Underconsumption Gets Glamorous: How Gez‑Z’s Project Pan Is Redefining Beauty
A minimalist revolt in skincare is turning waste‑warriors into trend‑setters, and the industry is finally listening.
Project Pan, launched by boutique brand Gez‑Z, challenges beauty lovers to finish every product before buying new ones. The movement taps a growing cultural appetite for underconsumption, especially in the cosmetics arena.
The Challenge That Became a Movement
When Gez‑Z unveiled Project Pan on TikTok last spring, the premise was simple: use up every bottle, tube, and pot in your cabinet before you restock. Glamour reported that the challenge quickly went viral, with thousands of users posting before‑and‑after shelves that looked more like minimalist art installations than the usual cluttered vanity. The brand isn’t just asking consumers to buy less; it’s turning the act of finishing a product into a badge of status.
Skinimalism as the Cultural Bedrock
The zeitgeist behind Project Pan is the skinimalism wave that Hyphen has been chronicling since early 2026. The outlet outlines a three‑step regimen—cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen—as the new holy trinity, arguing that “the fewer the products, the stronger the skin barrier.” Hello Beautiful echoes this, noting that a stripped‑down routine cuts irritation, saves money, and eliminates the dreaded “pilling” that comes from layering too many serums. In other words, the aesthetic of a clean countertop is now a signal of both health and environmental awareness.
Underconsumption‑Core: A Cultural Pivot
Pajiba’s recent think‑piece, Will 2026 Be the Year of Underconsumption‑Core?, argues that the shift isn’t a fleeting TikTok fad but a broader cultural pivot. The article points to a surge in zero‑waste brands, subscription services that send refillable containers, and a rising number of influencers who brag about the number of products they’ve finished rather than the number they’ve opened. Project Pan sits squarely at the intersection of these trends, providing a gamified framework that makes underconsumption feel like a personal achievement.
Why Gez‑Z’s Playbook Works
Gez‑Z, a small Berlin‑based label known for its cruelty‑free formulas, leveraged three levers to make Project Pan stick:
The result? According to Glamour, Gez‑Z saw a 27 % lift in repeat purchases within three months, while average basket size dropped by 15 %—a paradox that proves you can sell less and still grow.
The Bigger Picture
If the underconsumption‑core narrative holds, we may see a re‑calibration of the beauty industry’s growth model. Brands will need to shift from “more is better” to “how well can you make less work for the consumer.” Project Pan is a prototype for that future: a viral, community‑powered, and financially viable blueprint for turning restraint into luxury.
What Comes Next?
Expect to see more brands adopt similar challenges, especially as Gen Z and Millennials continue to prioritize sustainability over conspicuous consumption. The next wave may involve AI‑driven usage trackers that automatically reorder when a product is near empty, turning the finish‑line into a seamless refill experience. Until then, the real luxury will be a vanity that looks like a Zen garden—nothing wasted, everything earned.