Why This Clean Beauty Icon Thinks About "Skin Situations" Over Skin Types

"Beauty is about taking care of you," says Brook Harvey Taylor, founder of Pacifica Beauty. Harvey Taylor joins me on this episode of Clean Beauty School, where we talk about what clean ingredients mean to her, what we can learn from the next generation of beauty fans, and the importance of making clean beauty more accessible to a wider audience. 

"My skin care routine is not earth-shattering. I drink water and care for my skin according to its daily needs," says Harvey Taylor. "I really believe that skin care is not just about skin type. I think it's about skin situations, whether that be stress, environmental factors, or whatever's happening to your skin. I think cocktailing your skin care products to address what it needs that day and mixing it up is really important." 

We often talk about being mindful with your daily beauty practices: It's the difference between being proactive and nurturing and reactive and aggressive. I love Harvey Taylor's reframe of this as "skin situations" rather than type. It frees you from thinking that because you have "oily skin" you should only be using alpha-hydroxy acid face washes or gel lotions—when sometimes a deeply hydrating face mask is what your skin is craving. Check in with your complexion, and take it day by day.