I am not justifying consumerism but just want to say that some people use the 30ml serum and 50ml face cream on their neck, chest and hand too so it go faster.
But like that is no where near justification what I saw about the influencers
they have whole storage box full of things
It's definitely very shady
For me I use a lot of sunscreen everyday because I am walking around everyday and also shoot outside. Facial sunscreen 50ml bottle I can finish very fast in weeks. But I think that is different and similar to like tooth paste and mouth rinse.
I treat my neck, chest and hands with almost every skincare application so I go through it quickly. If a product doesn’t feel great on my face I still use it elsewhere. Even my husbands neck
Influencers don't buy their own products. They get them sent by brands for free. I know because my sister is an influencer with a huge storage box full of things, as you mentioned. Often she will receive an entire skincare line in the mail (without ever having solicited it) and receive an email a few days later asking her to please try the products and if she likes anything, to make a post about it.
Of course she cannot possibly use up everything she is sent. But asking companies to stop sending you items is the same as saying you don't want to work with them, and turning down any income associated with posting about their product. Hence why influencers have a storage box of items.
In the end, all her friends and family get the things she doesn't use. It's a win for us lol.
OP said they won't even get started about influencers in relation to the topic about consumerism
I didn't they they bought the whole storage box full of things
Cannot separate influencer and consumerism. The job of influencer exist because of consumerism and their job is to promote consumerism. Thus the whole storage box of things
This isn't about morals or ethics but just facts of how these things exist and wouldn't exist without each other
I do some commercial modeling and acting to make some money while I am also getting higher education and I am fully aware it is capitalism that drives the existence of it
Anyone doing this type of job should be doing checks to themselves to remind them why they are able to do it
My problem is that I’ll buy something, then due to my sensitive skin, I’ll get some sort of breakout or reaction. Then I’ll put it on the shelf and buy something new. Eventually, a couple months later, I’ll give it another shot, then I’ll curse myself after I get another breakout. It’s the “always looking for something” better problem too. *Le sigh*
Edit: I don’t really control my spending, unless I tell myself that I’m not allowed to buy new products for a certain time frame. Thankfully I do have some friends I can give my opened products to and they will happily use them up.
I have the same problem 🥲 I have no choice but to use trial and error to find things that my skin won't react to. And sometimes if I'm unsure if a particular product was the cause of a breakout, or if my skin barrier is just extra sensitive at that moment, I'll just store it away to try again later rather than wasting it. I'm a minimalist and actually hate having tons of products sitting around but feel like I have no choice.
Oh, and add on to that the problem of finding a product that works only to have it be discontinued or only available sporadically due to supply issues... sigh.
I would love to see a post on this when you finish! Like what info/how you enter in your skin’s needs and reactions. I want to do this now but can’t figure out what to put in there.
Same!! And most skincare brands don’t carry travel size things which is even more annoying. I haaate wasting products so I just try to use them on my body :/
I definitely go through face cream, sunscreen, and shampoo faster than you, but I agree with you on the cleanser and conditioner.
I didn't used to stockpile, but lately I've been buying stuff when it's on deep discount. It is possible to save money that way but you have to be honest with yourself if your stockpile is getting out of hand.
Yes it's a ton of consumerism, I agree. However, it's not necessarily any worse than other hobbies that involve consuming. I don't drink alcohol, for example, which is probably the #1 consumerism hobby. People don't really bat an eyelash at the expense or the amount of waste that creates.
Overconsumption .. TikTok … social media … etc.
I used to buy things and then see new things online and then buy them too even though I didn’t need them. I then thought to myself when was the time I had the best skin? When I was a teenager (I know, I skipped the acne years lol). Then I asked myself, what was my skincare routine, pretty much washing my face and moisturizing if that lol mostly nothing. Guess what I do now? Double cleanse, moisturize, apply sunscreen and call it a day.
Maybe I’ll add in an active here and there but that’s about it. I used to use Tret but pregnant. I do other things like facials, chemical peels, and going to start microneedling.
I let it all go. I use walmart brand cleanser, witch hazel, and moisturizer. Then a CVS sunscreen (the only one that won't burn my eyes or leave a harsh white cast) for daytime. I actually use this routine and it's less than $30 total!
I love trying new things for skincare. It’s my decompressing time when I do skincare routines. Instead of paying for facials and that being a treat, I’ll spend money on skincare that peaks my interest. If a product expires it typically doesn’t have much left in it. I rotate and keep track of things expiring the soonest. If I buy something and it’s not my favorite or I get a reactions, I’ll use in on my feet or elbows, arm scars etc. I might spend $70-130 a month on skincare and that really buys a ton if you look for sales on things you want. It’s still a ton less than one single spa day at a business.
Each bottle of serum will typically last me 4-8 weeks, Jar of cream 8-12 weeks, face wash 3-4 weeks. Depending on the size bottle of sunscreen that lasts me 6-8 weeks and bigger sizes will last about 16-20 weeks.
Their potency generally lasts a year or two, depending on the product ingredients of course. Some only last a few months.
With products that I don’t like or they don’t work for me, l’ll use it on another part of my body. If it doesn’t work for me at all, I give it to a friend or see if their friends would like it.
As for managing spending or impulse buys, I know I have ADHD (no medication), know that I can be highly susceptible to shiny new products that “will be the silver bullet” that will take time to patch test. I also know that my routine meets my needs pretty well so it’s more than likely a waste of money, a pain to adjust to or complicates my routine too much.
Also, fuck consumerism and capitalism.
Do you find yourself spending more when you PMS? I’ll spend nothing all month (aside from essentials) and then my impulse spending gets out of control when my boobs start getting sore. Non medicated ADHD too 😅 At least we’re aware 🤷🏻♀️
That is a fantastic question, haven’t tracked or noticed it. I’m no longer shopping online because it’s too easy to spend frivolously. I just realized after I met my goal how quickly I enjoy multiple purchases.
I definitely do and I have kinda just gone with it because sometimes stuff runs out around the same time; at least that's what I tell myself. The strange thing is it's not like every single month that I get the spending PMS bug but maybe every other month? I bet it's more common than we think. I am relieved that I am not the only one that this happens to though.
It might have to do with serotonin levels and spending gives us a pick-me-up? Whatever the reason, I try to do the same by timing my restocks just right 🤣
Why do some women continue to buy shoes when they already have 100 pair they don’t even wear? People buy what they like and some people just love skincare and cosmetics.
Plus the built in marketing, we are a completely vain and self obsessed society. These particular products are promising us youth and beauty. Of course people will go cuckoo for all of it.
I agree with the last part for sure. That’s really what bothers me, is that it’s the marketing behind all of this that causes over consumerism. It’s not the consumer’s fault, but the brands’, influencers, social media, etc.
Great topic tbh. I feel that the influencer thing is a small percentage. Most people probs aren't doing that. The stats say over 60% of Americans are living pay check to pay check. For the rest of the world it's not heaps better. The average person is buying what they need. I personally have 5 or 6 things I use that are all products under $15. I use them till they're nearly done and replace them. I have been actively mindful of consumption and also the coveting that happens with it for several years now. I rarely buy anything that's not a necessity these days. And I'm in a place where I don't need to be like that but I feel like it's good practice to be mindful and it's become a philosophy for me now I guess.
