Is skincare really necessary? Here’s what your skin actually needs.

Feeling overwhelmed by skincare? You’re not alone. Discover the only steps you need (and some you may want) for healthy skin.

As someone who’s obsessed (to put it mildly) with skincare, this is not a blog post I thought I’d ever find myself writing, but here we are. Let’s face it—skincare has become exhausting. Everywhere you look, someone’s raving about a new product, device or miracle ingredient that’ll magically transform your face. The “Am I doing enough for my skin?” FOMO is so anxiety inducing that it’s no surprise people are turning away from the idea of skincare altogether.

But here’s the good news: taking care of your skin doesn’t have to be complicated. I’ve tried everything from the bare-bones approach to multi-step mega routines, so trust me when I say: your skin doesn’t need all the products—it just needs the right ones. Let’s break down what’s absolutely essential to maintain basic skin health, and what’s optional. Hopefully this will help you make better choices for your own skincare routine.

Do You Really Need Skincare?

The short answer? It depends.

Your skin is pretty amazing all on its own! It protects you from the elements, heals itself, and works hard to keep everything in balance. But life throws a lot at it—from pollution to UV rays to the weather, sweat, tears, crappy food, age and more. That’s a lot for anyone to handle. That’s where skincare steps in to give your skin a little extra love and support. For most of us, a few simple steps are all it takes to keep our skin happy and healthy (and no, you don’t need a shelf full of products to do it).

The Skincare Essentials: What You Actually Need

If you strip it down to the bare essentials—the few basic things your skin needs to stay healthy and function optimally—then I’d argue there are only 2 or 3 real necessities for skincare.

1. You NEED to Cleanse Your Face at Night

I might be in the minority here, but I don’t even count cleansing as skincare. Think about it—do you shower every day? Brush your teeth every day? Then consider washing your face an extension of these basic hygiene routines. I even keep my cleanser in the shower, so I can wash my face as I wash the rest of my body at the end of a long day.

Now, you may be wondering, if cleansing is all the same, then why do you need a separate cleanser for your face? Well, the skin on your face is VERY different from the skin on the rest of your body (you wouldn’t brush your teeth with shampoo, would you?).

For starters, facial skin is more delicate and prone to irritation. Body cleansers often contain stronger surfactants to tackle sweat, dirt, and oils from larger areas, which can strip the facial skin of its natural moisture and lead to dryness or irritation. The skin on your face also usually has a slightly more acidic pH than the skin on your body. A good facial cleanser is designed to maintain your skin’s natural pH balance, whereas body washes may disrupt it, leading to irritation or breakouts.

So find a gentle, effective facial cleanser that’ll help you wash your face at the end of the day, without leaving it feeling stripped of moisture. If you routinely wear makeup, or layer on a lot of sunscreen, it’s even recommended to double cleanse your face—which entails first using something like micellar water or a cleansing balm/oil to take off as much grime as possible, then following it up with a gentle, water-based cleanser to remove every last trace left behind.

Pro Tip: If you double cleanse at night, and have anything from dry to normal/combination skin, you could skip the morning cleanse and just splash some water on your face instead.

2. You SHOULD Be Moisturizing Twice a Day

OK, I’m not going to tell you that your skin absolutely cannot survive a day without moisturizer, but it sure as hell will do a lot better with it. Think of moisturizer as your skin’s BFF—the one that always has your skin’s back (or, in this case, umm, its barrier). Moisturizer locks in hydration, helps fend off dryness, makes your skin less prone to irritation, and helps it function optimally. In short, your skin gets by with a little help from a moisturizer.

Oh, and let’s clear up a common myth: even if you have oily skin (speaking as a grease monkey myself), your skin will love a good moisturizer. Just opt for a lightweight, non-greasy formula, and thank me later!

Ideally you want to use your moisturizer twice a day in the mornings and evenings. You can choose to use the same one at both times, or a more lightweight formula in the day time, and something more nourishing before bed that’ll help your skin replenish overnight.

3. You NEED to Apply Sunscreen During the Day

Ah, the sun—the ultimate mood booster and, unfortunately, a sneaky skin saboteur. While soaking up some rays can be wonderful for your mood and vitamin D levels, too much sun exposure can be diabolical for your skin. Let’s dive into the various ways the sun can damage your skin and why protecting yourself is so crucial.

• Premature Aging: UV rays break down collagen and elastin, the building blocks of youthful skin. Over time, this leads to the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and that “leathery” texture.

• Loss of Skin Elasticity: Chronic sun exposure accelerates the breakdown of elastin, leading to saggy, less resilient skin over time.

• Dark Spots and Hyperpigmentation: Excessive sun exposure triggers melanin production, causing sunspots or age spots to appear.

• Dryness and Dehydration: The sun depletes natural oils and moisture from your skin, leaving it dry, flaky, and dehydrated.

• Skin Cancer: UV radiation is the leading cause of skin cancers. Regular exposure without protection significantly increases your risk.

I know that sounds scary, and this is definitely not meant to scare you into locking yourself in your house, but if there’s one thing your skin absolutely needs every day, it’s sunscreen. Protecting your skin from UV rays isn’t just about avoiding sunburn; it’s the best way to prevent premature aging and serious issues like skin cancer.

Look for a broad spectrum sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher, and don’t forget to reapply it every couple of hours if you’re out and about.

Pro Tip: If you’re not sure how much sunscreen to apply, conventional wisdom says to use 2 fingers worth (just like I’m holding up in the image here).

What About Everything Else?

This may be a controversial opinion, but I believe that everything else outside of cleanser, moisturizer and sunscreen, is optional. Once you’ve nailed the basics, if you’re still not happy with the way your skin looks and feels, you may want to add some additional help:

• Toners & Essences can be a good addition if your skin feels tight after cleansing, and needs a bit of extra hydration. Alternatively, an exfoliating toner could help prevent dead skin build up. But again, these are not a must.

• Serums are great for targeting specific concerns like dark spots, fine lines or a damaged skin barrier. If you don’t have any major issues, you can skip them too.

• Masks, Ampoules & Facial Oils, for me, are fun for a little self-care, but think of them as an occassional treat rather than a necessity.

The truth is, your skin is smarter than you think—it’ll let you know what it needs if you pay attention. Feeling tight or flaky? You might need more hydration. Getting shiny or breaking out? Go for lightweight, oil-free products. Irritated or red? Look for soothing, fragrance-free formulas.

If your skin looks and feels great with just cleansing, moisturizing, and sunscreen, you’re already doing it right.

Why Simpler May Be Better

At the end of the day, skincare should be a form of self care. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and focus on the basics. From there, you can add in extras if your skin needs them, but don’t feel pressured to use products just because they’re trendy or because everyone else is doing it.

Sometimes, less really is more. Overloading your routine with too many products can do more harm than good—leading to irritation, clogged pores, or just plain ol’ skin barrier damage (been there, done that). If you’re struggling to build a simple skincare routine, I’ve written another article about it here, with helpful tips and product recommendations. And if you do have a simple skincare routine that’s worked for you, I’d love to hear about it in the comments!

About The Skinimalist

Hi, I’m Mal, a 30-something recovering skincare addict, and this is my blog. A space where I attempt to de-influence you from chasing trends and buying more skincare products you may not need.

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