Skincare routines: What’s the point?

When devising a skincare routine, it is often easy to feel overwhelmed by the information out there, the ‘dos and don’ts’ of routines and the gimmicky products pushed by celebrities. The skincare market is constantly flooded with products claiming to leave your skin smooth and poreless, or being a ‘breakthrough in skincare innovation’, or with elaborate routines that are an excess of ten steps.

These are products and routines that are based off an edited picture we see on social media or adverts. This makes skincare hard to navigate and highlights the question whether products even work at all or if the whole idea of a skincare routine is a placebo.

When watching celebrity beauty routines, such as the evermore popular ‘go to bed with me’ night skincare routines with Harpers Bazar or the ‘beauty secrets’ routines with Vogue, there are so many examples of complex routines and products that come with a hefty price tag. I think we can all agree that these excessive prices are things we would treat ourselves to occasionally rather than an everyday indulgent.

Many skincare products are marketed to seem more effective or ground-breaking when their ingredients and results are the same as that of drug-store brands who are more transparent about their products. Brands such as Cevave, the Ordinary and the Inky List, as well as others, pride themselves on being affordable and transparent about the ingredients, rather than many upmarket products with elaborate packaging and large marketing claims behind them.

I have found that upkeeping a simple and easy to sustain skincare routine is the best option. Products often take a while for results to be seen and a lot of the time our skin gets worse before getting better. As such it is necessary to not feel disheartened when it comes to skincare routines not working initially as you anticipated. Often it takes a month for results to be apparent. Personally, it has taken me many failed attempts to find products that work for me, but the most important outcome was that skincare regimes should not be as complicated as some suggest.

To perfect my routine, I began with products that are a necessity, a cleanser, toner, serum, moisturiser and sunscreen, in that order for everyday use. I then introduced once week products such as a facemask and a scrub to add an extra boost to my skincare routine.

A lot of my confidence in skincare routines and their effectiveness came from straying away from Instagram influencer as well as celebrity endorsed products and skincare routines. Instead, I read up a lot on dermatologist recommended products, in addition to watching the popular ‘Skincare TicTok’ in which dermatologists suggest routines and products, that have been really effective for me.

Ultimately, their message is that consistency is key and skincare routines are not complicated, which gave me the confidence that skincare routines do have a point.

Edited by Michelle Almeida