Revisiting Skinimalism: Why Less Skincare Might Be Better

A little less than a year ago, I wrote a blog article on skinimalism: the practice of simplifying your skincare routine by being very intentional about the products you choose and the routines you follow. When you take a step back, think about what your skin really needs and do an audit of all the skincare items you have, you’ll most likely end up purchasing fewer products in the long run and will make less impulsive decisions when it comes to treatments and products. I’ll break down skinimalism in this blog and teach you ways to apply it to your own skincare routine.

How can you know exactly what your skin needs? Either visit a trusted esthetician in your area or do some of your own research by deep diving into all my scrub-me-secret articles.

scrub me secret: My blog posts like “Tips for going makeup free” and “the most important steps for clear, healthy skin” have so much information and recommendations that can help you lock down a great skincare routine.

What is Skinimalism?

Skinimalism is minimalism + skincare. This means minimizing the amount of products you use in your skincare routine, as well as aiming to use items that contain fewer known harmful chemicals and additives. Skinimalism is about focusing on the quality of your products and the effectiveness of your skincare routine vs. the quantity of items and treatments or the popularity of said items.

Why is Skinimalism Popular?

Somewhere along the way, I think we lost the basics of how to really care for our skin and help it to be truly healthy. Between the 10-step skincare routines, over-exfoliation with retinol + too many actives, ingredient overload, and new trending items every day, it’s easy to get lost in the sauce. But when you’re spending money and time on a lavish skincare routine that isn’t helping you reach your goals of “best skin ever,” is when you take a step back and question “how much of this is actually helping my skin and my skincare goals?” And thats a place I think a lot of people are getting to right now. So it makes sense that skinimalism is on the rise; people want to use less, and they want better results.

scrub me secret: over-exfoliation happens when you use a too many EXFOLIANTS & cell turnover skincare items, use them too often, or combine exfoliants incorrectly. This results in skin that stings, gets red easily, has issues with bumpy texture, or reacts poorly to other products like MOISTURIZERS. People that have extensive skincare routines or follow all the trends will more often than not have over-exfoliated skin

Tips for Applying Skinimalism to Your Own Routine

Trust me, I can relate to being tempted to add new products, devices, or treatments to my own skincare routine. Being an esthetician, it can be easy to get carried away. I want to test things for my clients, and I’m learning and hearing about new products and product lines almost daily. What helps me keep my skincare routine and the ingredients I put on my skin as minimal as possible is the fact that I am very intentional about the skincare I choose. Before purchasing a skincare product, I ask myself Is there a place in my current routine for this? And are these ingredients beneficial for my skin?

I have about 5 steps in my AM routine and 5 in my PM routine. Then there are a couple of little extras like facial massage, LED, and monthly facials (from me or someone else). So I’m definitely not missing out on anything, but every part of my skincare routine feels really important.

This is my checklist I go through when checking out a new skincare item ⤵️

✔️ Do the ingredients look safe for my skin and body - Visit blog posts like Tips to navigating a skincare product label and Safe, Effective Sun Protection for Skin & Body for ingredient information, and the EWG website is also an amazing resource.

✔️Does this product have functions that help me achieve my skincare goals? - Think about your goals. Does this item have functions or ingredients that help you get there?

✔️Is there a place for this in my skincare routine right now? - If the answer is no and I really love the ingredients of the product, I put it on a list and save it for later when I have room for it, like when I need to replace a moisturizer or mask, etc.

✔️Does this product look like it will make me and my skin happy?

scrub me secret: Is buying new skincare fun? Yes, of course. But is having great skin even better? yes! There are so many items I would love to buy just to try out or because I love the packaging, but I really stay disciplined and never pull the plug on buying an item I know doesn’t have a place in my skincare routine, and I don’t try to force it if you do not need this new item, you’re not in need.

My Final Thoughts on Skinimalism - Why I Believe This is So Important

Overconsumption is a problem we have in our society today. There's always something being sold to us, something new we are being told we need to buy, innovations that will “help us reach our goals more quickly.” We face constant advertising, more than ever before, on social media, on TV, in podcasts, on YouTube, in person, you name it. I believe this is a detriment to our skincare and wellness routines because it makes it confusing to actually know what you need or what you should be buying for yourself. When we take a step back, think about what we truly need, and take this more minimalist approach, we can start to really see some great improvement in overall skin health. And you’ll have way fewer setbacks in your progress because once you get to know what your skin likes, needs, and sees improvement from, you won’t be constantly throwing new products and treatments at it. Therefore, eliminating a lot of factors that cause skin irritation, breakouts, etc.

I would love to know your thoughts on this subject! And please reach out to me here in the comments if you would like some guidance with your skincare routine. I’d love to help 🧡