Are you familiar with skinimalism? It’s a trend that first made an appearance a few years ago but has really gained traction since then in a way that has revolutionized the industry. While dermatologists have long since recommended taking the less-is-more approach to skincare, the concept has now gone mainstream, with a catchy name to match!
Why, exactly, has this simplified approach to skincare been so influential? Read on as Introstem explains how using fewer skincare products could be just what your skin needs to finally release its natural glow.
What is Skinimalism All About?
For quite a while now, long skincare routines have dominated the scene. With anywhere from 10-20 products applied twice a day, it’s hardly surprising that statistics show that the average women places more than 500 different ingredients on her skin each day.
As you can probably imagine, this can quickly take its toll on the skin. Not only can overloading your skin cause irritation and inflammation, but you run the risk of causing long-term harm to your skin’s natural barrier. This barrier has been the focus of the industry lately and is what the skinimalism trend aims to enhance. The healthier your skin barrier is, the healthier your skin will look and feel overall.
Going minimalistic with your skincare routine significantly reduces the risk of interfering with skin barrier function. It will also make your skincare routine much easier to stick to – applying three or four products at the end of a long day is much more appealing than having to spend 20 minutes slathering 15 different products onto your skin. Of course, in addition to saving time, you’ll save money. It’s also a more environmentally friendly way to approach skincare, making it easy to see why skinimalism has been such a game-changer.
How to Integrate the Less-is-More Approach Into Your Skincare Routine
Wondering how to go about simplifying your skincare routine without compromising the care you give to your skin? Here are a few guidelines to follow:
Start With the Three Essential Products
If your skincare routine is currently pretty long, there are likely a few products that you can cut out. However, there are three products that should always form the foundation of every routine. These are non-negotiables that even the most minimalistic of skincare routines will contain.
The first is a cleanser. While some like to use different cleansers in the mornings and evenings, sticking to the same one will help to minimize the total number of ingredients your skin comes into contact with each day. The most important thing is to find a cleanser that’s suitable for your skin type. Oily and combination skin will need powerful cleansing agents, like those found in the Introstem VitisCell Foaming Bliss Purifier. Meanwhile, dry and sensitive skin will need a gentler touch. Moisturizing cleansers, like the VitisCell Fresh Cleansing Mousse, are a good choice.
The next two essentials are a moisturizer and a sunscreen. With the Introstem PrismaStem Face Shield Cream SPF 30, however, you can combine both of these steps into one, further simplifying your skincare routine. Of course, SPF isn’t needed once the sun goes down so you’ll still need a night cream, such as Introstem’s VitisCell Radiance Overnight Cream, for your evening routine.
Seek Out Multifunctional Skincare Products
Once you have a cleanser and an SPF moisturizer/night cream, you’ll technically be able to keep both your morning and evening skincare routines to just two steps. However, is this really enough to give your skin all that it needs?
In most cases, no. Chances are that you’re dealing with at least one or two visible skin concerns, and a two-step skincare routine is unlikely to be able to do much to help with this. You’ll need additional products – formulas that are targeted to the goals you’re hoping to achieve.
However, rather than going for one product for each different skin concern you’re experiencing, which could really add up as you age, multifunctional products will enable you to tackle a few, or possibly even all, of your skin issues with just a single formula.
The Introstem VitisCell Brightening Vita-C Serum is the perfect example of a multifunctional product. Vitamin C itself is revered for how it smooths away the look of wrinkles, brightens the look of the skin, lightens the appearance of dark spots, and helps with hydration. Add to that vitamins A and E, along with a blend of incredibly hydrating and nutrient-rich plant oils, and you have a powerful multi-tasker that most people would benefit from.
The Introstem ThermoStem Serum is another product that performs a few different roles. It boasts a multi-peptide blend to give the skin a smoother and more elastic feel, along with sodium hyaluronate and glycerin to hydrate and plump the complexion. It’s also brimming with antioxidants, which will counter the appearance of free radical damage.
Respect Your Skin Barrier
As we mentioned earlier, the minimalist approach to skincare is all about supporting the skin barrier. This is something that needs to carry through in the products that you include in your routine too.
Let’s use exfoliation as an example. For many people, this is another skincare must. It prevents the appearance of clogged pores, breakouts, dullness, fine lines, and more. While many assume that the more powerful an exfoliator, the better it will work, your skin wouldn’t agree. Instead using an exfoliator that contains ingredients that are too aggressive for your skin will only end up harming your skin barrier. You’ll then develop new skin concerns, that you’ll need new products to treat, putting an end to your minimal skincare routine.
Rather than going through all of that, pick an exfoliator that gently removes dead skin while respecting your skin barrier, just like the Introstem VitisCell Fresh Revive Peeling. It exfoliates with a blend of mandelic acid and bamboo/nut powders, while a selection of vitamins, along with green tea extract and grape stem cells, work to keep your skin barrier feeling supported.
Consider Skin Cycling
What should you do if your skin genuinely needs several different products but you don’t want to overload your skin barrier? Give skin cycling a try.
Rather than using all of your products every night, this technique sees them being split over a few different nights. The cycle begins on night one, when you exfoliate your skin (and then continue with a basic skincare routine). On night two, you would apply your targeted products – those containing active ingredients. Nights three and four are all about the skin barrier. The ingredients that you include in your skincare routine on these nights should be focused on soothing the feeling of inflammation while bolstering the feel of the skin barrier. Products like the Introstem PrismaStem Midnight Recovery Mask would fit in well on one of these nights. After this, you start the cycle from the beginning again.
This cycle gives your skin barrier plenty of time to recuperate from the more powerful products in your routine. You may find that your skin starts to respond better to each of the products that you use too.
Don’t Buy Into Every New Trend
Heard about an exciting new skincare ingredient? Or maybe your favorite celeb has just recommended a hot new skincare product? Whatever the case may be, it’s so easy to be swayed into buying skincare products just because they happen to be trendy.
This is the opposite of the minimalist stance. Rather than falling in love with every new trend, always keep your skin’s needs at the forefront of your mind. If your skincare routine is already catering to those needs, then it’s unlikely that any extra products are needed. With that said, it can be good practice to make a note of any products that do catch your eye. This way, when you start to run low on one of the products in your current routine, you could consider replacing it with an alternative. It’s important to be flexible when it comes to your skincare routine, although, as we’re about to discuss, this needs to be balanced with plenty of patience…
Be Consistent and Patient
Hoping that you’ll see immediate results as soon as you strip back your skincare routine? Unfortunately, that’s not quite how it works! While your skin may start to feel a little better after just a few days, it usually takes at least two weeks to one month for the skin barrier to really start to make a comeback. If it was particularly damaged, however, you may need to wait a few months.
This is why it’s important to be both consistent and patient with your skincare routine. Your skincare products will only be able to produce changes in your complexion if you’re using them regularly. Don’t give up on them too quickly either. Give each product in your routine at least three months of regular use before judging whether or not that product has worked well for you. The good news is that with a simplified skincare routine, you should find it much easier to see how each of your products is working for your skin.
Streamlining Your Skincare Routine to Boost Your Glow
While paring down your skincare routine in an attempt to make your skin look healthier and more radiant may seem counterintuitive, it’s a move that dermatologists have been advising for a long time now. They’ve witnessed a big increase in skin problems that have been caused by an overly complex skincare routine and an overloaded skin barrier, and the only way to turn things around is to change the general mindset when it comes to how long a skincare routine should be. There’s no definitive answer to this – everyone’s skin is different – but don’t assume that longer skincare routines are better. Instead, the opposite is true – go minimal with your skincare and you’ll quickly maximize your glow!
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