Whether it’s down to the misleading advertising that’s commonplace in today’s cosmetics industry or simply our own innate insecurities, many of us tend to have several misplaced concerns when it comes to selecting the right skin care products.
Here’re some common misconceptions.
1. Skin Care Products Lose their Effects after Prolonged Usage.
False!
Your skin only changes through aging or being exposed to different harsh environments. It won’t adapt to the products you’re using and develop a threshold of resistance like how our bodies can build-up a tolerance to caffeine. Think : If vegetables are healthy for you, would they stop being healthy for you after eating them in the long run? No, right? It applies to skin care products as well.
If you’re wondering why your products don’t seem to be as effective as before, think about how much your complexion has improved ever since you began using the said products and it should become pretty obvious why they don’t have the same impact.
2. Eye Creams are a Must!
False!
Cosmetic companies selling eye creams claim that the skin around our eyes is more sensitive and shouldn’t be exposed to unnecessary ingredients. That’s certainly true but it doesn’t necessitate a separate product all together, just a well-formulated one that will work wonders across any area on your face.
Another reasoning by cosmetic companies is that because the skin around our eyes are thinner, eye creams have to be richer than your usual facial products. Ever tried using some brands of eye creams and ended up getting milia seeds? That’s the problem! They are too rich!
Personally, I use Hydrating Serum mixed with Clarifying Serum all over my face including my eyes area. These products are oil-free and will help prevent wrinkles. Always remember that prevention is better than cure.On the right is a testimonial from Rebecca.
3. Toners are a Must!
False!
In the past, toners were used to remove residues that soap were unable to remove. However, cleansers have evolved and nowadays you do not need toners to do that. A good cleanser will be able to do that.
I quote Rona Berg from the author of Beauty, the New Basics : “For many women, toners are the logical next step in a skincare regimen, but I don’t buy it. Literally. Whether they are called balancers, clarifying lotions, skin purifiers, or astringents (the strongest ones), toners are a pricey broth of water, color, preservatives, witch hazel, alcohol — and not much else. In fact, for most women, toners are a redundant product: toners are supposed to remove every last trace of oil, sweat, and makeup from your face — but so will a good cleanser. A toner will make your pores look smaller by swelling the tissue around the pore, but a moisturizer will do the same thing — and more.”
This is an excellent article and I agree with the points that John made. Be warned though, it’s pretty technical and scientific. A few dermatologists, whom I spoke to, also do not believe that toners are needed as a daily regime too.
However, if you still love your toner and believe that there’s some benefit to your skin, go ahead and continue to use it. The bare essential skin care routine is just 3 steps : cleanse –>hydrate/moisturise –>sunscreen(for day only)
4. The prices of skin care products are an indication of their quality and effectiveness.
True and False!
Like many things in life, a product’s true value cannot be accurately captured by its price tag.
Your priority should be the types of ingredients that go into your products because this will determine if they’re suitable for you. You can definitely get the best results from such products without splurging on their more expensive or famous counterparts. However, having said that, good active ingredients do cost and if a product is too cheap, it probably doesn’t have high percentages of active ingredients in there.
For a lot of big brands, you are just paying for the cost of celebrity endorsements, advertisements, etc. They can afford to spend millions on celebrities’ endorsement as that has been priced into your bottle of skin care. Why are you paying for the frills when all you need is a good bottle of skin care product. Check out Skinlycious products for effective and reasonably-priced products.
Read the review by Dr Siew, an aesthetic doctor in Singapore, on one of the most well known luxury creams available – Crème De La Mer. In his review, he mentioned that : “Crème De La Mer is an ultra-rich night cream which works well to heal and anti-age skin. However, its formula, while novel 50 years ago, no longer commands the wonder it did, and definitely not the hefty price tag. Many cheaper creams today work just as well.”
So, again, price does not equate quality and effectiveness.
5. Men should use only men’s range of skincare. Likewise for women.
False!
