AIBU to feel overwhelmed by skincare routines becoming another pressure?

[GimmieABreakOr3]

I’m mid 30s - plastered all over my social media (Instagram & Facebook) seems to be a bombardment of 10 step skincare routines, everyone going on about what products they’re using, glass skin, Korean skincare, this serum, that serum, snail mucin, glycolic pads, salicylic pads, this moisturiser, that spf…

I just feel like it’s become another obsession for girls and women to fixate and obsess over. Do others agree?! If it’s not our weight, it’s how our pores, lines, skin texture. Enough already.

I think that women who do conform by doing all those things don't look 'better' than those who don't, they just look like women who do all those things.

That really. I like skincare. Doing a routine with a podcast on is relaxing to me. My skin looks a lot better with tret so I keep using it and I use SPF as I burn easily. But I like trying new products

I agree

I completely disagree with this. I've had a manicure maybe twice, same for a facial. I paint my own, short nails in bright colours. I've never ever once touched my eyebrows or used an eyelash curler. People think I look good, way younger than my years if that matters. I think women who do all that look rubbish personally. I use tinted moisturiser, a bit of powder and a lip tint. Mascara on a night out. Clarins flash balm twice a day. That's it.

Outside of forums, I don't use social media.

I started doing a skincare routine about a year ago when I was in the car playing with the mirrors with my son and realised how dog-awful I looked. And I got a style because I wasn't looking after my face properly.

I have a 5-7 step routine now, quite relaxing and low pressure. My skin hasn't had a revolution, but I look a lot better.

I've never been a "social pressure" person. I find that social pressure is amplified by social media, but people who respond to social pressure will find some way to find that pressure and influence.

Perhaps overwhelmed was an unfortunate choice of word then? Inundated might have given a better description. It sounded as if the volume of posts/adverts was affecting you.

I use cleanser toner serum moisturiser morning and night. I used chat gpt to ask for recommendations based on my skin. The recommendations were very good and my skin feels great

Let people do what they want to do with their own time and money.

No one is forcing you down the same path.

YANBU to think it is unnecessary nonsense. YABU to allow it to make you feel pressured to join in.

YABU if it makes you feel overwhelmed. I love watching skincare routines on TikTok, however my own routine involves slapping one moisturiser on my face after my evening shower and calling it a day. I definitely don’t feel pressure to adhere to some 7-product regimen.

This trend has been around for years.

Skincare routines have always been a thing and the whole ten step routine was not meant for people to do 10 steps every day.

I cannot just put water on my face and call it a day nor use whatever soap because my skin is sensitive and dry. I only do 3-4 steps and my skincare routine takes <5 minutes a day.

I cleanse with moisturising micellar water, spray and pat in moisturising toner, sometimes moisturiser with ceramides (depends on the weather) and a high spf non-drying sunscreen. If I have spots, I add using a serum with aha, pha, and bha until they are gone and then back to my usual routine. Once a week, I may use an exfoliating gel.

It’s really about you doing what is personally right for you and your skin.

A routine can be just washing and putting spf on your face daily, whatever works for your skin.

You don’t have to do anything if you don’t want to.. entirely your choice.

I get all the collagen adverts. Women over 40 perimenopause gut health. Just fuck off already lol

I never get the skincare ads because I don’t engage in them. I will skip a reel if they are doing their face while talking about something else. “Get ready with me”. Ugh no thanks! I wash my face with water, don’t even moisturise. My skin is fine, do t think I even have wrinkles yet. Think if all the time and money I have saved!

I am guilty of obsessing over my post pregnancy gut though. Saggy loose skin. The algorithm has worked that out and I get all the fitness adverts for schemes to help me shift it

I went and got a facial from a skin specialist, and talked to her at length about what I actually needed for my own skin concerns.

I buy good quality products and my skin has improved ten fold. I also feel much more confident and wear less make up as a result.

It's easy, OP. I don't see any of this stuff on social media, because I don't follow any of these types of accounts. So go through the list and unfollow the lot of them.
Plus, have the confidence to know that you're an individual, you can look however you like and you don't need to follow trends. Just wash your face with soap in the shower and forget the rest of it - you'll be happier, have more time for yourself and save a load of money!

I don't see any of this and not aware of the obsession. Just pointing it out to help, hard to be aware that algorithms are targeting you.
I do notice more clothes shops units been replaced with cosmetic type ones guess easier sell a jar cream as don't need multiple sizes. The fashion industry under pressure to move away from fast fashion turning to cosmetics could be an easy way.
I find the best way to avoid worry about ageing is not to be looking in or have a mirror 😄

This must depend upon where you live.

I work full-time outside the home, no home office, big work place, very mixed age wise and different levels of qualifications etc. so not a homogeneous group and of course I'm also out and about, have older teenagers and young adult kids who all have friends in and out... and I really don't see this over groomed look that much. It's maybe 5% of the women I see, and the ones who don't have fake nails and fake eyelashes and noticeable makeup always look better. Of course some people look as though they haven't showered and brushed their hair and that's not what anyone is going for and might suggest someone who is overwhelmed with life atm but the middle ground of clean and tidy always looks better than fake nails and fake eyelashes and very obvious daytime make-up.

You don't look "rubbish", you look like a normal, healthy woman. Rather than a fake, plastic Barbie doll who is indistinguishable from all the other sad wannabes.

I don’t see anything like this as I don’t engage with any similar posts, so they’re not shown to me.
If I did see them, I’d just ignore. I have no inclination to do 10 things to my face each day, even if a random internet person told me to!!!

I don’t feel pressured to join in. I just find that it’s quite obsessional, it was more of an observation and talking point. I’m ok not to follow such a routine - I have a 3 step routine that I currently follow and it’s fine.

There's money to be made out of making women feel shit about themselves.
I ignore it all.

I dont wear make-up at all.
And my skin care is baby soap and e45 and a chap stick.

My skin is lovely looking and I dont have many wrinkles either, I have less now than what I did when using all the crap that says it can turn back time.
I fell for that nonsense for years.

It stared as a challenge about 3 year ago to just go to the basics and it works, my skin as improved so much.
Loving yourself and the skin your in except that and your already winning.

It's in their interests to push all this stuff and make women feel like they need it for this that and the other. We're all getting older, like it or not. Might as well go with it and ignore the hyaluronic acid and micellar water ads....

I use soap. I put moisturiser on if my skin looks or feels dry (probably once a month). I live.

Step away from social media.

Sometimes I think I should spend more on skin care, but then what’s the point if I still drink alcohol? Giving that up would probably do way more for my skin so I’ll continue life with that dilemma 😂

So just ignore it. Social media isn’t in your brain you can stop looking. Your algorithm is also driven by you - I’m early 30s and mine is all sourdough recipes and books.

Nobody is going to make you do skincare so just don’t and hit ‘not interested’ on the video and it goes away