Busting Skincare Myths

The world of skincare is constantly evolving, with new innovations and formulations hitting the market each day for shoppers to discover and enjoy. But with new trends to try emerging each week and expert recommendations seemingly changing by the minute, having the hottest regime can sometimes feel like a full-time job!

From TikTok’s Slugging (the trend currently has 76 million views on the platform) to Microbiome Beauty that’s on every expert’s lips, the choice of products, techniques, formats can be overwhelming. Superdrug’s Quality Assurance and Technical Manager, Shona Bear, is a formulations expert with the know-how on the building blocks of your fave skincare products.

The experts at Superdrug are on hand to help dispel the biggest myths in skincare, pressing pause on the pressure and keeping your skincare journey fun and simple!

What is a Skin Barrier Anyway?

It can be super fun to try out the hottest new ingredients and layer on the actives, but maintaining a healthy skin barrier is key to keeping skin happy! The skin is the largest organ in your body and is a protective shield against other organs. The building blocks of your skin are the skin cells themselves, which are held together by lipids – the cement.

Your skin’s barrier is the uppermost layer of your skin, and naturally holds in moisture and helps to keep potential environmental pollutants out of your body. As well as doing an essential job, it’s also important to respect your skin barrier with your skincare regime.

You can do this by slowly introducing new products, such as retinol and actives, and simplifying your regime. A simplified routine is not only easier, but it goes easy on your skin barrier and takes away the stress of a bumper skincare regime. Less is more!

What About Silicons?

Silicon’s have got some bad press recently, with some suggesting that they are ‘filler’ ingredients that aren’t beneficial. Formulation’s whizz, Shona, is keen to dispel this myth. “Silicones are key component of skincare products; they improve the texture and finish of the product, but they also play a part in its performance. They improve hydration and help give a smooth finish on the skin when used in moisturisers, primers and foundations.” Shona goes on to say, “they are very effective in some products which target wrinkles, helping to smooth out fine lines – a bit like polyfiller!”.

Your Skincare Routine Doesn’t Have to be Multi-Step

With the 12 step skincare regime becoming a buzzword in recent years, each year seems to bring with it more ‘essential’ steps to one’s routine. However, a capsule skincare regime that is tailored to your skin type, with a few products that you’ve tried and tested over a few months, can often have better long term results.

A cleanser is a good place to start, drier skins might prefer a cream or balm format, and those with sensitive skin could look to use one which has gentle claims. A cleanser is a good foundation for your regime.

A serum or booster is a great key product and can be switched up in different seasons or depending on what properties you want at a particular time. For instance, if you feel like your skin may be dry in the winter, you can swap in a vitamin C booster, or in the summer, hyaluronic acid can be great for parched complexions.

Looking at key ingredients can be an easy way to pick out products based on your skin goals. You can then finish with a gentle moisturiser to lock in the properties of your serum or booster. Simple! Shona recommends the Me+ range as a good place to start for those looking to build an easy regime.