Each new year sees new skincare trends with the latest products and newest methods. Some work fantastically well and leave you with glowing skin, and some go terribly wrong and can leave you with acne, damaged skin and scarring.
It’s no surprise that a whole host of the skincare trends of 2022 started on TikTok. From skin cycling and pore vacuums to slugging and sunscreen contouring, TikTok skincare trends took over the internet in 2022.
We have compiled a list of the skincare trends that we won’t be bringing into 2023, as well as a list of our most frequently asked questions when it comes to skincare trends.
Skincare trends we’re leaving in 2022
Some skincare trends, including DIY everything, claim to save time and money, but end up damaging your skin in the long run. Before jumping on the trending skincare train, do your own research to check it won’t be detrimental to your skin.
Find out which trends we’re leaving in 2022:
1. Slugging
Slugging definitely took TikTok – and then the whole beauty community – by storm this year. For anyone not familiar with slugging, it involves using petroleum-based moisturising products like Vaseline to cover the skin overnight.
This skincare trend does have some benefits such as glowing and extremely hydrated skin, but it also has many drawbacks – earning it a place on our list of trends not to take into 2023. For slugging to work, you need to use a very thick layer of the product, all over your skin.
This thick barrier on the skin very easily clogs pores as dirt, debris, and dead skin cells have nowhere to go and become trapped. Clogged pores can exacerbate acne, giving you another issue to solve.
Products containing active ingredients such as hyaluronic acid are a great alternative to slugging, as they provide the hit of moisture you need without having to coat a thick layer of product on your skin.
2. Sunscreen contouring
Another TikTok skincare trend, sunscreen contouring involves applying higher factor SPFs to the high points of the face, and lower factor SPFs to the low points of the face. Hoping to achieve a natural sculpting without the need for contouring with makeup, sunscreen contouring ignores the very real risk of sun damage.
A high factor sunscreen should be worn on the face every single day, even in winter. We all know the risks of sun damage, but they aren’t reserved for prolonged periods spent in the blazing sun. This skincare trend not only can cause premature wrinkling, actinic keratosis and sunburn, it can severely impact overall health.
For the sake of two minutes spent contouring with makeup, it simply isn’t worth it to chance the sun damage.
3. DIY skin treatments
Understandably with the financial climate, some people choose to try and DIY their favourite products and treatments to save a few pennies. Sometimes this works as an absolute treat and you can end up with some really great products that you've made yourself.
However, sometimes it doesn’t work so well. Find out which DIY skincare treatments and products we’re leaving in 2022.
DIY microneedling and dermarolling
A sure fire way to end up damaging your skin, many people started to attempt DIY dermarolling and microneedling treatments this year.
Any time someone other than a trained professional uses a device with tiny needles on their face, it’s probably not going to end well. This treatment creates tiny open wounds on the face to stimulate the production of collagen.
Trying microneedling or dermarolling at home may be less expensive, but it might cost you with scarring, infection and damaged skin.
DIY dermaplaning
Similar to DIY microneedling and dermarolling, DIY dermaplaning also involves using something sharp on your face while not having proper training. With this skincare trend, you could be left with small nicks, scratches and cuts. This can then easily cause an infection.
Stick to professional dermaplaning where these risks are considerably lower.
DIY scrubs and masks
Many people have tried to make a DIY scrub or face mask at some point to save money. While some scrubs could be successful in exfoliating, they can take it too far and damage your skin.
For example, exfoliating with just coffee grounds is way too harsh on your skin. Many DIY masks use ingredients that don't work well with your skin or are simply too harsh. Stick to skincare from trusted brands to avoid damaging your skin.
What to avoid in skincare – FAQs
The world of skincare can be very confusing at times. Some people love one product and others hate it; some people get along with perfume in skincare and others don’t; and some people can tolerate alcohol in skincare whereas others can’t.
We’ve brought together some of our most frequently asked questions about skincare dos and don’ts:
Is alcohol bad for skincare?
Unfortunately this isn’t as simple as ‘yes’ or ‘no’ – there are good alcohols and bad alcohols for the skin.
The good alcohols – typically ingredients with cetyl, stearyl, cetearyl and propylene glycol – can actually be nourishing for the skin. However, alcohols considered bad – including isopropyl, denatured and SD alcohols – can cause irritation.
Are essential oils in skincare bad?
While essential oils make a room or your face cream smell lovely, the fragrance in them can be irritating to the skin. Despite some essential oils having some great skincare properties like being antibacterial and antioxidant, they can still cause irritation and damage to the skin.
What are the bad chemicals in skincare?
There are too many toxic and bad chemicals in skincare to list here, but some of the main things to watch out for in your products include: parabens, sulphates and phthalates.
Is perfume in skincare bad?
Fragrance can be natural or synthetic, and many fragrance molecules combine together to make a desired scent, which is usually just labelled as ‘perfume’ or ‘fragrance’ on a skincare product.
Some of these molecules can be damaging to the skin and cause irritation such as cinnamal, isoeugenol, limonene and linalool. As each component of the fragrance doesn’t need to be listed, many people avoid fragranced products all together.
Discover our range of discount skincare – most of which is brand new – to take into 2023.