Why New Skincare Trends Aren’t Always Better

The skincare industry is projected to reach a worth of $200.25 billion by 2025. This boom of skincare trends has been propelled by social media and a lot of celebrity endorsements. However, there is a caveat that comes with this boom. Somewhere down the line, some tried-and-true statements about skincare has become lost in favor of viral trends, both current and “what’s new”. This then results in a lot of misinformation that people turn blindly to. Here are three truths about the current trends in skincare:

• Just Because It’s Viral Doesn’t Mean it Works – Just because it’s viral doesn’t mean it’s good. A lot of them are unsubstantiated, and can be straight up dangerous for your skin. A lot of these trends, that usually include using stronger active ingredients, can damage your skin’s protective barrier and can cause even more irritation, inflammation, and make existing conditions like acne or eczema even worse. What your dermatologist will tell you instead is that your own skin is unique and that any routine or product they recommend is tailored specifically for your skin.
• At-Home Cosmetic Procedures Are Dangerous – This ties into the trend of people on social media doing DIY cosmetic procedures. This includes microneedling, filler and botox injections, or even some laser treatments. There is a very high risk of causing an infection when these procedures are not done correctly by a licensed professional. Many dermatologists and other skincare experts have issued warnings that you should NOT TRY THESE PROCEDURES AT HOME. When you want these treatments, you’re better off going to your dermatologist and having cosmetic procedures done in-office, rather than doing them at home with untrained people, and potentially causing a lot of damage to your own skin.
• Expensive Doesn’t Always Mean Better – There are many new products nowadays that seem to promise great results in shorter amounts of time, but come at a higher premium. Buying these products and assuming that they work better than cheaper products is the wrong approach. There are plenty of reasonably-priced products that contain the same active ingredients and give you the same results. Instead of buying the newest, expensive product that was just released and promoted by a celebrity, who was paid by the skincare product’s marketing team, ask your dermatologist what they would recommend. More often than not, they have a carefully-curated product catalog with the right products just for you.