Skin has survived all of history, so why is everyone’s skin so flawed now? 

The truth is, it’s not. Skincare groups and fanatics alike all skip important phrases such as “results vary” to make it seem like your face needs that new acid or that new exotic moisturizer. 

For example, when looking up “Do skincare acids really work,” one headline claims “What are acids, and why do you need them in your skincare routine?” Now, pay attention. The title of this article is deliberately crafted to make you believe you NEED their product.

This isn’t the only way that you’re potentially being manipulated though; multiple companies make use of these propaganda techniques all the time. 

Companies use aging as a marketing tool, giving the idea that women and men alike shouldn’t age. They are deliberately shaming people for aging. 

To counter the effects of aging skin, companies advertise that their skincare treatment will provide “anti-aging” effects giving you a more “radiant” and “youthful” appearance. 

Your skin just doesn’t work like that. Skin naturally loses youth and clarity over time.

A common way to combat these effects is good moisturization. Moisturization isn’t anything magical, but they can help for sure. Doctors at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) say that moisturizing daily traps water in the skin, which reduces fine lines and makes the skin appear brighter and younger.

Although some treatments (such as the ones listed before) may make your skin look healthier and more firm, it cannot reverse the effects. Treatments claiming to make you look 20 years younger overnight are just marketing ploy.

Meanwhile, they charge outrageous prices to convince you that what you’re buying is high quality and uses good ingredients. This is wrong. 

Additionally, companies will run advertisements arguing you need a multi-step system to care for your skin–hocking the idea that you can’t buy just one cleanser, but you need four or five other steps (and products) to achieve the goal. <cha ching>

Dermatology experts agree that to keep your skin healthy will take a three step process at most. Everything after that is extra and has no promises to work any better or any less.

Renée Rouleau, a trained esthetician and someone who spent 30 years researching skin, stated that “your skin care routine should be three steps.” These steps, agreed by many, are cleansing (that’s just washing your face with soap), toning/balancing the skin, and moisturizing. 

Insecurity is the name of the game for these companies. They profit off of making you believe it’s wrong to age. Your skin needs special products in order to remain forever young. 

Some may argue that skincare companies and associates have to make a living, too. It’s the consumer’s fault for buying into it.

To this, I say that there’s ways to get customers and make money without making people self-conscious or insecure in their skin. 

As my final statement on this topic, I’d like to say that the public should see past this delusion and realize that beauty products will not fix your skin as they claim. Your skin is perfectly fine the way it is, regardless of how companies present it.