Skin care trends and what professionals have to say about them

Picture this, it’s April of 2020 and Hyram Yarbro, also known as @skincarebyhyram, has taken over your TikTok feed. Sound familiar? That is because Yarbro became one of the most influential skin care guru’s amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Products that Yarbro has recommended and deemed #hyramapproved, have been swept off store shelves and he isn’t the only one. 

Many influencers are dedicated to skin care, whether it be sharing what products are worth it, trying out new trends or creating their own skin care lines. No matter what specific niche they may have, many of these skin care focused influencers have an effect on what you choose to use in your own skin routine. 

So, if your face wash is #hyramapproved and your masks and moisturizers are from Kylie Skin by Kylie Jenner, they have to be good right? Well, that may not be necessarily true. An important part of skin care are their ingredients. 

So how do you find this out? Do you try out every product in the market and risk severe breakouts for beautiful skin? 

Maybe that could work, but who knows how long it will take for you to perfect a routine. So, it's time to praise and debunk all the skin care trends seen on social media, but you can’t do it alone. 

Whether you consult with estheticians or dermatologists doesn’t matter, they both offer great expertise in this field. Reaching out to them with your specific skin care needs rather than trying what everyone else does is ideal.

“It's very helpful to talk to somebody that knows about what ingredients are good for what you’re treating,” said Lindsay Villarreal, California State University, Long Beach alumni and owner of Label Me Lindsay salon.

Villarreal explains that talking with a professional will ultimately give you greater success in the long run. 

But while you book an appointment or wait to hear back from an expert, here are some popular ingredients seen in the most notable skin care products that you should keep an eye out for. 

TV skin care brands

Proactiv commercials were probably one of the most viewed advertisements on Television at one point in time and how could it not be. You see these real life stories of teens and young adults who have “found confidence” because they used Proactiv. Even Kendall Jenner even found this proactive confidence. 

But any major skin care brand with similar advertisements to these are definitely out to get your money. 

Bella Arnold, a journalism and creative writing student at CSULB, said that other products have changed her life but that these commercialized products were not amongst those life changing products.

“Literally screw Proactiv and all those medicated washes,” said Arnold. 

Villarreal agrees with Arnold and recommends that people stay away from products like Proactiv. She explains that many of these medicated companies and their sales pitches are what many of her clients, who are unfamiliar with skin care, are drawn to. 

“When you talk to anyone who is involved in a multilevel marketing company they are just trying to sell products,” said Villarreal. “They’re not necessarily coming from a professional skin care background.” 

These medicated skin care brands make work for some but not for everyone. These highly medicated products are not meant to treat acne as it comes but instead be preventative. If you think a product like this may be right for you, ask a professional for their advice before you give into the Proactiv 60-day money back guarantee. 

Influencer brands

Nowadays it is the internet's job to say which influencer has come out with the best products and the worst. But as the saying goes, you can’t trust everything you read on the internet. So do you buy every KKW Beauty product and compare it to every Fenty Beauty product? Do you read every ingredient on every bottle and try to understand what it is that you are using on our skin? 

That could do it, but talk about a lot of work! Rather, take these products to professionals who understand the ingredients in them. You should be able to try out these popular brands by your favorite celebrities and not suffer the consequences of a breakout. 

Villarreal thinks that you shouldn’t just buy a product because of its popularity. If you want that product so bad or think it will be the best addition to your skin care routine it’s best to check the ingredients first or ask a professional if the product will help you achieve your skin care goal. 

“You always have to go back to the purpose,” said Villarreal. “If you go back to the reason why you’re buying something, you will always be headed in the right direction.”

Cost efficient brands

Now you would probably think that any cost efficient brand from a drug store is the easiest way to go. It saves you money and it's readily available, it is definitely a plus for students and young adults who are on a budget.

Iman Palm, a fourth-year journalism major at CSULB, says that she prefers these types of products when it comes to her skin care routine. 

“I’m not a fan of the DIY skin care trends,” said Palm. “Personally I would rather buy already made products.” 

But no matter how great these products may seem, they will not be a hit if you’re using a product incorrectly. Skin care is not all the same, some ingredients are medicated and aimed to combat certain issues. If you had a headache, you wouldn’t take cough medicine to help it. This also applies to skincare.

Some of these brands are great and have specific ingredients that can help you with all your needs. But some of them don’t and instead have ingredients that are best to just stay away from. 

Rebecca Bauman, a skin care professional based in Riverside, has said that many products from drug stores contain damaging ingredients. 

“Cetaphil, Ponds, St Ives and Pixi all contain SLS [Sodium Lauryl Sulfate] and are super damaging to your skin barrier,” said Bauman. 

Madalyn Amato, fourth-year journalism student at CSULB, has had poor experiences with cheap skin care. After she tried Cetaphil, she said it was “gross” and has now moved to different products. 

It’s hard to navigate skin care. So much goes into such a small portion of your day and it’s confusing for almost everyone. It’s easy to see someone else use a product and like their result and assume it will work for you. But everyone is different, all skin reacts differently.

It may take time to find something that you enjoy but it will be much easier to get results when you discuss your options with someone well versed in the field. 

“So my advice is to stay away from the multilevel marketing companies and stick to the professionals,” said Villarreal. “Sometimes the hot ticket that sounds really cool or popular on Instagram or among your friends is not the way to go.”

*NOTE: story originally written for DIG Magazine in 2021