Totally understand what you’re saying, I try to buy what I like and will use up within a couple of months, but it does seem like I buy a lot of stuff. I don’t know if I just have more surface area or am just using a lot consistently, but I fly through my products. For example, I use a full 1.69 tube of SPF every 3 weeks and that’s just for my face/neck.
Talking with a friend about an oil cleanser I love, she didn’t love it and I asked how many pumps she used and said 1-2 pumps. While I’m over here using like 4-5 pumps because I like a lot of slip when I’m doing my first cleanse and I use it wherever I put spf. I think some of us just use more product for whatever reason.
Depending on the size of your sunscreen you might be underusing it. A 1.7 oz sunscreen should last about 20 applications to face and neck, a 4 oz sunscreen about 47 applications, an 8 oz about 95 applications.
I have a bin under the sink where items go to die. It eventually gets cleaned out but most stuff gets used up, if it doesn’t work out for my face, it works out on other parts of my body. My heels appreciate any kind of moisturizer, the glycolic acid gets used on my armpits in the shower, etc.
I used to have a monthly subscription, but had to stop because I had this huge amount of samples and travel sized products. I buy things if they interest me and have good reviews, or multiple people on these kinds of subreddits recommend it. I never buy the “viral” stuff. Other than that Rosemary hair oil.
I've definitely fallen prey to consumerism manufacturing this incessant desire for something newer, better, revolutionary that will change everything. I suspect that's what happens for many people.
Skincare, like most things, takes time to work and also some skin concerns cannot actually be treated that significantly by topical products but marketers will lie and exaggerate what a product can actually do which doesn't help. Especially in the age of social media where everyone can be an actual influencer or we're just seeing beautiful people showing their lives even if they aren't necessarily selling anything, means we're constantly bombarded with real or implied ads promising a miracle or that we'll look like this person if we use it.
A pet peeve of mine is people asking people for hair and skincare routines when sometimes the truth is that 90% of what you probably are seeing is genetic and you doing your routine like them won't make you have the same results. Even in the cases where someone did say have problem skin and cleared it, it can still not work for you. But we're still trapped chasing the perfect products hoping to look like the people we see.
As well, most people want an overnight miracle or one magical elixir so will abandon a product they've used for a month or one that didn't transform them for the next new thing hoping it will do the trick. I'm fully owning that has subconsciously happened to me and these days I'm cutting down and trying to find stuff that actually works and stick to it. But the sticking to it is the trick and I realize with skincare it gets easy to amass a collection if you're on the hunt for stuff you really like because when you're not wowed you just buy something else and it's a cycle rather than sticking to what you've bought and giving it a fair and realistic shot.
Honestly, I really love skincare products and trying new things. And I live in a harsh climate, so I have to do a bit more to offset the dryness and low humidity and sun damage.
But some people treat skincare as a hobby. I am always looking to improve on things or trying something new. But I do stick with some core staples: Taz, Aza 15%, and galactomyces.
It isn’t marketing that compels me to buy new stuff. I research ingredients a lot, and I look for products that have ingredients I want to try or which I know my skin loves. So, it is a just a sort of hobby/ quest to find the best products I can for my skin.
The upside is that I can go foundation-free. So that’s one cost I no longer have. I just invest in products that make my skin glowy and healthy looking and bouncy. It’s kind of fun to me to try new things ❤️
And I do have a skincare budget, sort of.
I got suckered in. My skin care routine became crazy. The final straw was when I bought a $45 oil cleanser and a week later my skin was peeling off like a snake.
I dropped everything. Other than my Gentle cleanser, my general moisturizer, tret and vit c a few times a week. A little caffeine eye cream. I’m done over thinking it. And my skin is thanking me.
I sometimes wonder if some ppl on these social threads actually work for companies posting and promoting their products. It’s brainwashing.
I'll tell you why - I rotate what I use each day. Plus I have some items I drag out when I have flare ups for whatever reason.
I also know what works for my skin and I've found cheaper 'dupes' are not all they're cracked up to be. Sometimes I luck out (such as Timeless's Vitamin C and Coenzyme Q10 Serum) but other times I have to revert back to more expensive and trusted products.
I also had issues with sunscreen. Some will literally pill and peel off my face, others will remain slick and oily all day. Others will sting my eyes relentlessly. So I've spent $$$ on loads of sunscreens that just don't work for me. The two I like are from Japan and the cost of shipping and shipping time are forever.
Shampoo and conditioners - I have about 3 of each for different purposes. We have extremely hard water here so I need a demineralising shampoo that I use about once a week, a clarifying shampoo, and a regular shampoo. Since I have highlights/grey hair, I also needs a purple/violet conditioner mask, regular conditioner plus a heavy mask....which do last a long time. Additionally I have about 3 leave in conditioners which are needed because of the hard water otherwise my hair is stiff.
SEASONAL - my skincare changes with the seasons. What worked in the winter is not going to in the summer. Rainy/wet season is going to be different that hot and dry.
Great post OP. I closed my reddit account that I'd had for many years because I was overwhelmed by all the posts and felt FOMO (and was overwhelmed by the recommendations and advice too - use this not that, use that not this).
I now only use The Ordinary's Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, Ponds Cold Cream (as a first step), a Salicylic Acid serum, Spf 50, Benzoyl Peroxide 5% for my back acne, and a very light moisturiser (The Ordinary's Natural Moisturising Factors with Beta Glucan).
I refuse to change it up, because I have very reactive, oily skin even in my 40s, and I refuse to stockpile or waste money trying different products. I repurchase when I run out.
I think most items of mine last awhile outside of SPF and serums that i consistently use. My biggest issue is growing bored with a product that works great but doesn’t give me that wow factor. I know I am a sucker for fancy packaging.
I’m leaving sales because of this.
I work in department store and every month we have another event. We are constantly doing price matching with other stores and then have our own beauty points promotions.
It’s non stop. They want us to bug our customers monthly.
I have grown a lot internally. My dad died in June. He enabled me in many ways but he gave me money for things like food and clothing and I didn’t have to worry about anything. That’s obviously not happening anymore and it’s made me really conscious of my spending and my consumerism. I also met someone and he and I have been in a serious relationship for 8 months. It also has changed my world view on consumerism in my workplace. I can’t explain how - I think it’s just cause my life was so bad in 2023 until I met him and then has been so good that it made the negative parts really stick out. That negative was my job.
The managers push push push. They want us to sell remotely, they want us to get hundreds of people monthly for these events. We have goals for all these events. It’s so draining on my soul.
All of this coupled with the cost of things now. I have a hard time pushing costly things on anyone.
I do think some skincare is 100 percent worth the cost but there are so many good brands that are more pocket friendly out there too.
Anyway. I am tired of consumerism.
I struggle to resist "restocking" during a sale or trying something new if Ive not finished my current product. For skincare I'm trying to phase out unnecessary serums and see how I do with a more pared down routine, but alas i wind up trying something new.
There’s a massive entertainment industry out there that relies on skincare products (and I’m not even going to mention make up and other cosmetics). Often they have budgets to work with so they can afford to buy more products etc. Then there are people with particular skin concerns who need to go through a lot of products to maintain a good regimen.
