Across online websites, pharmacies, and stores, obsessions with skincare have skyrocketed among adolescents in recent years. Thanks to social media, wellness and health are influential aspects of one’s life that can either detrimentally affect or improve self-perception.
Social media has always significantly influenced how people, especially teenagers, dress, act, and speak. While focusing on appearance is not new, beauty standards constantly change.
Today, most of what is shown on my feed in apps like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube is not heavy makeup and ways to cover up acne, but rather to get rid of pores, stay hygienic, and live longer. In other words, clean. Minimalism has become more prevalent than ever, especially in beauty and design. Having glass-like skin and natural makeup are essential to the beauty standards today.
While makeup is still relevant, skincare has become the craze for achieving clear skin and looking youthful. Demand for cleansers, toners, and moisturizers has increased like never before. 10-step skincare routines are trending more than ever.
However, the question of whether people need 15 products to look good remains. Teenagers are heavily influenced by what they see online. If social media influencers continue to promote a routine with abundant products, young people will view those products as necessary to fit in. I have fallen for the trap of buying new products even though I have a routine that works for me, all for the sake of keeping up with the times.
Trends come and go, but routines should not constantly change. All skin types are different. Just because a product is popular amongst most people does not always correlate with how well it works on other people. What may work on one person may develop breakouts and allergic reactions for another.
In fact, using too many cleansers, a product that removes impurities, or washing one’s face too often can ultimately lead to an increase in rosacea or long-term redness, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Paying too much attention to trends can result in an obsession with buying the new products. Sometimes, influencers may even mislead viewers by displaying a sponsored product that can be ineffective, or they have a filter on, misleading customers.
However, this can go both ways, as influencers and trends can help businesses understand customer needs and how to expand their market and make products that best fit a customer’s skin type.
As someone with severe eczema that impacts every part of my body, especially my face, I have been testing products for my whole life. Some factors, like weather, lack of sleep, stress, or products that don’t work well with my sensitive and dry skin, have altered my face drastically. And that is not something normalized today.
Such pressure to have a clear face doesn’t take into account the fact that adolescents go through puberty. Today, there remains a high standard to look good all the time, resulting in tweens and teens becoming more self-conscious.
Sometimes simplicity can be key to success in a world of excessive consumerism. While the internet can assist consumers in finding the right products for their skin, outside sources do not have expertise on the needs of specific skin types for each consumer. Less can be more if that is what our skin really needs.
