Starting a skincare journey can be scary when there’s so many ingredients, products to use, and no one to tell you what is fiction or fact! With the rise in popularity of skincare, the misconceptions have grown when people take unsolicited advice from a non-expert as truth, and end up negatively affecting their skin. Blanket claims and statements are hardly true without scientific evidence because skincare affects different skin differently! 

We're here to dispel skincare myths and take away validity from certain misconceptions that are harming your skin!

Skin care myths debunked:

Skin Care Myth #1: Every product will work for everyone. 

Holy grail products switch out every season, but some products are known in the skincare world to benefit general skin issues like acne, fine lines, etc. Even with a recommendation, there is always a possibility of it not working out, even if two people share the same skin condition because your skin type and skin needs at the moment can differ from others. This is important to keep in mind when people are raving about one specific product being their “holy grail.” Like we mentioned in our previous articles, all skincare product reviews should come with a “Your Mileage May Vary” warning because how a product reacts with your skin varies from others. 

Skin Care Myth #2: Skincare order doesn't matter. 

To make the most out of your routine, applying them in the correct order of molecule size is KEY to make sure the product is getting absorbed. If it's just sitting on the skin, unable to penetrate, then what good is it doing for you? Find out more about the proper order you should be applying skincare here. Layer products from lightest to thickest in texture, allowing 2-3 minutes in between for the product to soak in. Thicker products like oils and moisturizers will “plug” your pores with hydration (in a good way), preventing smaller-particle-sized products and outside irritants to penetrate the skin, so it's best kept as the last step of your routine. 

Skin Care Myth #3: Stress only affects you mentally.

In reality, stress has a lot of physical manifestations and can cause discomfort in your facial muscles, and skin issues from hormone changes. Think about your fight or flight response in a dangerous situation. Your cortisol (stress hormone) levels elevate, which can increase acne, make your skin more sensitive, and prone to rashes and dry patches. Your immune system is suppressed when you're stressed, unable to fight outside irritants like free radicals that damage your skin's health. 

Read what you can do about it in our "Stressed Skin Routine” blog post to understand how to release stress hormones, and keep your good skin days coming! 

Skin Care Myth #4: Facial oils are bad for acne. 

On the contrary, there is a lot of benefit to using natural oils in your skincare routine, even for those with oily or acne-prone skin. The key to a good skincare routine is balance. If you're using a cleanser that strips your skin's moisture, adding harsh acne treatments on top, how will your dehydrated skin be quenched? As long as you apply it last in your skincare routine, and pay attention to how comedogenic that oil is, you will be fine! Comedogenic levels give us an idea of how likely an oil is to clog your pores and cause irritation. Check out our facial oils recommendations here!

Skin Care Myth #5: Oily skin needs to be dried out. 

If I could go back in time, this would be the biggest myth I'd want to dispel to my younger self. All those drying cleansers, hydration-sucking treatments, with no moisturizer on top severely impacted my skin. By drying out my skin, it bounced back by overproducing oils to compensate for my actions - thus giving me even OILIER skin. A healthy dermis needs a strong bio lipid layer to protect against outside irritants. Hydration is great for ALL skin types and will provide a balance to support healthy skin. Use WOW Skin Science Hyaluronic Acid Water Gel to seal in your skin's moisture, nourish, and retain water to ensure your skin isn't dying out overnight. 

Skin Care Myth #6: Acne will go away in adulthood. 

Unfortunately, this is not one of the freedoms we gain from getting older. Acne is mainly due to genetics, hormone changes (hello menopause!), and P.acnes bacteria. As skin's resiliency goes down with age, it's important to be gentle to your skin. For example, cleanse without physical beads in the formula to prevent micro-tears in your skin. Instead, use gentle exfoliation with purifying active ingredients like activated charcoal, salicylic acid, or benzoyl peroxide. Use WOW Skin Science Activated Charcoal Foaming Face Wash With Brush to gently remove dead skin cells that clog pores, with the built-in soft-silicone bristle brush! Always make sure to rehydrate your skin after cleansing. If you're serious about your anti-acne routine, cut out foods that have hormones like dairy, which can fluctuate your hormone levels and cause acne. 

Skin Care Myth #7: Your skin type will stay the same.

This is untrue! There are so many changes our skin goes through, whether it's from hormones, weather changes, or how strong our skin's protection is against outside irritants. Once you find that “perfect” skincare routine, it's easy to feel set for life. In reality, your skin will continue to change throughout your life, multiple times-- and this is normal! We might experience blemishes, blackheads, and other comedones in our 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, even our 60s. What triggers acne and helps resolve it aren’t dependent on age at all. 

You can read more about how your skin condition changes throughout the years here. Keep this busted misconception in mind, because the same skin issues like dark spots, or “age spots” when you're in an older demographic, can come from years of environmental exposure that cause visible imperfections. If you're not using SPF, these can come quicker by not taking good care of your skin. 

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While this year has been chock-full of uncertainty, we hope busting these skincare myths will help you bring back control over your skin's health. What is a skincare myth or misconception that you want to learn about? Let us know in the comments!