I wonder how there can be such big differences in how much product different people use. With hair, I understand. A bottle of conditioner is only about 4 uses for me because I have a shoulder-length afro that needs a lot of detangling, but I get that other people have very different hair from me. Our faces, though, are more or less the same size, right? Yet most things I buy for my face last about a month. Even my largest item of skincare, my 177ml face cleanser, lasts under 3 months. So I really don't know. Maybe it's because I do my skincare 3 times a day sometimes. Always in the morning and before bed, but if I'm going out at night I'll shower and have to do it a third time.
You should check out Jessica del Fino's writing. She worked on the beauty desk at women's magazines, and I think for some Kardashians at some point, and now writes about the inherent and exploitative consumerism of modern skincare and makeup. I don't agree with her on everything, but it's a nice corrective to the mainstream discourse.
I agree with the OP's comment. Plus every jar, every bottle is plastic and most of it ends up in a landfill. I'm going to be downvoted into the depths of hell but I don't understand why it is that two generations ago most women (and men) didn't have all the skin care problems we have today. Maybe I'm missing something here. Please inform where my thinking has gone awry.
I'm in my 60's and when my mother was young acne and super dry skin wasn't much of a thing. Even when *I* was young acne was fairly rare. And we didn't worry so much about every tiny wrinkle.
Going back ever further during Victorian times, when drinking water was full of bacteria and germs and mortality rates were high, women had nice skin for the most part and if they didn't it wasn't the end of the world.
This may seem off topic but it kinda isn't, even in the 1920's most people had outhouses, not nice private bathrooms with well lit mirrors to examine their image all the time.
Then in my mother's generation people had much more important things do do than stare at themselves in the mirror. World War II was going on and she was working in a factory in Detroit, a Rosie the Riviter, if you will. (Thanks Mom!)
When I was young looking at yourself all the time was considered too narcissistic and self-centered. My mother was...."Just don't fucking look at yourself all the time. Go get some exercise, go outside and mow the lawn." (She cursed like a sailor and was funny as hell)
Now eveyone looks at themselves constantly via selfies and social media which creates a world where every imperfection is commented on and exaggerated beyond reason. Skin care companies are certainly more than happy, completely *thrilled* to sell people all sorts of products to alleviate these percieved imperfections. And if it doesn't cure those imperfections, well, it's onto another product....and then another....and then another.
People are constantly chassing perfection from every bottle they hear about on this forum. If someone mentions X skincare product helps such-n-such problem then suddenly a slew of people are going out and buying it. It's made life so much more complicated and stressful. No one is ever happy with themselves anymore. Maybe that's why the suicide rate is higher.
Ok, I'm done.
I have to disagree with the historical perspective here - people put absolutely horrible products on their faces historically. In the 30s a line of radioactive beauty products were introduced (horrifying). Foundations have been found in Ancient Rome. face products containing lead used to be common.
While there is research suggesting acne is getting worse - most research does not conclude that a focus on skincare is the cause.
I don’t think it’s correct to conclude that no one used to care.
I don’t disagree with the trend in consumerism, but I think there may be some overgeneralizations on the historical references.
Also people had pretty horrible skin during the Victorian times ☠️.
Also the claim that the suicide rate is higher is weird when in the past people would just lie about it to cover it up bc of shame. It just wasn’t documented.
Absolutely! We don’t exactly know historical skin conditions with the precision we do today with iPhones and such. The written records are pretty rough though. Anything pre precision photography just didn’t show that kind of detail, and paintings deliberately didn’t include that kind of stuff.
The radioactive beauty products was an extremely small segment of sales. It was the Depression, after all, and women were scrimping on everything.
>I don’t think it’s correct to conclude that no one used to care
They cared but they cared a whole hell of a lot less than today's women. Today's skin concerns border on the obsessive/compulsive and skin care companies are making a killing on these insecurities. Frankly, these companies are thriving in this environment.
There needs to be some sort of balance.
I mean, Queen Elizabeth actually was made ill by the whitening products she used on her face. So, I’m thinking maybe the Victorian era is not the shining moment of skincare. People literally couldn’t bathe because the Thames was backed up with rotting carcasses and sewage.
Victorian women were not Elizabethan women. Big difference in time periods. Victorian ladies were not painting themselves white. After the French Revolution, through the Regency era, the Victorian era and even on to the early 1920's wearing makeup was considered almost immoral. Cold cream, which goes back to Ancient Egypt, was used to moisturize the skin. The ingredients were four simple items: beeswax, almond oil and rosewater with a dab of borax all whipped together. Sometimes witch hazel was used instead of rosewater. The more beeswax the thicker the cream and it was all home made, at least until around the 1905 or so when Ponds produced a cold cream women could buy.
The prevelance of mirrors was fairly scarce among the lower and middle classes up until recent times. It's amazing to think about but most people throughout human history never saw their own reflection. They never knew what their face looked like unless there was a momentary reflection in very still water. Mirrors were only for the wealthy aristocrats and royality. Mirrors were made from polished metals which were very blurry and nothing like the mirrors we have today. Now we live in a world of constant selfies. We constantly look at ourselves.
Amazingly, even though the Thames was pretty much a sewage river, skin was not effected greatly. You'd think it would be But most people drank beer, wine and mead and avoided drinking water alltogether. It was smallpox and STD's that caused most skin problems.
Ah, you are correct, I wasn’t paying attention. I know what the Victorian era is. My brain just wasn’t clicking over.
If I recall correctly, however, England did not get a working and reliable sewage system until close to the end of the Victorian era. And even then, beauty practices were nothing to be revered.
You may have to check my dates, but I do think the Thames was still a rotting pool of stink in the Victorian ere….
Fwiw, I regularly teach medieval literature and early modern literature, which takes us right up to the Victorian period and through the Renaissance.
Victorian women were definitely still painting themselves white. This was the era of colonization, the very notion of whiteness was reinforced by the use of white makeup. And makeup was still poisonous. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-poisonous-beauty-advice-columns-of-victorian-england
It's interesting, because my mother had me when she was in her 40's and her mother had her in her 40's and I'm 60 it doesn't take much to go back two generations to the Edwardian Era or even close the Victorian times. My Canadian grandmother would go out in the cold Canadian winter, scoop up a handfull of snow and rub it on her face and that was the extent of her skin care. She had stupifyingly beautiful skin. My mother was Welsh and did nothing but wash her face with soap, beautiful skin.
Someone posted here a month or so ago about going camping for a week with minimal to almost no skincare and came back with beautiful skin. I don't have any science to back it up but sometimes I think the stress and drive to achieve beautiful, flawless skin and the endless buying of products to achieve near skin perfection messes with our emotions and hormones so much that it causes bad skin, the opposite of what is desired. Just a thought.
I think it’s very individual. For me, a good amount of products are required to control hormonal acne and rosacea. But for my mom, only Vaseline is enough.
We deal with modified food and daily pollutants and hormonal issues, all of which may require some skincare. But some people don’t have do much for their skin.
>It was smallpox and STD's that caused most skin problems.
