The booming beauty industry is one of the most attractive skincare candy stores these days. That’s to the delight of product enthusiasts, but it’s also led to confusion and a tendency to over-apply. “I many Karan Lal, a double board certified dermatologist in Scottsdale, Arizona, said: “There are so many products that if you look back in history, you’ll find that on average, you’re spending over $600 at a time.” A barrage of information and images about hot new ingredients has led many of us to amass an arsenal of cleansers, toners, serums, exfoliators, masks and moisturizers. rice field. woven into our daily lives. The problem is that methods can hide aggression and wreak havoc on your complexion, cash flow, and time. Read on to learn more about why, and how the simplified routine experts recommend.
Pitfalls of the more-is-more approach
Problems such as irritant contact dermatitis where layering products, blending ingredients, changing formulas frequently, or overdosing on active ingredients can cause rashes and damage the skin’s outer protective layer. Trust him when he says you don’t want to suffer from this. “It can also aggravate existing skin conditions,” he continues. And allergies! It’s a nightmare when people use 10 products and have a reaction.Basically you have to cut it all off and start fresh.”
Shereene Idriss, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, also cautions against avoiding it. “It may be double dipping in certain ingredients that can cause inflammation,” she says. However, the niacinamide sweet spot is at levels of 3-5% and using too many products on a daily basis can actually irritate your skin. is exactly what we were trying to fix in the first place.And you don’t need multiple exfoliators.Excessive exfoliation can lead to breakdown of the skin barrier.”
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To save your skin, possibly your sanity, and certainly your savings account, experts recommend minimizing, or “skinnimalizing,” the upward trend that undermines common attack plans. It means paring down your skincare routine to hard-working essentials without sacrificing benefits. And their skin says it all.
Why less is better
“There are so many benefits to a simplified skin care routine. It’s necessary to start with consistency to see results.” “If your biggest problem is discoloration, look for skin lightening ingredients. Look for ingredients—if you’re dry, look for moisturizing and repairing ingredients—but don’t tackle them all at once.”
To deliver the downsizing message, she posts her beauty routine @shereeneidriss. Summary: After cleansing with Bioderma or Vanicream in the evening, she uses products from PillowtalkDerm, a three-step solution for discoloration. Keyword: swap. Do not add. Her mornings are similar, but without cleansing and adding SPF.
Whitney Bowe, a board-certified dermatologist in New York, supports the idea of a skin cycle that alternates between nights with a single active ingredient (such as an exfoliant or retinol) and nights with just a moisturizer. She also shares her personal skincare routine with @drwhitneybowe. Her “Exfoliation Night” routine includes a gentle cleanser, her own exfoliation her night her brightening and her resurfacing her serum, and her own bow her glow her moisturizer. will be that’s it.
Dermatologists aren’t the only ones who advocate dial-down. Many skin care brands are also on board, offering either one-off hero products, or several synergistic formulas meant to make up a complete routine (buy many of our favorites below). please).
Recently launched by French beauty and fashion influencer Garance Doré, Doré is one of those brands whose core is simplicity. “I’ve always found that the less I cut my routine, the better my skin looked. Normally, it’s the use of too many products and too many harsh active ingredients that aggravate my sensitive, acne-prone skin.” It’s complicated,” she says.
April Garguilo, founder of Vintner’s Daughter, describes her philosophy as “Less is more, better: fewer products made with the highest quality ingredients and methodical formulating techniques.”
simple plan
Skinnimalism doesn’t have to throw away your favorite active items. That means choosing wisely to focus on the most pressing concerns and avoiding duplication and overload. As the name suggests, the plan is minimal. 3-4 steps including cleanser, active serum (here comes a great multitasker that does what it thinks for you by providing the right combination of ingredients in effective doses). A moisturizer or oil, and SPF (or a moisturizer that contains SPF). Both Lal and Idris say you can add boosters to address specific issues, such as retinol for acne and fine lines, hydroquinone for discoloration, and exfoliators for smoothing, but depending on the strength of the formula, you may want to add more boosters. This could be a step. Add once or several times a week. Many brands think for you, curating simple but effective sets and formulas for everything but the kitchen sink.
freelance writer
Isabel Burton is a writer, editor and all-around content expert in lifestyle, beauty and wellness. Her work has been featured in Oprah Daily and her Oprah Quarterly, Blackberry Magazine, Shape, Self, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Martha Stewart Weddings, Phenology, Wholier, and other media brands. She has held leadership positions at her Shape, Self, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, and is currently editor-in-chief of her lifestyle print and digital brand, InPickleball.