When you know better, you can make better, more informed decisions about what’s right for your skin, including which clean skincare products to invest in.
With all the attention on skin these days, it’s no wonder there are abundant skincare myths swirling about. Here at MASK Skincare, we’re firm believers that knowledge is power.
When you know better, you can make better, more informed decisions about what’s right for your skin, including which clean skincare products to invest in. So, we’re setting the record straight on five common skincare myths. Read on for more.
Skincare Myth #1:
Skin gets bored, so I should change my skincare products frequently
Real Life: Our skin likes consistency. This is especially true of a clean skincare routine, where you’re caring for skin by washing it, toning it, and layering on serum, moisturizer, and sunscreen. By creating a reliable routine for your skin, it can look and feel its best. In fact, skin doesn’t get “bored” of products, and it won’t be demanding you keep things fresh anytime soon.
In fact, consistency can help you eliminate irritation and breakouts. It’s a lot easier to figure out if skin is reacting to certain ingredients when you’re using them regularly. If you’re always changing up ingredients, it’s incredibly challenging to discern if skin is inflamed because of something you used today, or something you added to your clean beauty routine 3 days ago.
Of course, skin is a living organ and is constantly evolving. Sure, skin can become more tolerant of products; if you’ve ever added any type of BHA product to your routine, you know skin can slowly become accustomed to it and less sensitive over time.
Ditto with changing up your nighttime moisturizer when winter arrives; suddenly, you need a richer, more emollient formula because your skin has evolved with the seasons and that lightweight oil isn’t enough these days. But addressing skin’s evolving needs is not the same as constantly rotating products to keep skin from becoming “bored.”
If you have gentle, organic skincare products that are working for you, keep using them consistently! In fact, the longer you use them, the more results you’ll see. That’s because it takes time for skin to fully benefit from skincare products. Which brings us to our next point…
Skincare Myth #2:
I should see results from skincare almost immediately
Real Life: “It takes time and consistent use to reap the benefits of any skincare products,” notes Sarah Mirsini, founder of MASK Skincare. While the ingredients in your organic skincare routine may be highly effective, “you should plan on using your skincare products consistently–at least once a day, unless the instructions say otherwise–for a minimum of 8 weeks before you’ll really start to see the results promised.”
Skincare Myth #3:
Clean skincare means it’s chemical-free
Real Life: There is a lot of chatter about clean skincare being chemical-free, but that’s just not accurate. Every skincare formula on the market contains chemicals because a chemical is, according to nih.gov, “a substance that has specific properties or characteristics we can use to identify it.” Water, after all, is a chemical!
A more accurate description or claim might be that a clean skincare product is free of toxic chemicals or made with non-toxic ingredients, but to call a formula chemical-free is disingenuous.
Skincare Myth #4:
If I use the right products, my pores will shrink
Real Life: Skincare may promise a lot of things, but if it is promising to help shrink your pores, that’s just not possible. The physical size of our pores cannot be altered, no matter how much we wish it were so!
However, there are things skincare products can do to help pores look smaller. Choosing organic skincare that is non-comedogenic and made with gentle, plant-based ingredients like MASK Skincare will help to keep skin clean and moisturized without clogging pores–and clogged pores (think dirt, oil, blackheads) tend to make pores look larger and more noticeable.
Regular exfoliation with a gentle exfoliant can slough away dead skin cells and dirt, leaving skin looking smoother and more radiant, thereby making pores look smaller.
Finally, getting regular facials can help pores appear smaller and cleaner, especially if your skincare professional performs extractions.
Organic Skincare Myth #5:
Clean skincare is trendy, but it doesn’t work as well as conventional products
Real Life: Organic skincare made with clean, plant-based ingredients can be every bit as effective as conventional skincare products; in fact, because our bodies recognize and welcome so many of these natural ingredients, they can often work better than products that rely heavily on synthetic ingredients.
That’s because skin can receive these ingredients as they’re intended to be used–and these ingredients can go to work to truly nourish and care for skin.
Conventional skincare products are ubiquitous and can range anywhere from truly affordable to eye-poppingly expensive, but often, such products rely on ingredients that sit on top of skin, like certain waxes, mineral oil, or petroleum. These ingredients may prevent moisture from escaping from the top layer of skin, but they also don’t penetrate the skin to address moisture or hydration at its source.
In addition, many conventional skincare products contain artificial fragrance, which can contain thousands of ingredients that don’t have to be disclosed because fragrance is considered to be “proprietary.” Lastly, harsh ingredients that make products foam or help to extend shelf life may disrupt the skin barrier or cause reactions for sensitive skin.
Clean skincare may be trending right now, but it’s also rooted in thousands of years of tradition from around the globe.
Natural, plant-based ingredients have been integrated into human routines for centuries, used as medicine, skincare, beauty products, and more. Non-toxic beauty products have now gained in popularity at such a rapid pace in large part because people have had such success in using them.
Organic skincare made with gentle ingredients that can easily be integrated into your existing routine–like those from MASK Skincare–work every bit as well (and we’d argue, even better!) as conventional skincare products.