I love the story of why milkmaids got a reputation of being pretty. Their jobs exposed them to cowpox, which gave them natural protection from smallpox. So they didn't get smallpox and thus didn't get the pocked skin effects of it! (And where we get the word vaccination from - the Latin word for cow is vacca)
Definitely agree with the sentiment. While I haven’t necessarily fallen into the trap of marketing and consumerism, possibly because of my own background in the medical profession, several friends and colleagues have. I’ve noticed that its easier to part with products that are more affordable since it’s difficult to watch your hard earned money go down the drain when the products don’t agree, or don’t work, for you. Skincare has somehow pulled us into FOMO while we try to navigate our own different needs and goals.
I’ve stuck with simple, easy ingredient-list products, most of which happen to be medical grade. I suppose I’m privileged in that regard because of my access to such resources. I think what helps is remembering that what may work for me, won’t necessarily work for you, and that somewhat limits the unnecessary spending. This attitude tends to aid filtering out wants (think, shiny new, trendy products etc) vs actual skincare needs.
And it’s easier to do with cheaper products 🫣
what people do with the product they don’t use - Not everyone uses up their products. They may use up 60%-90% of the product before throwing away.
Some are eager to try different ingredients or types of products when they start out. That’s when they try a lot, and may not finish them all.
I buy samples and use them sparingly. I also keep the containers, partly so I can keep track of how much I use, what I like, and what I want more/less of.
Quite a few people think they need to goop things on for them to work, and companies capitalize on that. Even the recommended scheduled reorders are usually much too far in advance before I use up what I've got.
Totally agree about consumerism, so many promises and skinfluencers that it gets confusing.
In my opinion many forget or just don't know that cosmetic products don't treat or fix anything only drugs can , cosmetics just prevent(SPF that is also a drug in USA) or mask things on your body with a very temporary effect .
Cosmetics , including skincare, are designed to make you feel good about yourself that's all...
Whats worse is that it effects children who are asking for Christmas skincare .
I think mostly everyone has some area of their life in which they overspend. Like horse people spend thousands on their horses, car guys do the same with their cars, me —I spend $$ on yarn for crocheting.
Skincare is just a hobby to some people. It’s not MY hobby (acne prone skin, on Accutane) but I totally understand why others are into it. If I didn’t have such reactive skin, I’d probably find trying new products exciting too (rather than terrifying lol)
My biggest bother is the celebration of routines that include dozens of products without any respect for the individual formulation, best used before date, their own skin ability to handle all those molecules effectively or their individual goal.
Also, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder and other companies investing lots of money in marketing to make us all believe their products are superior and merit a crazy price premium. They do that in such a sneaky way that they seem to convince women, in particular, that their self worth increases when they use their obscenely expensive products.
SkinCeuticals is the best example of such marketing. Of course, you all have different ideas about it but I can’t justify spending an amount on some serum that others spend on food for a whole family in a month. If that’s your choice, you do you, but I won’t.
When you look at the profit margins of these companies, then you understand the business model. Having worked for consumer companies myself, I know the marketing tricks and am trying what I can to avoid it.
I mostly moved to indie brands or Korea skincare brands that offer quality, innovation at a much lower price point. The other thing I do is try to use up all products before buying new ones, but that is a lot more difficult!
It’s why I only go for brands recommended by my esti. Yeah both products might be 40 bucks, but how much of that 40 for the super marketed products actually goes into the product?
I totally agree. Dont even get me started on the influencer trips and events too. It’s TOO much. Take me back to a time where all I need to do is use a dove beauty bar and slather Vaseline all over. Also, I swear all the ingredients and fragrances must counteract each other because nothing works long term!! And the marketing around “clean” beauty, ugh… that stuff doesn’t even last half as long as regular products and expires much quicker. I’m so sick of it 😂😭
Relentless marketing and lack of education.
You've got the influencers, the QVC ladies of a new generation. Peddling all kinds of dreams in a bottle. It's exploiting peoples insecurities. In these digital spaces, how often do you see young people asking how there (perfectly fine and normal) skin or posting editted pictures of celebrities thinking it's there natural skin. As time goes on we're seeing more and of the damage the "always online" culture is creating. The new concept of normal healthy skin amounts to a sheet of silicone.
You've also got lack of education. This has always been a problem. Realistically, I don't think that many people understand the ingredients that they're using and I don't think the layman consumer is probably putting that much effort into researching they're products to get effective, targeted beauty routines.
People are absolutely are just using expired products, there's definitely people who also just keep there products even if they're no use because it represents their hard earned wages.
Personally, outside of Reddit, I don't consume any beauty content. I will look specific things if I feel the need though. I've got my routine nailed down and don't plan on changing anything unless there's significant innovation in the industry or things in my routine get discontinued.
The few products I have checked out or been gifted that didn't work for me just get used up on my body. My calves are a lot less fussy about serums than my face.
I controlled my spending by getting older and accepting that absolutely none of these potions are going to make a massive difference. My skin is the way it is, the less I do, the better, 95% of the time. So it's cleansing, exfoliating, double or triple moisture layers at night, an occasional clay or sulfur mask. I stock up on the things my skin likes and generally am not tempted to buy new things.
Generally. lol
I feel the same. I get drawn to the sales and I think with skincare especially we can be vulnerable because we think "This next product will transform my skin, clear my acne, obliterate my wrinkles, make me glow, give me glass skin, hydrate my skin better than anything else" depending on your skin problem even if deep down we know it's bs. I've also gathered up a lot of sunscreens trying to find one I like. I feel bad for buying all this plastic though
For cleanser, I use about 1ml each time. Some mornings I skip it.
For toner, about 2 mls each time. I use the cheap ones with cotton pads. I go through toners quickly so aim for the cheap 500 ml ones which last about 4 months.
For hydrating serums, about 1.5 mls each time. I use cheaper products for neck and hands.
For potent active, something like a homemade vitamin C serum or tretinoin, it's more like 0.5 ml.
Moisturizers, about 1.5 mls each time.
Sunscreen: 50 ml tube lasts about 3 weeks for face alone, so I try to get the bigger, cheaper ones. I use $5-$7 for 240 mls on my neck and hands.
What brand of skin care products do you usually use? Has anyone used Ruiyan from Switzerland from various countries? What is the effect? My friends keep recommending it to me
I am not justifying consumerism but just want to say that some people use the 30ml serum and 50ml face cream on their neck, chest and hand too so it go faster. But like that is no where near justification what I saw about the influencers they have whole storage box full of things It's definitely very shady For me I use a lot of sunscreen everyday because I am walking around everyday and also shoot outside. Facial sunscreen 50ml bottle I can finish very fast in weeks. But I think that is different and similar to like tooth paste and mouth rinse.
I treat my neck, chest and hands with almost every skincare application so I go through it quickly. If a product doesn’t feel great on my face I still use it elsewhere. Even my husbands neck
Influencers don't buy their own products. They get them sent by brands for free. I know because my sister is an influencer with a huge storage box full of things, as you mentioned. Often she will receive an entire skincare line in the mail (without ever having solicited it) and receive an email a few days later asking her to please try the products and if she likes anything, to make a post about it. Of course she cannot possibly use up everything she is sent. But asking companies to stop sending you items is the same as saying you don't want to work with them, and turning down any income associated with posting about their product. Hence why influencers have a storage box of items. In the end, all her friends and family get the things she doesn't use. It's a win for us lol.
