Cleancore (also known as Safetycore or Hygienicore) refers to an aesthetic based around clean objects or objects intended to sanitize. It includes soaps, sponges, and bathtubs, as well as places that may seem to have been recently cleaned. It can be divided into two subaesthetics, each of which looks vastly different - High Cleancore deals with the adult world and products aimed at adults, such as washed-out soaps and sterile hotel rooms, while Low Cleancore deals with products aimed at children, such as bath toys and rubber ducks.
As a continuation of many of its predecessors, Cleancore cynically embraces capitalist imagery, yet at the same time, taps into its anxiety-stricken audience, becoming a particularly popular aesthetic to try and achieve during the COVID-19 pandemic.
High Cleancore[]
High Cleancore takes a more adult approach to the Cleancore aesthetic compared to its sister-aesthetic Low Cleancore. High Cleancore focuses heavily on actual hygiene and anti-bacteria aesthetics rather than the childhood nostalgic feel that Low Cleancore revolves around.
History[]
The High Cleancore aesthetic gained popularity around the mid to late 2000s, and was most commonly used in commercials and marketing. This was also around the time that Frutiger Aero was gaining popularity, so they were often a pretty common pairing when it came to product design and marketing, which likely explains the similarities in visuals between the two aesthetics.
Visuals[]
High Cleancore has a very sterile, clean feel with a heavy focus on soap, water, deodorant, detergents, hand sanitizers, and various other forms of cleaners, and can overlap into the realm of Medicalcore with some of the aesthetics to create a cold, sterile image (which leads to Cleancore and Icepunk sharing similar colors). High Cleancore can also be compared to Helvetica Aqua Aero as they both share a very sterile feel, however, High Cleancore is separated from this aesthetic because it revolves around promoting cleanliness and hygiene rather than aquatic/oceanic imagery.
Fashion[]
High Cleancore fashion usually consists of the type of things worn while cleaning something or being in a clean environment. This includes surgical and gas masks, rubber gloves, safety goggles, hospital gowns, scrubs, and reflective vests.
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Commercials[]
Due to High Cleancore’s heavy promotion on cleaning products, it’s quite obvious that a lot of product commercials would fall into this genre. Some of which include the following:
- Clorox Scrubtastic
- Bill Mays OxiClean
- Scrubbing Bubbles OBS
- Dawn Powerwash
- Neutrogena with Kristen Bell
- Method Song
Gallery[]
Low Cleancore[]
Low Cleancore, however is closer to Kidcore fashion, involving kiddie-themed bathrobes and pajamas.
Visuals[]
Low Cleancore aesthetics are designed to draw more of a similar vibe to a child's bath time, with not only the usual soaps and detergents often associated with Cleancore, but also things such as rubber duckies and other such bath toys, as well as safe substances that can turn the water all sorts of fun, vibrant colors that can make bath time all the more fun.
Fashion[]
Low Cleancore fashion is quite different apposed to High Cleancore fashion. Instead of all the cleaning gear High Cleancore involves, Low Cleancore usually consists of very much Kidcore clothing, and simulates much of what a child might wear during bath-time (Sanriocore can be an incredibly popular pairing with Low Cleancore fashion, in particular).
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Gallery[]
Resources[]
External resources to learn more about the aesthetic
Pages[]
- Inside cleancore, an aesthetic sterilising the internet with flashy cleaning supplies
- scrubbinbubblesbaby Tumblr