Parasol Island – Integrated Digital Studio

Adam de Cruz is founder of beauty brand A.D.C. Beauty and one of the thinkers behind the idea of minimalist beauty. He still works as a make-up artist and is a regular part of fashion and beauty productions for titles like Vogue, Elle and Glamour. His client list features big names like Mary J Blige,
Mariah Carey and Alicia Keys. We chatted to Adam about the current state of the beauty industry.

How do you reach your target audience?
My target audience are people who are savvy. People who are timepoor. They want something simple, easy – something that works for people who still want a little luxury, while doing their bit for the environment.

What are your next plans to expand with the brand?
We are currently working on a cleanser and will continue to build the brand with a tight edit of high-performance products.

What are other beauty brands to watch and why?
Currently I am loving (M)anasi 7. It’s a fantastic sustainable make-up brand – beautiful products with the most gorgeous packaging and design.

Many beauty products still come in traditional packaging. What are the next steps to establish sustainable packaging?
We use paper that has been made out of recycled coffee cups, so that bottles don’t break during transportation. However, we are now looking at ways to eliminate all secondary packaging, thus saving on more waste. I think more and more organic brands are looking into sustainable, recyclable packaging and we’re seeing some great innovations coming into the marketplace, which will allow us to continue to evolve and stay ahead of the curve.

Gen Z doesn’t respond to classical beauty marketing. How can a brand reach them?
Instagram and word of mouth – there is nothing more powerful than peer-to-peer recommendations.

Is the Korean beauty market ahead of the rest of the world?
I love to watch the Korean beauty brands because it’s interesting to see what else we do not need – as much as the packaging is gorgeous and they come out with even more steps to use in your routine. There is one brand that has 11 steps in your routine. Double cleanse, toner, face softener, mask, then depending on your skin, three to four different se-
rums to be layered before applying your moisturiser and eye cream. This is simply not sustainable for our skin or the environment.

It seems connecting inner and outer beauty is an important point for the industry …
Beauty isn’t just skin deep, it is key that we use products that work with and alongside our wider lifestyles.

The beauty market for men is growing. What will we see in the next years?
The acceptance of men wearing make-up. There are already some great make-up brands specifically for guys coming out on the market, like Shakeup.

Who is your current icon when it comes to beauty and looks?
Erin O’Connor – I adore her, and have the pleasure of working with her.

What can the beauty industry do to make the world better?
Stop insane fads and stop making us buy things we don’t need. Antiageing? Everyone is going to age, it’s about slowing down the process or making you look good and feel the best you can at whatever age you are. All this noise just confuses people.

The beauty industry currently works by targeting your insecurities, it needs to send out more positive messages.