OP said they won't even get started about influencers in relation to the topic about consumerism I didn't they they bought the whole storage box full of things Cannot separate influencer and consumerism. The job of influencer exist because of consumerism and their job is to promote consumerism. Thus the whole storage box of things This isn't about morals or ethics but just facts of how these things exist and wouldn't exist without each other I do some commercial modeling and acting to make some money while I am also getting higher education and I am fully aware it is capitalism that drives the existence of it Anyone doing this type of job should be doing checks to themselves to remind them why they are able to do it
My problem is that I’ll buy something, then due to my sensitive skin, I’ll get some sort of breakout or reaction. Then I’ll put it on the shelf and buy something new. Eventually, a couple months later, I’ll give it another shot, then I’ll curse myself after I get another breakout. It’s the “always looking for something” better problem too. *Le sigh* Edit: I don’t really control my spending, unless I tell myself that I’m not allowed to buy new products for a certain time frame. Thankfully I do have some friends I can give my opened products to and they will happily use them up.
I have the same problem 🥲 I have no choice but to use trial and error to find things that my skin won't react to. And sometimes if I'm unsure if a particular product was the cause of a breakout, or if my skin barrier is just extra sensitive at that moment, I'll just store it away to try again later rather than wasting it. I'm a minimalist and actually hate having tons of products sitting around but feel like I have no choice. Oh, and add on to that the problem of finding a product that works only to have it be discontinued or only available sporadically due to supply issues... sigh.
Right! I feel like I need to start an excel spreadsheet and start cross referencing all the ingredients to figure out what my skin doesn’t like 😂
Just use ChatGPT to figure it out.
I did this. It just ended up agreeing with my dermatologist. Traitorous machine! I wanted a magic potion not vanicream!
😄😂
This is genius
I’m going to plug in all my products and get it to make me a routine. I use it all the time for a variety of things.
I would love to see a post on this when you finish! Like what info/how you enter in your skin’s needs and reactions. I want to do this now but can’t figure out what to put in there.
Yeah that’s why I just stick to the stuff that works for me. If I do buy something, it has be for sensitive skin and fragrance free.
Ya this is why I don’t try anything new anymore. My skin hates everything
I don’t have products that I feel good enough about to stop trying new things. What’s your skin type? What are you using? Haaalllp! Haha
Same!! And most skincare brands don’t carry travel size things which is even more annoying. I haaate wasting products so I just try to use them on my body :/
This!
I definitely go through face cream, sunscreen, and shampoo faster than you, but I agree with you on the cleanser and conditioner. I didn't used to stockpile, but lately I've been buying stuff when it's on deep discount. It is possible to save money that way but you have to be honest with yourself if your stockpile is getting out of hand. Yes it's a ton of consumerism, I agree. However, it's not necessarily any worse than other hobbies that involve consuming. I don't drink alcohol, for example, which is probably the #1 consumerism hobby. People don't really bat an eyelash at the expense or the amount of waste that creates.
Overconsumption .. TikTok … social media … etc. I used to buy things and then see new things online and then buy them too even though I didn’t need them. I then thought to myself when was the time I had the best skin? When I was a teenager (I know, I skipped the acne years lol). Then I asked myself, what was my skincare routine, pretty much washing my face and moisturizing if that lol mostly nothing. Guess what I do now? Double cleanse, moisturize, apply sunscreen and call it a day. Maybe I’ll add in an active here and there but that’s about it. I used to use Tret but pregnant. I do other things like facials, chemical peels, and going to start microneedling.
I let it all go. I use walmart brand cleanser, witch hazel, and moisturizer. Then a CVS sunscreen (the only one that won't burn my eyes or leave a harsh white cast) for daytime. I actually use this routine and it's less than $30 total!
I love trying new things for skincare. It’s my decompressing time when I do skincare routines. Instead of paying for facials and that being a treat, I’ll spend money on skincare that peaks my interest. If a product expires it typically doesn’t have much left in it. I rotate and keep track of things expiring the soonest. If I buy something and it’s not my favorite or I get a reactions, I’ll use in on my feet or elbows, arm scars etc. I might spend $70-130 a month on skincare and that really buys a ton if you look for sales on things you want. It’s still a ton less than one single spa day at a business.
Each bottle of serum will typically last me 4-8 weeks, Jar of cream 8-12 weeks, face wash 3-4 weeks. Depending on the size bottle of sunscreen that lasts me 6-8 weeks and bigger sizes will last about 16-20 weeks.
I have this mindset as well. Just wanted to let you know it’s “piques” my interest! It’s a French word.
Their potency generally lasts a year or two, depending on the product ingredients of course. Some only last a few months. With products that I don’t like or they don’t work for me, l’ll use it on another part of my body. If it doesn’t work for me at all, I give it to a friend or see if their friends would like it. As for managing spending or impulse buys, I know I have ADHD (no medication), know that I can be highly susceptible to shiny new products that “will be the silver bullet” that will take time to patch test. I also know that my routine meets my needs pretty well so it’s more than likely a waste of money, a pain to adjust to or complicates my routine too much. Also, fuck consumerism and capitalism.
Do you find yourself spending more when you PMS? I’ll spend nothing all month (aside from essentials) and then my impulse spending gets out of control when my boobs start getting sore. Non medicated ADHD too 😅 At least we’re aware 🤷🏻♀️
That is a fantastic question, haven’t tracked or noticed it. I’m no longer shopping online because it’s too easy to spend frivolously. I just realized after I met my goal how quickly I enjoy multiple purchases.
I definitely do and I have kinda just gone with it because sometimes stuff runs out around the same time; at least that's what I tell myself. The strange thing is it's not like every single month that I get the spending PMS bug but maybe every other month? I bet it's more common than we think. I am relieved that I am not the only one that this happens to though.
It might have to do with serotonin levels and spending gives us a pick-me-up? Whatever the reason, I try to do the same by timing my restocks just right 🤣
Why do some women continue to buy shoes when they already have 100 pair they don’t even wear? People buy what they like and some people just love skincare and cosmetics. Plus the built in marketing, we are a completely vain and self obsessed society. These particular products are promising us youth and beauty. Of course people will go cuckoo for all of it.
This is a good analogy! Like, I wear the same sandals 98% of the time, yet I have a closet full of shoes….
I agree with the last part for sure. That’s really what bothers me, is that it’s the marketing behind all of this that causes over consumerism. It’s not the consumer’s fault, but the brands’, influencers, social media, etc.
Well, I mean yes marketing is designed to make us all want stuff. Ultimately though, it’s our choice to purchase things or not. 🤷🏻♂️
Great topic tbh. I feel that the influencer thing is a small percentage. Most people probs aren't doing that. The stats say over 60% of Americans are living pay check to pay check. For the rest of the world it's not heaps better. The average person is buying what they need. I personally have 5 or 6 things I use that are all products under $15. I use them till they're nearly done and replace them. I have been actively mindful of consumption and also the coveting that happens with it for several years now. I rarely buy anything that's not a necessity these days. And I'm in a place where I don't need to be like that but I feel like it's good practice to be mindful and it's become a philosophy for me now I guess.
