom and DAON & Co., which packages wellness into a convergence of science, technology, and rituals.
Through five experiential diagnostic booths that scientifically assess cellular longevity, body sculpting, scalp and sun intelligence, before ending with finding your signature scent, I realized how beauty products and self-care continue to evolve beyond imaginable. This time it finds a new home in an industry where it won’t be anyone’s first guess—telecommunications.
Over the years, the industry has seen what seems like a slew of unlikely dance partners. There was American restaurant chain Applebee’s partnership with a US-based cosmetics brand to launch a chicken wing sauce-flavored lip gloss in 2022, followed three years later by television presenter Guy Fieri when he announced his beauty brand collaboration to coincide with National Lipstick Day.
Even in the realm of gaming and pop culture, a California-based cosmetic brand partnered with Nintendo’s Animal Crossing: New Horizons to release a collection of mini eye shadow palettes, lip tints, blushes, and more, all inspired by the tropical simulation adventure that exploded in popularity in 2020.
Although I am very much aware that my demographic as a typical male in his 30s will not be the main end-user of the service, Globe and DAON’s vision of introducing the next-generation of wellness experiences in the Philippines is truly promising.
Still, as I made my way to the different diagnostic booths, one particular station piqued my interest: scalp intelligence. I have naturally wavy hair, but over the years, I’ve started to notice it’s threatening to wave goodbye. Fearing the natural perils of male-patterned baldness, this was a no-brainer.
The staff explained the concept of “skinification” or the process of providing a face-care treatment to my scalp. Starting with a cleanse, followed by a serum application, then a 30-second massage for circulation, it is said to create a healthier foundation for hair growth.
In between my bouts of relaxation from the massage, what I noticed more is how it made me slow things down by experiencing a typical self-care ritual, while forgetting the science behind it.
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In this demanding, fast-paced world where your daily activity is dictated by the next deliverable, the concession of taking a couple of moments to stay present and connected to yourself seems like a luxury.
In their message, Globe chief marketing officer KD Dizon echoed this sentiment. “Modern wellness is really being able to have self-care in such a day and age where everything is just moving so fast,” she said. “You have to give yourself that pause. Modern wellness is holistic. Being able to function in this hyper-paced world, while still able to take that pause for yourself and your well-being, will allow you to function much better.”
Similarly, Globe customers can also experience this range of wellness benefits with exclusive self-care perks, skincare masterclasses, and personalized beauty experiences inspired by Korean wellness and powered by artificial intelligence. They can access DAON & Co. wellness vouchers through the GlobeOne app.
Evolution of modern wellness
The mentality of slowing things down is a departure from today’s hustle culture and gig economy. In the marketing aspect alone, self-care for men is never packaged as a comforting experience nor a meditative practice. It always anchors on the hyper-scientific and cutting-edge technologies.
From the visuals to the naming conventions, it would always be along the lines of Mach speed, ultra-cooling protection, and overall fixation or the commodification of hypermasculinity. While I won’t dig much deeper into the work of Donald L. Mosher and Mark Sirkin in their study “Measuring a macho personality constellation,” published in 1984, it touches on the concept of the overexaggeration of male stereotypical behavior. The cultural zeitgeist of beauty and wellness among men has always been marketed as overly masculine.
Take, for example, the former ad campaign of Axe Body Spray that depicted thousands of bikini-clad women rushing to one man who sprayed the product on his body. Until finally, the scene reaches a climax with all the women approaching the grinning man until a block of text appears, “Spray More, Get More, the Axe Effect.” Despite being a product of its time, the evolution of beauty and modern wellness away from this narrative treatment is a welcome change.
It varies starkly with the very amusing series of Old Spice commercials back in the 2010s. The lovable and extremely fit actor Terry Crews can be seen popping and exploding out of nowhere in comedic fashion to urge men that smelling good is power. The ad was so successful that it became a cultural phenomenon during the early YouTube craze and has now become an important piece of entertainment. Crews has even expressed his willingness to do it again for free if the brand wants to do another one.
There are far more examples of beauty and wellness’ evolution. Some might even point to its mainstream entry of Korean products through the ‘Hallyu’ or K-Wave, but the idea is far older than any current trend.
Even if we go way back to 3,000 BCE, the Vedas, the sacred religious text of Hinduism, recorded the premise of Ayurveda, a holistic system of medicine in India that strives to create harmony between body, mind and spirit.
By the time I woke up the next morning, I didn’t find myself adopting a new skincare routine. I did challenge myself to embrace a different mindset, far from my bewildered and outdated assumptions of what constituted beauty and wellness.
From expecting to write a piece on Korean beauty products, I was presented an opportunity to ruminate even more on Globe and DAON’s advocacy and giving ourselves the permission to pause as the most important part of self-care.
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