The bullshit adverts
It’s one thing having models that are cast to look flawless, giving us an unrealistic image of what we ‘should’ look like; but when adverts for products that are meant to help reduce skin blemishes use models who already have perfectly clear skin, it all just becomes a bit of a joke. I’m no marketing expert, but surely seeing a difference in the skin before and after using the product, showing results that are desirable, would generate more of an interest in the product being advertised?? I personally pay zero attention to any skincare ad that starts with a seemingly poreless, blemish free model looking sad about blackheads she doesn’t even have. I would however pay attention to a model on my screen who had experienced their noticeable blackheads being reduced due to a new product they’d been using. To be honest I’m just baffled by the whole thing, baffled that this way of advertising actually increases sales, baffled that it in this new age of ‘body positivity’ stretch marks are being shown, cellulite is being shown, but oh no, still no blackheads, acne or facial skin blemishes! Baffled, baffled, baffled.
The trickery in the branding
When it comes to branding skincare, there are certain buzzwords that are guaranteed to get your attention and those words will vary depending on what you’re looking for as a consumer. For me it’s all about natural and organic ingredients, so naturally (pun intended) I am always drawn to products with those kinds of words in. When I first started to take more of an interest in what was in the products I was using, I realised it wasn’t as straight forward as the names or main wording used on them. For example, a beauty product can be labelled as natural or organic when it might only contain a very small amount of natural or organic ingredients, meaning the rest can potentially be the type of harsh, toxic chemicals I was trying to avoid. It was only because I am skincare obsessed and love to learn as much as I can about all things skincare that I even learnt this. Companies rely on the fact that you are going to be looking at brand names, descriptions and packaging to decide which product is right for you, and that you won’t go home and google all the ridiculously long, made up looking words that are most likely making up half of the ingredient list.
People with perfect skin are happier
This one kind of links with the bullshit adverts… someone has spots / blackheads / oversized pores, they must be miserable about it; we’ve all seen the advert where the model looks super sad & stressed out about some sort of skin issue, then when the issue has been sorted all of a sudden, they’re happy without a single care in the world. As someone who very rarely has clear skin and has to work hard to keep breakouts to a minimum – MY HAPPINESS IN LIFE DOES NOT CORRELATE WITH HOW CLEAR MY SKIN IS. Don’t get me wrong there are days when I look in the mirror and the state of my skin makes me feel like shit, but on those days, I just have a little word with myself & remember that my self-worth should be about so much more than how I look. Other days, my skin can be terrible, and my inner sass queen won’t give a; but no matter how I feel on the day it doesn’t take control of my happiness.
If your skin isn’t flawless, it’s probably your fault
I am 100% guilty of getting sucked into this one aalllll the time! Yes, if you’re breaking out, chances are there may be something in your diet or your skincare routine that you can look at changing and if it’s as simple as that then great; but other factors like hormones (more for us girls!) and most importantly genes that can affect your skin in a big way. Whenever you start researching how to improve your skin, a lot of articles etc. will mention things like cutting out dairy, drinking celery juice, double cleansing, I could go on forever… but rarely will they add in the reassurance that this could just be the skin that you were born with and they best thing to do may just be to work with what you’ve been blessed with. Not only is my skin sensitive, I also have quite oily skin which I’m pretty sure is in my genes as my mum does too, but rumour has it this excess oil can help with the aging process, so you know, pros & cons!
Men’s vs women’s
Have you ever noticed that a typical women’s skincare ‘regime’ includes, cleansers, toners, eye creams, serums, oils, exfoliators, acids, balms, moisturisers… the list goes on; then most of the time the men’s range will be, face wash, moisturiser / shaving balm and sometimes a scrub if you’re lucky. Another fave for the men’s products is a multipurpose 12-in-1 product that can take care of all your personal care needs in one genius little bottle. Now I will say, I am a believer in having some different products for different sexes, purely for the fact that women’s monthly cycles can play a major part in how your skin behaves, so it only makes sense that the products may need to be a little different. However, what I don’t understand is why women need 56891 different products to look like the ‘best version of themselves’ compared to a handful for men. It seems so old school I can’t even deal, it’s 2019 people and men should be able to have as much of a lavish skincare routine as us girls if they want it! Equally, some girls may prefer the quick and easy multipurpose products that men benefit from and they should be able to have that option too!
As much as sometimes these issues make me feel like the pics above, skincare will always be my one true love; I just hope that the industry starts to make some well needed changes and helps make taking care of our skin a more positive, inclusive experience.
Sally x
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