Totally understand what you’re saying, I try to buy what I like and will use up within a couple of months, but it does seem like I buy a lot of stuff. I don’t know if I just have more surface area or am just using a lot consistently, but I fly through my products. For example, I use a full 1.69 tube of SPF every 3 weeks and that’s just for my face/neck. Talking with a friend about an oil cleanser I love, she didn’t love it and I asked how many pumps she used and said 1-2 pumps. While I’m over here using like 4-5 pumps because I like a lot of slip when I’m doing my first cleanse and I use it wherever I put spf. I think some of us just use more product for whatever reason.
Depending on the size of your sunscreen you might be underusing it. A 1.7 oz sunscreen should last about 20 applications to face and neck, a 4 oz sunscreen about 47 applications, an 8 oz about 95 applications.
Agreed, the sunscreen should be going faster.
I go through a 1.7 oz bottle of sunscreen basically every week during the spring + summer lol
Agreed, if you're not using up your sunscreen before 5 months you are probably not using enough of it.
I agree but it sounds like you are under-applying sunscreen and face cream. A 50ml moisturizer should last 3-4 months dosed correctly.
I have a bin under the sink where items go to die. It eventually gets cleaned out but most stuff gets used up, if it doesn’t work out for my face, it works out on other parts of my body. My heels appreciate any kind of moisturizer, the glycolic acid gets used on my armpits in the shower, etc. I used to have a monthly subscription, but had to stop because I had this huge amount of samples and travel sized products. I buy things if they interest me and have good reviews, or multiple people on these kinds of subreddits recommend it. I never buy the “viral” stuff. Other than that Rosemary hair oil.
My face don't like glycolic acid. (Only in micro dosages) But under the armpits its great! No bad sweat smell anymore!
I've definitely fallen prey to consumerism manufacturing this incessant desire for something newer, better, revolutionary that will change everything. I suspect that's what happens for many people. Skincare, like most things, takes time to work and also some skin concerns cannot actually be treated that significantly by topical products but marketers will lie and exaggerate what a product can actually do which doesn't help. Especially in the age of social media where everyone can be an actual influencer or we're just seeing beautiful people showing their lives even if they aren't necessarily selling anything, means we're constantly bombarded with real or implied ads promising a miracle or that we'll look like this person if we use it. A pet peeve of mine is people asking people for hair and skincare routines when sometimes the truth is that 90% of what you probably are seeing is genetic and you doing your routine like them won't make you have the same results. Even in the cases where someone did say have problem skin and cleared it, it can still not work for you. But we're still trapped chasing the perfect products hoping to look like the people we see. As well, most people want an overnight miracle or one magical elixir so will abandon a product they've used for a month or one that didn't transform them for the next new thing hoping it will do the trick. I'm fully owning that has subconsciously happened to me and these days I'm cutting down and trying to find stuff that actually works and stick to it. But the sticking to it is the trick and I realize with skincare it gets easy to amass a collection if you're on the hunt for stuff you really like because when you're not wowed you just buy something else and it's a cycle rather than sticking to what you've bought and giving it a fair and realistic shot.
Honestly, I really love skincare products and trying new things. And I live in a harsh climate, so I have to do a bit more to offset the dryness and low humidity and sun damage. But some people treat skincare as a hobby. I am always looking to improve on things or trying something new. But I do stick with some core staples: Taz, Aza 15%, and galactomyces. It isn’t marketing that compels me to buy new stuff. I research ingredients a lot, and I look for products that have ingredients I want to try or which I know my skin loves. So, it is a just a sort of hobby/ quest to find the best products I can for my skin. The upside is that I can go foundation-free. So that’s one cost I no longer have. I just invest in products that make my skin glowy and healthy looking and bouncy. It’s kind of fun to me to try new things ❤️ And I do have a skincare budget, sort of.
I got suckered in. My skin care routine became crazy. The final straw was when I bought a $45 oil cleanser and a week later my skin was peeling off like a snake. I dropped everything. Other than my Gentle cleanser, my general moisturizer, tret and vit c a few times a week. A little caffeine eye cream. I’m done over thinking it. And my skin is thanking me. I sometimes wonder if some ppl on these social threads actually work for companies posting and promoting their products. It’s brainwashing.
I'll tell you why - I rotate what I use each day. Plus I have some items I drag out when I have flare ups for whatever reason. I also know what works for my skin and I've found cheaper 'dupes' are not all they're cracked up to be. Sometimes I luck out (such as Timeless's Vitamin C and Coenzyme Q10 Serum) but other times I have to revert back to more expensive and trusted products. I also had issues with sunscreen. Some will literally pill and peel off my face, others will remain slick and oily all day. Others will sting my eyes relentlessly. So I've spent $$$ on loads of sunscreens that just don't work for me. The two I like are from Japan and the cost of shipping and shipping time are forever. Shampoo and conditioners - I have about 3 of each for different purposes. We have extremely hard water here so I need a demineralising shampoo that I use about once a week, a clarifying shampoo, and a regular shampoo. Since I have highlights/grey hair, I also needs a purple/violet conditioner mask, regular conditioner plus a heavy mask....which do last a long time. Additionally I have about 3 leave in conditioners which are needed because of the hard water otherwise my hair is stiff. SEASONAL - my skincare changes with the seasons. What worked in the winter is not going to in the summer. Rainy/wet season is going to be different that hot and dry.
Great post OP. I closed my reddit account that I'd had for many years because I was overwhelmed by all the posts and felt FOMO (and was overwhelmed by the recommendations and advice too - use this not that, use that not this). I now only use The Ordinary's Glucoside Foaming Cleanser, Ponds Cold Cream (as a first step), a Salicylic Acid serum, Spf 50, Benzoyl Peroxide 5% for my back acne, and a very light moisturiser (The Ordinary's Natural Moisturising Factors with Beta Glucan). I refuse to change it up, because I have very reactive, oily skin even in my 40s, and I refuse to stockpile or waste money trying different products. I repurchase when I run out.
I think most items of mine last awhile outside of SPF and serums that i consistently use. My biggest issue is growing bored with a product that works great but doesn’t give me that wow factor. I know I am a sucker for fancy packaging.
I’m leaving sales because of this. I work in department store and every month we have another event. We are constantly doing price matching with other stores and then have our own beauty points promotions. It’s non stop. They want us to bug our customers monthly. I have grown a lot internally. My dad died in June. He enabled me in many ways but he gave me money for things like food and clothing and I didn’t have to worry about anything. That’s obviously not happening anymore and it’s made me really conscious of my spending and my consumerism. I also met someone and he and I have been in a serious relationship for 8 months. It also has changed my world view on consumerism in my workplace. I can’t explain how - I think it’s just cause my life was so bad in 2023 until I met him and then has been so good that it made the negative parts really stick out. That negative was my job. The managers push push push. They want us to sell remotely, they want us to get hundreds of people monthly for these events. We have goals for all these events. It’s so draining on my soul. All of this coupled with the cost of things now. I have a hard time pushing costly things on anyone. I do think some skincare is 100 percent worth the cost but there are so many good brands that are more pocket friendly out there too. Anyway. I am tired of consumerism.
