When it comes to skincare, the messages regarding what we should and shouldn’t be doing with our skin are as mixed as a bag of your favourite lollies.
Do we need to be spending money? Do we need to put on 100 different creams to make sure our skin shines?
We have no freaking idea. We’re confused. We’re always confused. So, we enlisted the help of skin doctor, Dr Douglas Grose, the President of Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia and asked him, of all the products we’re buying what’s the biggest waste of time?
Dr Grose told Mamamia before we touched on the stuff that’s no good, let’s ensure we know what works.
“There are products which do benefit the skin that have been well researched. Amongst these are the vitamin A derivatives such as retinol, antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E or alpha lipoic acid, fruit acids such as glycolic and lactic acid, some minerals such as zinc and copper and some peptides.”
He also added the most simple regimes are the best, encouraging us to ensure we’re doing the following:
1. Clean the skin at least once or twice a day
2. Protect skin from the sun every day with sunscreen on all exposed skin
3. Gently remove dead skin cells and debris from the skin every day – exfoliate
4. Moisturise if the skin is dry
And now for the stuff you’re wasting your dollars on.
Listen: Zoe Foster Blake’s beauty advice for busy women. (Post continues…)
1. Toners
“Toners are generally useless. Most toners are astringents containing alcohol in one form or another which acts as a solvent and removes oil from the skin. This makes the skin feel dry and tight, encouraging the use of a moisturiser to replace the lost natural skin oils the toner removed!” Dr Grose says.
Top Comments
Hello. I love your website. And full disclosure, I am not a medical professional and I sell skincare (www.sheetmaskshop.com.au). But I can't not respond to this article.
I feel like a lot of the nuance of skincare is completely missed in this article. In particular, I consider that this takes an extraordinarily western/old-fashioned view of the definitions of skincare products.
I, for one, know that my toner is effective. If I don't use it, I get breakouts again (something that I haven't had since I started a korean skincare routine). That said, my toner doesn't include alcohol. So according to your "western" definition it is apparently not a toner.
Phhht. It is a toner, that is how we define a thin hydrating solution that includes other beneficial ingredients (such as galactomyces).
Also, you seem to think that all "moisturisers" are the same. Do you mean humectants, or occlusives or a combination? I have dehydrated but oily skin - I need humectants (but not occlusives).
As I said, I think that you've entirely missed the subtleties of skincare here.
I don't endorse people purchasing lots of pretty skincare products at high cost that don't help their skin. But I do not think this is a particularly insightful way to assist people not to do that.
Find people (even sellers) that you trust. That tell you about products. That encourage you to avoid (or if it comes to that, discard) products that don't actually improve your skin -and, just maybe, don't even sell them in the first place.
And I couldn't agree with Cath's comment more - a hat and sunscreen every day is truly the starting point. (But I would also suggest that Asian sunscreens are in my opinion significantly better than others I have tried).
Grain of salt, of course. x
The best wrinkle prevention is wearing a broad brimmed hat , sunnies, and drinking lots of water.