Every year, new skincare trends pop up and are deemed the next big thing to prevent aging, cure acne forever, resculpt your face, banish blackheads indefinitely and so on.
Unfortunately, after much trial and error, so many of these skincare trends are debunked. What works for one person, may not work for the next! In the end, science-backed results are what you can trust in.
So let’s take a look at some of the skincare trends from 2021 we would love to leave behind.
#1. Multi-step skincare routines
Honestly, who has time for a 10-step skincare routine, that needs to be repeated morning AND night? First knowing which products to opt for to suit your skincare type, and then learning how to layer them, we would expect miraculous results.
But in the end, the results are just not equal to the effort. Using a simple 3-step skincare routine, like our Trios, will give you the same amazing results, with less than half the time, and money spent too.
#2. Photoshopped/edited before and after skincare photos
Not really a “skincare” trend that you can implement yourself, this one is more about the expectations and mindset around skincare results.
When you’re older, you’re perhaps a bit more aware of the intricacies of the skincare industry and how companies will edit photos, videos, and ads to make a product look better than it is, or to sell a product.
But there are a lot of people that don’t understand that and those who would genuinely think that the product in itself is going to give you those results and that flawless, airbrushed look. And nowadays it’s not even just companies. Influencers and celebrities do the same thing, and it’s irritating.
#3. Not being gentle enough to your skin
Our skin definitely benefits from exfoliation, twice a week.
However, the obsession with deep cleaning and the constant use of electric face brushes, scrubbing, chemically-laden wipes, toners, acid peels, etc, are most often more damaging than beneficial, especially with continued use.
Your skin is can tolerate a lot, but in order to maintain a healthy acid mantle and a balanced pH, you should be exfoliating with a gentle chemical exfoliant, with the addition of a very gentle physical component, like Brown Rice Powder, as found in our Bright Skin Face Polish. This will ensure you aren’t causing tears in your skin, and it can maintain its healthy barrier while buffing away dead skin cells, bacteria and dirt.
#4. Practising medically questionably TikTok or Instagram trends
Stick to trying makeup trends on TikTok. We’ve seen everything from using actual glue to remove blackheads to fixing self-tanning streaks with a Magic Eraser. The problem with a lot of these DIYs is that they can cause irritation or injury to your skin, most dermatologists agree. Bottom line: Hold off and consult a dermatologist before practising anything that seems unorthodox.
#5. Saltwater acne cure
This is a bit of a strange one that came up in 2021. While many may not have seen this one come up, we thought it was worthwhile mentioning!
There isn't a fast way to "fix" acne and reduce sudden flare-ups, but a TikTok user in 2021 claimed that saltwater spray was the secret to a clear complexion. This viral trend caught the eyes of 4.5 million viewers, all of whom claimed it *actually* worked. The hack suggests mixing sea salt with water and spraying it generously on the face to dry out the acne.
Can it actually work? The short answer is it depends on each person, but it is something we seriously don't recommend. Sure, we'd love an acne quick-fix but believe us when we say that saltwater will not balance your pH levels and fix your acne. While the lack of science-backed benefits behind this trend speaks for itself, let it be known that we will be leaving this trend in 2021.
We have put together a blog on How To Manage Acne you might like to read instead.