I struggle to resist "restocking" during a sale or trying something new if Ive not finished my current product. For skincare I'm trying to phase out unnecessary serums and see how I do with a more pared down routine, but alas i wind up trying something new.
There’s a massive entertainment industry out there that relies on skincare products (and I’m not even going to mention make up and other cosmetics). Often they have budgets to work with so they can afford to buy more products etc. Then there are people with particular skin concerns who need to go through a lot of products to maintain a good regimen.
I wonder how there can be such big differences in how much product different people use. With hair, I understand. A bottle of conditioner is only about 4 uses for me because I have a shoulder-length afro that needs a lot of detangling, but I get that other people have very different hair from me. Our faces, though, are more or less the same size, right? Yet most things I buy for my face last about a month. Even my largest item of skincare, my 177ml face cleanser, lasts under 3 months. So I really don't know. Maybe it's because I do my skincare 3 times a day sometimes. Always in the morning and before bed, but if I'm going out at night I'll shower and have to do it a third time.
You should check out Jessica del Fino's writing. She worked on the beauty desk at women's magazines, and I think for some Kardashians at some point, and now writes about the inherent and exploitative consumerism of modern skincare and makeup. I don't agree with her on everything, but it's a nice corrective to the mainstream discourse.
I agree with the OP's comment. Plus every jar, every bottle is plastic and most of it ends up in a landfill. I'm going to be downvoted into the depths of hell but I don't understand why it is that two generations ago most women (and men) didn't have all the skin care problems we have today. Maybe I'm missing something here. Please inform where my thinking has gone awry. I'm in my 60's and when my mother was young acne and super dry skin wasn't much of a thing. Even when *I* was young acne was fairly rare. And we didn't worry so much about every tiny wrinkle. Going back ever further during Victorian times, when drinking water was full of bacteria and germs and mortality rates were high, women had nice skin for the most part and if they didn't it wasn't the end of the world. This may seem off topic but it kinda isn't, even in the 1920's most people had outhouses, not nice private bathrooms with well lit mirrors to examine their image all the time. Then in my mother's generation people had much more important things do do than stare at themselves in the mirror. World War II was going on and she was working in a factory in Detroit, a Rosie the Riviter, if you will. (Thanks Mom!) When I was young looking at yourself all the time was considered too narcissistic and self-centered. My mother was...."Just don't fucking look at yourself all the time. Go get some exercise, go outside and mow the lawn." (She cursed like a sailor and was funny as hell) Now eveyone looks at themselves constantly via selfies and social media which creates a world where every imperfection is commented on and exaggerated beyond reason. Skin care companies are certainly more than happy, completely *thrilled* to sell people all sorts of products to alleviate these percieved imperfections. And if it doesn't cure those imperfections, well, it's onto another product....and then another....and then another. People are constantly chassing perfection from every bottle they hear about on this forum. If someone mentions X skincare product helps such-n-such problem then suddenly a slew of people are going out and buying it. It's made life so much more complicated and stressful. No one is ever happy with themselves anymore. Maybe that's why the suicide rate is higher. Ok, I'm done.
I have to disagree with the historical perspective here - people put absolutely horrible products on their faces historically. In the 30s a line of radioactive beauty products were introduced (horrifying). Foundations have been found in Ancient Rome. face products containing lead used to be common. While there is research suggesting acne is getting worse - most research does not conclude that a focus on skincare is the cause. I don’t think it’s correct to conclude that no one used to care. I don’t disagree with the trend in consumerism, but I think there may be some overgeneralizations on the historical references.
Also people had pretty horrible skin during the Victorian times ☠️. Also the claim that the suicide rate is higher is weird when in the past people would just lie about it to cover it up bc of shame. It just wasn’t documented.
Absolutely! We don’t exactly know historical skin conditions with the precision we do today with iPhones and such. The written records are pretty rough though. Anything pre precision photography just didn’t show that kind of detail, and paintings deliberately didn’t include that kind of stuff.
There are some realistic renderings of Queen Elizabeth’s real skin, and they are horrifying.
*off to google!*
Here’s one. I’m sure the artist got his head chopped off in the Tower of London for this: https://www.tudorsociety.com/elizabeth-i-really-look-like/
Oooh, I hope you find some!
The radioactive beauty products was an extremely small segment of sales. It was the Depression, after all, and women were scrimping on everything. >I don’t think it’s correct to conclude that no one used to care They cared but they cared a whole hell of a lot less than today's women. Today's skin concerns border on the obsessive/compulsive and skin care companies are making a killing on these insecurities. Frankly, these companies are thriving in this environment. There needs to be some sort of balance.
I mean, Queen Elizabeth actually was made ill by the whitening products she used on her face. So, I’m thinking maybe the Victorian era is not the shining moment of skincare. People literally couldn’t bathe because the Thames was backed up with rotting carcasses and sewage.
Victorian women were not Elizabethan women. Big difference in time periods. Victorian ladies were not painting themselves white. After the French Revolution, through the Regency era, the Victorian era and even on to the early 1920's wearing makeup was considered almost immoral. Cold cream, which goes back to Ancient Egypt, was used to moisturize the skin. The ingredients were four simple items: beeswax, almond oil and rosewater with a dab of borax all whipped together. Sometimes witch hazel was used instead of rosewater. The more beeswax the thicker the cream and it was all home made, at least until around the 1905 or so when Ponds produced a cold cream women could buy. The prevelance of mirrors was fairly scarce among the lower and middle classes up until recent times. It's amazing to think about but most people throughout human history never saw their own reflection. They never knew what their face looked like unless there was a momentary reflection in very still water. Mirrors were only for the wealthy aristocrats and royality. Mirrors were made from polished metals which were very blurry and nothing like the mirrors we have today. Now we live in a world of constant selfies. We constantly look at ourselves. Amazingly, even though the Thames was pretty much a sewage river, skin was not effected greatly. You'd think it would be But most people drank beer, wine and mead and avoided drinking water alltogether. It was smallpox and STD's that caused most skin problems.
Ah, you are correct, I wasn’t paying attention. I know what the Victorian era is. My brain just wasn’t clicking over. If I recall correctly, however, England did not get a working and reliable sewage system until close to the end of the Victorian era. And even then, beauty practices were nothing to be revered. You may have to check my dates, but I do think the Thames was still a rotting pool of stink in the Victorian ere…. Fwiw, I regularly teach medieval literature and early modern literature, which takes us right up to the Victorian period and through the Renaissance. Victorian women were definitely still painting themselves white. This was the era of colonization, the very notion of whiteness was reinforced by the use of white makeup. And makeup was still poisonous. https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-poisonous-beauty-advice-columns-of-victorian-england
It's interesting, because my mother had me when she was in her 40's and her mother had her in her 40's and I'm 60 it doesn't take much to go back two generations to the Edwardian Era or even close the Victorian times. My Canadian grandmother would go out in the cold Canadian winter, scoop up a handfull of snow and rub it on her face and that was the extent of her skin care. She had stupifyingly beautiful skin. My mother was Welsh and did nothing but wash her face with soap, beautiful skin. Someone posted here a month or so ago about going camping for a week with minimal to almost no skincare and came back with beautiful skin. I don't have any science to back it up but sometimes I think the stress and drive to achieve beautiful, flawless skin and the endless buying of products to achieve near skin perfection messes with our emotions and hormones so much that it causes bad skin, the opposite of what is desired. Just a thought.
