By Sara Fabek Zovko
When did skincare stop being about “care”?
It’s safe to say that the past few years have seen a significant rise in talk of skincare routines. The pandemic-induced boredom was a potential catalyst that led to a deep appreciation of YouTube workouts. TikTok feeds filled with skincare recommendations: morning routines, evening routines, weekly routines, and so on gained immense popularity.
Although many of the tips led to a wide familiarisation with useful steps in a daily routine, like applying SPF even if it’s cloudy outside, the conversation around skincare has been getting progressively less productive and harder to keep up with. Suggestions of a million serums, sheet masks, and extra steps that allegedly avoid bags under your eyes or smile lines forming have become far more common than genuine, dermatologist-backed advice for keeping skin healthy and clear.
It may be that people are getting carried away with how much of it is available, and a consumerism induced need to have and try it all. Equally, it may be a genuine desire to keep skin healthy and implement a self-care routine. Despite it all, an overwhelming and undeniable reason for the rise in skincare routines and consumption is a fear of aging that’s becoming more apparent and saddening as time goes on.
What started with recommendations for a consistently clear and glowing face has now become an epidemic of misinformation and paranoia about aging. The well-intended guidance towards a basic yet efficient skincare routine has now turned into funnily shaped straws to avoid mouth wrinkles and urging people not to sleep on their side. It all started with skincare — while it is not the be all end all of this unhealthy obsession, it is definitely the catalyst.
Perhaps the darkest part of this development in self-care and skin health is how young some of the girls implementing this guidance are. Retinol, for example, increases skin elasticity, and therefore helps prevent wrinkles from forming — begging the question why are 15 year olds applying it religiously? Of course, taking care of one’s skin and general health has no age limit, but that pertains to applying sunscreen and lip balm daily, not a nightly ritual of using anti-aging creams before leaving your teenage years behind.
Having a skincare routine can be beneficial mentally as well as physically; a ritual done daily that warrants a few minutes of me-time for anyone who decides to implement it. However, it isn’t something that should become a burden, nor should it be an unwinnable battle against eye wrinkles in 10 years. This line is not a difficult one to cross with a constant influx of, “If you do this, you won’t get wrinkles!” flooding into every corner of everyday life, from social media to billboards and commercials. It’s a transition that should be fought. Skincare is just that: skin, care! Not an obligation to do sheet masks every day, which, by the way, does nothing good for your skin. Invest in a good moisturiser instead.
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