Skinimalism: the latest beauty trend
With half our faces already covered with masks, the last thing we need are lashings of products on our skin too. That’s the philosophy behind this new beauty trend
Less is more: that’s the thinking that underpins skinimalism. With more women working from home, wearing a full face of makeup has become less of a priority, with the spotlight on bare skin.
“While dewy foundations and cleverly placed highlighter can help you create a great ‘no makeup’ look, first prize will always be truly radiant skin,” says Karen Bester, medical trainer at Lamelle Research Laboratories.
More women are using facial skincare products compared to a year ago, according to market research firm NPD Group’s 2020 Women’s Facial Skincare Consumer Report, and 40% of users are using their skincare products more often.
But this quest for flawless skin has resulted in an overuse of products. “The biggest risk is developing an irritation, which can evolve into residual post-inflammatory erythema (residual red, pink or purple spots left behind by breakouts) and hyperpigmentation,” says Shereene Idriss, cosmetic dermatologist for Instyle.com. Hyperpigmentation is difficult to treat, and it may take a while before you see results. Dermatologists recommend patients use one product at a time instead of piling various products with active ingredients on their skin, warning that this will lead to bigger problems.
Enter skinimalism! According to Pinterest’s 2021 Trend Predictions Report, skinimalism is the new glow-up and it encourages you to take advantage of the effectiveness of multitasking products. These products contain ingredients that work in harmony to give you more than one result, while saving you time and money.
Get off to the right start
Identify the problem Pay attention to your skin so you can pinpoint its primary needs. This means identifying your skin type and deciding which problems need to be tackled first. Ask questions such as: do you have dry skin that’s sensitive and prone to redness? Or is your skin dry and flaky?
Keep it clean The most important step towards good skin is cleansing. Thorough cleansing helps remove dead skin cells and keeps skin fresh – clean skin is also more responsive to skincare products. People with dry skin need to use crème and oil cleansers as these are gentle and keep the skin’s surface intact. Hydrating face washes with hyaluronic acid are great for people with dehydrated and combination skin. Salicylic acid can be found in face washes recommended for people with oily and acne-prone skin. This acid gently buffs the skin and deeply cleanses. It can sometimes be used together with hyaluronic acid to exfoliate the skin without dehydrating it. Pack a punch If you’re looking for visible results, serum is where the magic happens. Your serum should help you achieve your skin goal, meaning you shouldn’t feel the need to apply another product to boost the first serum application. It needs to combat problems such as dryness, acne, dullness, ageing or spots. Just for you Ask your dermatologist or skincare therapist about custom-blended skincare formulas that are made specifically for your skins needs. These will save you a lot of experimenting. Alternatively, look for the ingredients on the opposite page, and if you find more than one in a single product, give it a go.