Is The Ten Step Skincare Routine Really necessary?
We live in age where the predominant mindset seems to be “more is better”. Whether it’s clothing, health supplements or skincare, it can be incredibly complex and overwhelming to navigate through the consumerist model of our marketplace. This mindset coupled with the “quick fix” attitude i.e. “what can I do to mask the problem, not fix it.” is a recipe for disaster. However many folks are finding out that this basket of goods they’ve been sold may not be all it’s cracked up to.
When embarking to solve any problem it can be helpful to take a holistic approach rather than just searching to treat a symptom. All too often it seems like medications are prescribed without asking any questions about sleep, nutrition, exercise habits etc. The intent of this article is not to debate whether or not to take medications, but rather simply to advocate for a holistic approach when trying to solve issues, which seems to have been overlooked.
As it pertains to skincare this mindset has permeated common routines, with the average american using around 12 cosmetic products per day as of 2023 according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG). This number has increased from 9 as of 2004. The trend seems to be that people are using more and more skincare products with the result of healthy skin being questionable at best and potentially damaging to health at worse. Even more alarming is that on average Americans are being exposed to 110 different ingredients daily, including parabens and phthalates among other things. Read more about parabens and phthalates here. The EWG study also found that on average adults are exposed to 15 different fragrance chemicals per day, seven of which are potential allergens. These fragrance chemicals can contain up to 4,000 different ingredients some of which are potentially hormone disrupting phthalates. However, overall skin health is not just determined by what you put on it, what you eat also seems to play an important role. According to the National Institute of Health (NIH) “Nutrition is closely associated with skin health and is required for all biological processes of skin from youth to aging or disease. Nutrition levels and eating habits can repair damaged skin and can also cause damage to the skin(NIH).” Anecdotally, I’m sure most people can relate to a weekend of binging junk food only to wake up Monday morning with a breakout.
If you’re struggling with not having the skin that you want maybe adding another product isn’t the answer. Perhaps taking a look at your overall health would be more effective. Eliminating products that contain potentially harmful chemicals may also be worth consideration. That’s why we started Rocky Mountain Traders, to provide high quality all natural soap that contains ingredients tested and proven by time.
Sources:
https://www.ewg.org/research/survey-finds-use-personal-care-products-2004-what-means-your-health