Deep clean your beauty routine

Simplify Your Beauty Routine

By Sharon Stephenson • April 8, 2022

What does your bathroom cabinet say about you? Does it reflect a sleek minimalist with impeccable taste, or does it look like you ran through Sephora with glue on your hands? A quick poll reveals that most of us can’t resist the allure of shiny, new beauty products.

I admit, I’m on Team More Is More. A recent declutter of my bathroom revealed 11 serums, six face masks (two unopened), a foul-smelling SPF, and a moisturizer older than Michael Jackson’s original nose. My makeup drawer was no better, with forgotten lipsticks and mascaras that should have been tossed ages ago.

I’ve fallen for clever marketing about magical ingredients and the belief that more products equal better skin. But according to British skin specialist Dr. Pamela Benito, a multi-step skincare routine isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. “A good skincare routine is about targeted products that deliver results. Otherwise, you’re wasting time and money, and potentially damaging your skin barrier,” she says.

Overloading your skin can lead to oiliness, dryness, irritation, redness, breakouts, and clogged pores. To avoid this, Dr. Benito suggests streamlining your routine to a few multi-tasking products, such as a gentle cleanser, a skin-specific serum with active ingredients like Vitamin C and retinol, and an SPF of at least 30.

Once you’ve got the basics down, you can add a hydrating moisturizer with ceramides and hyaluronic acid to reinforce your skin barrier and plump tired skin. So, just because you’re fluent in beauty products doesn’t mean you have to use them all. Simplifying your skincare routine can save you time, money, and possibly your skin.