LESS CONTENT, MORE LIFE

2026 IS ALL ABOUT SLOWER, SIMPLER, BETTER. KEEP READING TO FIND OUT WHY PEOPLE ARE RETURNING BACK TO BASICS IN ALL ASPECTS OF LIFE.

- BY PRIYANKA ACHARYA

Influencers are returning to photos after burning themselves out churning out Reels. “Baddies” and Bollywood stars are dissolving their face filler. The full beat has been replaced with the clean girl aesthetic. Single people are deleting dating apps, ready to make connections face to face. Gen Alpha kids are embracing dumb phones and digital cameras, nostalgic for a time they never knew.

It’s clear that one of the themes for 2026 is a return to basics. Whether it’s beauty, technology, or how we interact with each other, people seem to be yearning for simplicity, privacy, and authenticity.

I might be biased in forecasting this as a trend, because it aligns neatly with my personal philosophy. When I compare my current habits to my pre-pandemic lifestyle, the change is drastic. Back then, I was the ideal target audience for beauty marketing: makeup tutorial videos sent me scouring e-commerce sites for products, or using my husband and parents as mules for bringing back hauls from abroad that I couldn't source locally. I tried undereye filler, and went back twice more to dissolve and refill until the quantity was just right. I patronised fast-fashion sites with no concerns for the quality of the clothing, only excitement that they fit me after losing the weight from back-to-back pregnancies.