Six regimen ‘essentials’ that aren’t really necessary

Masks and facials

Masks are seemingly arbitrary products applied to the skin and left on for an arbitrary amount of time, often with skincare claims that overpromise. Science doesn’t prove any of their claims to be true or that masks are more effective than a wellformulated moisturizer. Like masks, facials have no standard definition and little science substantiates their marketing claims.

Exfoliants, scrubs and polishing cleansers

No one has proven that removing loose skin cells, also called exfoliation, is beneficial for skin health. Skin naturally falls away in its normal shedding process. When you keep your skin hydrated with good quality moisturizers, exfoliation happens gently. Scrubbing might make your skin feel smoother, but removing too many skin cells can result in irritated, dry, and even inflamed skin.

Night cream

The fact is, skin doesn’t change from day to night, and ingredients can’t tell time. The entire night-cream topic is beyond logic and has one sole purpose: to sell two bottles or jars instead of one.

Eye cream

Eye cream is a moisturizer in a tiny tube at a higher price. Yes, the skin around the eyes is thin, but under a microscope a pathologist cannot distinguish a skin sample from the cheekbone from skin taken around the eye. Some might say that the thinnest eyelid skin is more susceptible to damage from the sun’s ultraviolet rays, but ironically, most eye creams don’t contain sunscreen.

Serums

The buzz about serums is the claim that they contain a higher concentration of certain ingredients than other facial skin-care products. My concern with serums is more about ingredients that they don’t contain. Most serums do not contain ingredients that keep water from evaporating from the skin, such as petrolatum, mineral oil, or dimethicone. Without one of these types of ingredients, a product is not very effective as a moisturizer.