Is clean beauty a revolution or a pointless indulgence?

What is ‘Clean Beauty”?

This is the new era of “clean beauty”. They promises “no nasties”, and a “chemical-free”, “nontoxic”, “natural” skincare regime. Clean Beauty is determined to divide beauty products into good and bad, clean and dirty, toxic and nontoxic. But is there any scientific evidence for this? Do we really need to “clean up” the products we use on our faces? Are the products we may be using harmful – or is this just another way to sell us (often very expensive) creams that we don’t need? According to the Guardian, The term “clean” in cosmetics is woolly. And to add to these, the mention that, the “cleanest” approach to cosmetics would be to not use any at all :). Fantastic and informative article, read here!

Is skincare even needed for young people?

The short answer is YES. The long answer is also YES! According to the WebMD, if you’re still young and want your skin to stay that way as long as possible, you owe it to yourself to know what’s helpful and what’s not.

A lot of research shows that the most important steps people in their 20s and early 30s can take to maintain their skin is avoid smoking and wear sunscreen faithfully.According to Adam Friedman, MD, director of dermatologic research at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine: – I can’t stress enough that the No.1 thing young adults can do to limit the signs of aging is use a broad-spectrum sunscreen that protects against both UVA and UVB rays with an SPF 30 or higher every single day.

What do you REALLY need to use?

According to the Northwestern Medicine:

Cleanser
Cleanser is what you’ll use to wash your face. It is very important though to use a product intended for your face. And not just whatever bar or body wash you have lying around. You’ll want to wash your face very gently with a gentle cleanser. Then, rinse with warm water, because hot water removes natural oils and causes your skin to become dehydrated.

Toner/Serum
Toner is applied after washing your face and can smooth, soften and calm skin. Toners often contain ingredients that replenish and restore nutrients to your skin and can diminish redness and dry patches.

Another optional addition to your skin care routine, serums contain ingredients like antioxidants or retinol (or its alternative) that support skin health in a number of ways. It will be calming redness and improving texture and/or firmness.

Moisturizer
Like cleansers, moisturizers are for everyone and should be used every time you wash your face. Same here: a little trial and error is totally normal when you’re looking for the right one. If you have an oily skin, then you can benefit from lightweight, oil-free or gel products. Moisturizers prevent your skin from drying out, leaving your skin hydrated and smooth. Apply them while your skin is slightly damp to seal in moisture.

Sunscreen
Some moisturizers include SPF, but it doesn’t hurt to double up with sunscreen as well. Especially if your moisturizer has an SPF below 30. Sunscreen is a MUST. Apply sunscreen every day, even when it’s gray or cold, even when you’re covered up. Reapply as needed, idealy every 2 hours. Make sure your sunscreen protects against both UVA and UVB rays. As Northwestern Medicine states, If skin cancer and sun damage aren’t enough to convince you, UV exposure is also the number one cause of wrinkles, uneven skin tone, loss of firmness and aging signs. I hope this will convince you….

Exfoliation (optional)
This you might not need or want to apply every day. If you have dry skin, you may exfoliate more than usual, but you should still keep it to once or twice a week. Exfoliation can be used after cleanser but before moisturizer. It does help to removes flaky skin by increasing skin cell turnover. The benefits are real – removing dead skin and buildup for smoother skin and clearer pores. However most dermatologists will recommend chemical exfoliants over scrubs to prevent damage to the protective barrier of your skin.

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