Best Skincare Trends of 2022
A recent national survey reports that beauty spending has returned to pre-pandemic levels, with skincare taking the leadC
The survey didn’t specify the reasons for the spike in skincare spending. However, researchers in one study believe that the time spent wearing face masks in public has resulted in unwanted facial growths, such as acne, hence the need for skincare products.
With the pandemic winding down, a host of new skincare trends began emerging in 2022.
Skin Cycling
According to a report by the Washington Post, skin cycling is a four-night skincare routine that mainly consists of cleansing and moisturizing. However, the second night involves applying a retinoid, such as retinol or hyaluronic acid. The process is repeated as many times as necessary.
Skin cycling is over a year old but has picked up steam recently, particularly on TikTok. Videos with the keyword “hyaluronic acid” have seen a 1,023% rise in viewership on the social media platform. Plus, the keyword “retinol” has a staggering 1.5 billion total views.
Some dermatologists, including Dr. Whitney Bowe who coined the term, swear by such a routine. By spacing out the use of skincare products by a few days, skin cycling can improve the skin while lessening the risk of irritation.
That being the case, no published research on the effectiveness of skin cycling currently exists. On top of that, the American Academy of Dermatology advises against applying retinoids to inflamed skin. People with skin allergies are also urged against using retinoids unless cleared by their dermatologist.
Skin Rewilding
Aside from hair, the skin is home to a diverse environment of microorganisms that scientists call the skin microbiome. These microorganisms, numbering in the trillions, take on essential roles in the human body, from fending off infections to healing wounds.
Conversely, they can cause harm if something throws off the microbiome’s delicate balance.
Some chemicals in today’s skincare products are more than capable of disrupting that balance. As such, more people have resorted to “rewilding” or restoring the microbiome’s overall health. One common approach is applying probiotic-based creams to replace microbes lost to irritating agents in conventional skincare routines.
Unlike skin cycling, skin rewilding has a substantial amount of science backing it up. Over the past decade, several studies have discovered that these creams reduce the concentration of skin-disease-causing microbes.
However, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) hasn’t established ground rules for regulating probiotic-based topical products. Therefore, no FDA-approved products of this sort are currently available.
Skinimalism
Too much of a good thing can be harmful, and skincare is no exception. The tendency to mix and match various skincare products often results in irritation, if not hyperpigmentation or premature wrinkling. In this case, what do you do to appear more beautiful? You use less.
That’s the idea behind skin minimalism or “skinimalism,” another trend that took off on Tiktok around the same time as skin cycling. It limits the number of products used in a routine to no more than five in most cases, allowing for a less complex regimen.
Compared with other trends on this list, skinimalism has overwhelming support from users and dermatologists. The benefits of adopting this “less-is-more” mindset go beyond preserving skin health. According to its proponents, skinimalism:
- Mitigates unnecessary mixing and matching of skincare products
- Saves on making product packaging, as it needs fewer units
- Emphasizes the idea of embracing a person’s natural beauty
- Reduces overall spending on cosmetics
- Saves time on performing skincare routines
- Applies to essentially everyone
The practice doesn’t have a lot of downsides, making it popular with cosmetic communities. If there’s one major downside, it’s that some advanced skincare routines can be more effective in preserving skin health than skinimalism.
Conclusion
The increase in skincare spending shows how much people value their skin health. After all, it’s about more than just your overall appearance; it also protects the body from harm, visible or otherwise.
The skincare trends explained in this piece are only the tip of the iceberg; expect a lot more to explode in popularity in the coming years.
Regardless, it pays to consult a dermatologist before trying out any of these fads. Visit our page now for more information on our plethora of dermatological services.
