Feel like you’re spending more time than ever chasing that ever-elusive glow? It’s not just in your head. Women now dedicate an average of 22.4 minutes a day to their skincare routines – amounting to over 136 hours a year.
Driven by a global skincare market that’s ballooned to a staggering $162 billion, online searches for glow-related skin terms have climbed 43% year on year and social conversations about achieving glow fast have surged by 375%. Because apparently, we need our glow yesterday. In fact, 74% of women are powering through multi-step routines before they’ve even had their coffee.
It’s a lot. But into all of the makeover madness, ASICS has dropped a refreshingly simple reality check: you can cool it on the expensive serums (just a little), because the original glow-up has always been free.
The sports brand has just launched Get the Glow, its first-ever campaign to feature real, unfiltered, post-exercise faces. No colour grading, carefully selected lighting or retouching. Just real people – including ASICS athletes – photographed moments after a run, a walk, a game or a workout, looking exactly how movement makes you feel: brighter, more alive, more yourself.
It’s a bold challenge to an industry built on selling us the next best thing, posing a question we should all consider: what if the glow you’ve been chasing was already yours to access, for free, in just 15 minutes?
The 15-Minute Trick That Beats A 10-Step Routine
ASICS’s own research has found that just 15 minutes of movement can help lift your mood and positively impact mental wellbeing. This leaves people feeling more confident, more positive and, yes, noticeably more radiant. The glow, it turns out, isn’t something you apply. It’s something you feel.
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Why We’re Totally Backing This
“ASICS was founded on the belief that when you move your body, you move your mind. Long before the beauty industry was bottling glow, people were achieving it naturally through movement. In a culture where glow is often manufactured, we want to spotlight something real. The most meaningful glow starts on the inside through movement,” says Gary Raucher, Global Head of Marketing at ASICS.
Professional tennis player Zeynep Sönmez is also featured in the campaign, and she totally echoes that feeling. “I love how I feel after playing tennis and moving my body,” Sönmez says. “Sport has always been a huge part of my life, and I’ve been drawn to tennis ever since I was a child. I’m so excited to work with ASICS on this initiative because I truly believe that movement has the power to uplift you and help you glow from within. I’m passionate about sharing that message and inspiring others to experience it for themselves.”
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That’s the thing about a post-workout glow. It’s written all over your face and you can’t fake it. Brighter eyes. Lifted expression. The particular kind of confidence that only comes from doing something hard and finishing it anyway. Get the Glow isn’t telling you to throw out your skincare shelf (we certainly wouldn’t dare). It’s making the case that movement isn’t just a fitness habit – it’s one of the most accessible mental well-being tools you’ve got at your disposal.