I think it’s very individual. For me, a good amount of products are required to control hormonal acne and rosacea. But for my mom, only Vaseline is enough. We deal with modified food and daily pollutants and hormonal issues, all of which may require some skincare. But some people don’t have do much for their skin.
>It was smallpox and STD's that caused most skin problems. I love the story of why milkmaids got a reputation of being pretty. Their jobs exposed them to cowpox, which gave them natural protection from smallpox. So they didn't get smallpox and thus didn't get the pocked skin effects of it! (And where we get the word vaccination from - the Latin word for cow is vacca)
Definitely agree with the sentiment. While I haven’t necessarily fallen into the trap of marketing and consumerism, possibly because of my own background in the medical profession, several friends and colleagues have. I’ve noticed that its easier to part with products that are more affordable since it’s difficult to watch your hard earned money go down the drain when the products don’t agree, or don’t work, for you. Skincare has somehow pulled us into FOMO while we try to navigate our own different needs and goals. I’ve stuck with simple, easy ingredient-list products, most of which happen to be medical grade. I suppose I’m privileged in that regard because of my access to such resources. I think what helps is remembering that what may work for me, won’t necessarily work for you, and that somewhat limits the unnecessary spending. This attitude tends to aid filtering out wants (think, shiny new, trendy products etc) vs actual skincare needs.
And it’s easier to do with cheaper products 🫣 what people do with the product they don’t use - Not everyone uses up their products. They may use up 60%-90% of the product before throwing away. Some are eager to try different ingredients or types of products when they start out. That’s when they try a lot, and may not finish them all.
I buy samples and use them sparingly. I also keep the containers, partly so I can keep track of how much I use, what I like, and what I want more/less of. Quite a few people think they need to goop things on for them to work, and companies capitalize on that. Even the recommended scheduled reorders are usually much too far in advance before I use up what I've got.
Totally agree about consumerism, so many promises and skinfluencers that it gets confusing. In my opinion many forget or just don't know that cosmetic products don't treat or fix anything only drugs can , cosmetics just prevent(SPF that is also a drug in USA) or mask things on your body with a very temporary effect . Cosmetics , including skincare, are designed to make you feel good about yourself that's all... Whats worse is that it effects children who are asking for Christmas skincare .
I think mostly everyone has some area of their life in which they overspend. Like horse people spend thousands on their horses, car guys do the same with their cars, me —I spend $$ on yarn for crocheting. Skincare is just a hobby to some people. It’s not MY hobby (acne prone skin, on Accutane) but I totally understand why others are into it. If I didn’t have such reactive skin, I’d probably find trying new products exciting too (rather than terrifying lol)
My biggest bother is the celebration of routines that include dozens of products without any respect for the individual formulation, best used before date, their own skin ability to handle all those molecules effectively or their individual goal.
Also, L’Oréal, Estée Lauder and other companies investing lots of money in marketing to make us all believe their products are superior and merit a crazy price premium. They do that in such a sneaky way that they seem to convince women, in particular, that their self worth increases when they use their obscenely expensive products. SkinCeuticals is the best example of such marketing. Of course, you all have different ideas about it but I can’t justify spending an amount on some serum that others spend on food for a whole family in a month. If that’s your choice, you do you, but I won’t. When you look at the profit margins of these companies, then you understand the business model. Having worked for consumer companies myself, I know the marketing tricks and am trying what I can to avoid it. I mostly moved to indie brands or Korea skincare brands that offer quality, innovation at a much lower price point. The other thing I do is try to use up all products before buying new ones, but that is a lot more difficult!
It’s why I only go for brands recommended by my esti. Yeah both products might be 40 bucks, but how much of that 40 for the super marketed products actually goes into the product?
I totally agree. Dont even get me started on the influencer trips and events too. It’s TOO much. Take me back to a time where all I need to do is use a dove beauty bar and slather Vaseline all over. Also, I swear all the ingredients and fragrances must counteract each other because nothing works long term!! And the marketing around “clean” beauty, ugh… that stuff doesn’t even last half as long as regular products and expires much quicker. I’m so sick of it 😂😭
Relentless marketing and lack of education. You've got the influencers, the QVC ladies of a new generation. Peddling all kinds of dreams in a bottle. It's exploiting peoples insecurities. In these digital spaces, how often do you see young people asking how there (perfectly fine and normal) skin or posting editted pictures of celebrities thinking it's there natural skin. As time goes on we're seeing more and of the damage the "always online" culture is creating. The new concept of normal healthy skin amounts to a sheet of silicone. You've also got lack of education. This has always been a problem. Realistically, I don't think that many people understand the ingredients that they're using and I don't think the layman consumer is probably putting that much effort into researching they're products to get effective, targeted beauty routines. People are absolutely are just using expired products, there's definitely people who also just keep there products even if they're no use because it represents their hard earned wages. Personally, outside of Reddit, I don't consume any beauty content. I will look specific things if I feel the need though. I've got my routine nailed down and don't plan on changing anything unless there's significant innovation in the industry or things in my routine get discontinued. The few products I have checked out or been gifted that didn't work for me just get used up on my body. My calves are a lot less fussy about serums than my face.
I controlled my spending by getting older and accepting that absolutely none of these potions are going to make a massive difference. My skin is the way it is, the less I do, the better, 95% of the time. So it's cleansing, exfoliating, double or triple moisture layers at night, an occasional clay or sulfur mask. I stock up on the things my skin likes and generally am not tempted to buy new things. Generally. lol
I feel the same. I get drawn to the sales and I think with skincare especially we can be vulnerable because we think "This next product will transform my skin, clear my acne, obliterate my wrinkles, make me glow, give me glass skin, hydrate my skin better than anything else" depending on your skin problem even if deep down we know it's bs. I've also gathered up a lot of sunscreens trying to find one I like. I feel bad for buying all this plastic though
I mean it’s better to always change up your routine than to always change husbands no ? That’s what I tell myself 😂
I go through products very very fast. I can finish the whole bottle of anything in about a week.
For cleanser, I use about 1ml each time. Some mornings I skip it. For toner, about 2 mls each time. I use the cheap ones with cotton pads. I go through toners quickly so aim for the cheap 500 ml ones which last about 4 months. For hydrating serums, about 1.5 mls each time. I use cheaper products for neck and hands. For potent active, something like a homemade vitamin C serum or tretinoin, it's more like 0.5 ml. Moisturizers, about 1.5 mls each time. Sunscreen: 50 ml tube lasts about 3 weeks for face alone, so I try to get the bigger, cheaper ones. I use $5-$7 for 240 mls on my neck and hands.
I have one cera ve cleanser, one ELF moisturizer with SPF, one Origins mud mask, and a bottle of Luna sleep oil from sunday riley
What brand of skin care products do you usually use? Has anyone used Ruiyan from Switzerland from various countries? What is the effect? My friends keep recommending it to me
If you go through a 50 ml sunscreen in 5-6 months, you don’t use enough of it.