Decolonizing Skincare

I first learned about decolonization when I was a senior in high school. I was 18 years old. During this time, I was beginning to understand my identity as a first-generation Mexican-American woman. Frankly, I was lied to my whole life. The history I was previously  taught did not talk about the United States prior to its colonization. I was only taught about the founding fathers, thirteen colonies, manifest destiny, etc. I never learned about indigenous people and their lives. I decided to read about colonization and how it has impacted individuals worldwide. In college, I majored in Latin American Studies because I wanted to get to know more about where I came from and colonization in Latin America. This allowed me to further understand the process of decolonization. 

What is decolonization? Decolonization is the process of withdrawing from ideas, perceptions, and actions instilled by colonization. In this context, colonizers are those individuals who bring the European culture and inflict it on everyone. They assume it’s the only culture that should exist, making us believe we are less attractive, less worthy and use/continue to use stolen resources to their advantage. 

When I began trying different skincare products like face wash in college, I began to question the ingredients in them and who I supported when purchasing these products. I quickly noticed that I had no idea who I purchased from. Did the owners support LGBTQIA rights? Did they support BIPOC? Did they give back to communities or organizations? I did not want to continue supporting large companies that sold their products for profit, and do not give back to the community.

Decolonizing skincare was choosing to build my own brand that aligned with my beliefs as well as creating all-natural products without chemicals. I want to bring awareness to who you support and encourage you to support skincare businesses that align with your beliefs - at Piel de Tierra we are abolitionists, we support LGBTQIA rights, we believe Black Lives Matter, we acknowledge that we are on stolen land and respect it. We do not support ICE, the police, and the prison system. We strive to provide products that can bring you closer to nature and the lands we live on along with showing representation of different skin colors.

Decolonization takes a lot of self-reflection. We have to be willing to learn about what was instilled in us by colonization and be willing to change that. Hopefully, picking up an all natural skincare routine will bring us one step closer to decolonizing our lives.

xx Piel de Tierra