Picture this: you’re down the TikTok rabbit hole and stumble upon something called “skin purging.” You’ve been trying to figure out how to clear your skin, and it’s high time to simplify your skincare routine. Enter skin purging – aka, ridding your face and skincare shelf of excess products.
Often, simplifying your routine feels like an exercise in trial and error rather than instant success. We purchase expensive products that do the opposite of what we want them to, then abandon them to collect dust in a forgotten drawer. Some products even interact with one another in ways that exacerbate our initial concerns. For example, drying the skin or clogging the pores. Irritants in these products combined with over-exfoliation disturb the skin’s natural barrier. This can cause it to look worse and increase its exposure to UV rays and other pollutants. It’s impossibly difficult to know which product is right for you. This is why experts recommend that you pare down your skincare routine – saving your skin and your bank account, too.
The Rabbit Hole of 10-Step Routines
The internet is our biggest culprit in driving overconsumption. Every few months, social media apps (and their respective followers) shift dramatically in what product is trendy. Last year, we witnessed the western rise of the 10-step Korean beauty routine, starting with cleansing the face with an oil-based cleanser and concluding, in the morning, with applying sunscreen. Somewhere in the middle of those two steps, our medicine cabinets overflowed, our wallets rebelled, and our skincare slowly began to encroach upon our boyfriend’s desolate bathroom shelves.
The Rise of Sephora Tweens and Skincare Waste
Beauty-obsessed young girls (“Sephora tweens“) have recently become more enamored with brand names than benefits. Their main focus? Stockpiling Drunk Elephant products and selling out the brand, despite their lack of need for such targeted skincare serums and creams. Drunk Elephant has addressed this fad in the FAQ section of their website, stating “not every product in our line should be used by younger fans, 12 and under. In general, we do not recommend using products containing a high concentration of active ingredients, which address concerns that aren’t present at such an age.”
Perhaps the brand’s appeal to younger girls lies within the bright neon packaging – and the feelings of collectability and personalization in curating a skincare routine. One thing is for certain: social media’s influence on the skincare of generations both young and old has created a culture of exorbitant desire and, unfortunately, unnecessary waste.
Our Tips for Skin Purging
In the summer heat and the winters freezing temperatures, it can be hard to imagine waking up early to do a 10-step skincare routine and putting makeup on top of it all. When skin purging, all you really need is a cleanser, a moisturizer, and a sunscreen for a simple, everyday regimen. Consider your skin’s unique needs when purchasing these products, as well as how the cleanser, moisturizer, and SPF might interact when placed on top of one another.
Some respectively high and low-end, tried-and-true poducts are: the Fresh Soy Face Cleanser ($39) and the Vanicream Unscented Gentle Facial Cleanser ($11.29); the Youth To The People Superfood Air-Whip Lightweight Face Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid ($48) and the Aveeno Daily Moisturizing Prebiotic Oat Face Cream ($11.29); the La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra Light Fluid Face Sunscreen SPF 60 ($33.99); and the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice + Probiotics Sunscreen SPF 50+ PA++++ ($10 for 2-pack).
Downsizing Your Skincare Collection
Anything outside of the above three essentials isn’t bad for your skin, per se, but they’re superfluous—targeting specific areas of concern and easily removable when the issue has been resolved. Chemical exfoliants, for example, can prevent clogged pores and remove excess oils. But if you’re using a retinoid, make sure that your routine does not also have a physical exfoliant, as the skin will instead become stripped of its natural oils and appear dry and red. An affordable yet highly rated retinol is A313’s Vitamin A Pommade, which plumps and hydrates the skin to better its elasticity and improve its overall glowy appearance.
An occasional face mask (perfect for lazy summer weekends and cozy winter nights) can give a more immediate dose of the same effects, but it’s recommended to implement this step every once in a while as opposed to daily. Specifically, overnight face masks like the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Hydrating Mask or the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask can make your skin feel refreshed and quenched in the morning, with ingredients like squalane and niacinamide to improve the quality of the skin barrier.
Clean Girl Aesthetic & The Minimization of Skincare
Recently on TikTok, we saw the rise and fall of the clean girl aesthetic; its pastiche features a conventionally pretty girl with minimal makeup and a slicked-back bun that complements her dainty jewelry and spaghetti-strapped ensemble. While this look seems simple and easy to achieve on the surface, its elegance and cleanliness require a clear complexion, which, for some, is a dream that seems like only an expensive skincare routine can fulfill to rid the skin of its natural imperfections. While this may be true for some, it’s definitely not true for all – and the clean girl aesthetic can be achieved with even the simplest of skincare routines.
The Rhode Effect
Model Hailey Rhode Bieber is the patron saint of this particular aesthetic and also owns rhode skin, a brand women who wish to have skin as dewy and radiant as the founder herself widely adore. Magazines and social media users lust after Bieber’s selfies, posting how-to guides that break down how to emulate her minimalist makeup look. With her own line now, the model-turned-skincare mogul has made it even easier for consumers to do so: you can purchase a complete skincare set called The Rhode Kit. The kit comes with “four daily skin essentials” – a face cleanser, a “glazing milk” serum, a peptide glazing fluid, and a facial moisturizer. The perfect products for those looking to practice skin purging.
Skin Purging Is Skincare’s Next Big Thing
In fact, Rhode Skin is not the only brand appealing to the TikTok-influenced masses. Many skincare brands have recently started marketing more and more “essentials” kits, promoting unity and ease when it comes to self-care—with a product for each of the skincare steps we’ve been told we need to incorporate into our nightly routine.
Biossance and Typology are among the beauty brands selling all-encompassing pouches of cleansers, moisturizers, and oils, broadly recommended to all customers. But this raises some questions: if each product specifically targets individual concerns, then how can I be sure that every product will work for me? What do I do with the products from my old routine? And can skin purging fix it all?
If you decide to Marie Kondo your skincare shelf, donate unused products to women’s shelters or recycle used containers to reduce waste. Our friends at BYRDIE compiled a comprehensive list of options for purging your beauty routines and what to do with the products you don’t want. After all, warm and cold weather alike call for the simplicity of easily reapplying sunscreen, moisturizer or going bare-faced to the beach. Ensure that your routine is consistent — and, most importantly, listen to your body when it tells you which products to repurchase next and which ones you truly don’t need.