No doubt there are some differences between men’s and women’s skin. Men’s skin are oilier and thicker, with more facial hair. However, the ingredients used for men and women skin care products are not generally defined by those differences.
The main difference between men’s and women’s skin care product is the smell. Men’s skin care products are usually accompanied with musky fragrance while women’s are infused with more floral or sweet fragrance. Another difference is the packaging with men’s product being more masculine and women’s being more feminine. Dr Siew also weighs in on this topic here with similar views.
The video below explains it all. Are you a smart consumer or are you one who buys into gender marketing?
6. My skin is clean only when I feel that it’s tight after washing.
False!
If you are experiencing tightness after using a cleanser, it’s screaming to you that the cleanser is not suitable for you. It’s either too harsh for you, or it’s the wrong cleanser for your skin type, or you are using too much cleanser per wash.
I’ve had experience where a few of my customers feedback that Skinlycious Anti-Acne Wash (now known as Calming Cleanser) is too dry for them. However, after troubleshooting with them, we realised that one was using 3 cleansers for her skin care routine. After removing one of her cleansers, her skin was no longer dry with our anti-acne wash. Another was a guy who was over-zealous with cleansing. Instead of using the recommended dime-size amount, he used double that quantity. After reducing the amount of wash per use, his skin is no longer dry and his acne condition has improved.
7. We can remove wrinkles just by using skin care products.
False!
Just like a slowing metabolism, fading memories and taxes, those creases etching their way across our faces are signs that we’re growing older. You can slow down the ageing process but you just can’t prevent it totally. Aesthetic dermatologists are not going out of business as procedures remain the quickest and most effective way for wrinkle removal.
But there’re several measures that you can take to mitigate the inevitable decrease of collagen – the structural protein that keeps your skin nice and firm – that is part and parcel of the aging process. Prevention is always better than cure.
Go out and enjoy the sun to get that healthy glowing tan but make sure you apply enough sunscreen because constant exposure to the sun’s rays can accelerate the aging of your skin. If you’re put off by thick lotions which leave you looking like you’ve been slathered in grease, you may want to consider Skinlycious’ Multi-protection Mineral Sunscreen which is non-oily and has a light consistency while boasting a sun protection factor (SPF) of 41.
You may wish to use Skinlycious’ Clarifying Serum which staves off both wrinkles and fine lines by stimulating the production of collagen.
Also, wrinkles shouldn’t be confused with the fine lines that sometimes appear due to dryness – Skinlycious’ Hydrating Serum or any decent moisturizer can easily remedy that problem.
8. You have acne because you have been lazy in cleaning.
True and False!
Having acne is no fault of yours unless you have really been lazy in cleansing. Then, you really got yourself to blame. A lot of times, acne is multifactorial! Acne can be caused by our raging/changing hormones, diet, makeup, lifestyle, etc
Acne forms when our pores are clogged(sometimes by our over-zealous oil glands or our environment or non-thorough cleansing), the acne bacteria multiplies and outbreak occurs. I had been an acne sufferer with low-self-esteem for decade before finding my antidote. Skinlycious anti-acne bundle (now consist of Calming Cleanser, Glow Exfoliant and Hydrating Serum) is my cure.
9. Only Cosmetics that have been tested on Animal are safe for human use.
False!
It’s ironic how advertisements paint a story of how different areas of your face require specialized products while many cosmetic companies still continue to rely on animal testing to maintain the safety standards of their products.
I’m a firm advocate against such cruelty and Skinlycious’ entire collection is a statement of that belief.
As any of my customers will attest, it’s entirely possible to benefit from safe and healthy products that have been tested on cell cultures or donated human tissue without subjecting any sentient creatures to suffering.
After all, what’s the point of beautifying your face when you’re scarring your conscience?
P.S. If you find any brand of skin care products that are sold in China and Russia, they are not cruelty-free. Any skin care products that are sold in China and Russia have to go through mandatory animal testings. Sad but true. You can find this info on Peta’s website.