Trends And Skincare: Why You Should Skip Most Of Them
I have to admit it — I spend way too much time scrolling through TikTok. Especially considering that I’m nowhere close to being a Gen-Z member. It’s a great way to distract myself when I feel the need to, and I also learn a lot about what’s trending at the moment. But there is one interesting thing that I have noticed — TikTok trends and skincare shouldn’t be mixed. The risks are much higher than the potential benefits.
Why am I saying that? Because some of these trends are straight up dangerous. They couldn’t permanently change the way your skin looks. And I’m not being dramatic when I say that. Let me just remind you of the derma roller fiasco. While viral makeup looks, fashion trends, or fragrances can’t do any damage except the damage to your wallet, these skincare trends are a lot more serious.
A minimalistic approach
First of all, let’s address the elephant in the room — there shouldn’t be any need to follow trends while doing your skincare. Our skin is pretty simple, it doesn’t need that much at all. A good cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen, and the occasional serum or exfoliating product.
Sure, most of us love to add a few more steps into the mix. That’s why we have sheet masks, toners, essences, night masks, facial oils, and more. But all of these extra steps are just that — something extra to make our self-care routines more enjoyable.
Realistically speaking, most dermatologists will also recommend sticking to a simple routine. Especially if you use stronger actives such as vitamin A derivatives. The main goal of your skincare routine should be to hydrate your skin, strengthen your skin barrier, and promote skin-cell turnover. So is there any need for skincare trends?
Why trends can be dangerous
While I see no issue with the fact that a skincare product will go viral on TikTok from time to time, I do see a problem with the fact that a lot of people without any actual knowledge of skincare give advice that blows up over night.
For example, I recently came across a video raving about how we all should exfoliate our skin with the help of baking soda. The video had millions of views, and the person giving the advice was, to my knowledge, not even at the age where it’s legal to drink. Yet, a lot of people decided to try out this trend — and were left with extreme irritation.
Other examples include the lemon exfoliating trend, sunscreen as contour, apple cider vinegar as a toner, and DIY sunblock. I’m not the only one thinking that these trends are absurd. Dermatologist often stitch these videos themselves explaining why these trends do more harm than good.
Therefore I would strongly advise against any of these trends. If you are going to follow skincare advice, make sure you do your own research beforehand. This could save you time, money, and most importantly — a whole lot of skin irritation.
Kanita Bajrami
Hi. I am a medical student and a freelance writer from Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. I speak fluently Bosnian/Croatian/Serbian, English and German.