7 Myths About Skin Care Products You Can Stop Believing
Posted by Nikki Wisher on Jan 24th 2023
Skin care is one of those topics that tends to lend itself to a lot of rumors and misconceptions. Everyone’s looking for the perfect way to look younger and brighter, that magical combination that will give them perfect skin, and unfortunately, you can’t trust everything you hear. Well, you can stop guessing because today, we’re setting the record straight with these common myths about skin care products.
1. Moisturizer Makes Oily Skin Worse
This is a biggie. There’s a common misconception that dry skin and oily skin are direct opposites so people think that if moisturizer helps dry skin, it will make oily skin oilier. You can put aside your moratorium on moisturizer because that isn’t true. In fact, oily skin often happens because your oil glands think your skin is too dry and they’re overproducing oil to try to retain more hydration, so moisturizer can actually help by balancing your hydration. Just make sure to choose an oil-free moisturizer to keep oil under control while still delivering essential hydration.
2. Sunscreen with the Highest SPF are Best
Okay, technically, it’s true that the higher the SPF, the more sun protection you get. You reach a point of diminishing returns, though, at around SPF 30.
Here’s how SPFs work: a sunscreen with SPF 30 lets in 1/30 of the sun’s radiation, while a sunscreen with SPF 45 lets in 1/45 of the sun’s radiation. Let’s do the math. That means SPF 30 blocks 96.67% of the radiation while SPF 45 blocks 97.78%. Sure, SPF 45 is a bit better, but the difference is nearly nothing and if the same product costs twice as much for SPF 45 compared to SPF 30, it’s not worth it.
3. Natural Skincare Products are Always Safer
There’s a huge movement toward natural skin care ingredients, and don’t get me wrong, I’m all for it. There’s nothing wrong with preferring natural products. But it’s important to understand that just because a product is natural doesn’t mean that it won’t irritate your skin or have side effects. It’s still important to keep an eye out and understand what ingredients may irritate your skin, even if you’re buying natural products.
4. If It Burns, It’s Working
This myth doesn’t just lead people into wasting money on the wrong products, it can be outright dangerous. If a skin care product burns, that’s not a signal that it’s working.
That might be the case for some professional skin care treatments like certain chemical peels (although there are plenty of chemical peels that are incredibly effective but create minimal sensation on your skin, and everyone’s comfort level varies as well). Bar none, though, when it comes to skin care products you use at home, burning is always bad.
If it burns, that means it’s inflaming your skin which can lead to a variety of skin issues, not to mention the old lobster look that no one loves. If a home skin care product burns, stop using it and replace it with something else. It’s a good idea to keep a list of any products that irritate your skin, by the way, so you can look for ingredients they have in common and see what ingredients to avoid in the future.
5. You Don’t Need Anti-Aging Products Until You Have Wrinkles
If I had a nickel for every time I heard someone tell a 20-something “oh you don’t need that, you don’t even have wrinkles yet!” I’d be able to buy up all the anti-aging cream there is. The truth is that anti-aging skin care products can only do so much to repair aging after it has happened. It’s far more effective to use anti-aging products as preventative measures to keep your skin bright and beautiful for longer.
Ideally, start using anti-aging products in your 20s either before lines start to appear or when they’re in their early stages. With that said, it’s never too late to start an anti-aging routine and keep future aging to a minimum.
6. Skin Care Products Only Work if Your Pores are Open First
You’ve probably heard so many references over the years to opening pores and closing pores that this may come as a surprise, but if we’re talking about pores opening and closing in the literal sense, that’s bunk. Pores don’t have any kind of muscles or sphincters so they don’t open and close.
What is true about pores, though, is that they can get blocked up by debris and dead skin cells. Things like cleansing your skin or in some cases steaming your skin can loosen up this debris to clear out your pores, and that will allow skin care products to more effectively work their magic.
7. Skin Care Products Must Be FDA-Approved
There’s a common assumption that if a skin care product is being legally sold, that means it’s safe. Unfortunately, that isn’t necessarily the case.
Any cosmetic products do not require FDA approval before they can be sold. The vast majority of skin care products are considered to be cosmetic – the exceptions are products that are marketed as treating a specific skin condition. So, technically, anyone can put anything on the shelves as long as they don’t claim that it’s a medical skin treatment.
However, the FDA does regulate cosmetic products. What this means is that the FDA can take corrective action if there are complaints that a product may be dangerous or if a product contains an ingredient that is known to be dangerous.
The long and short of it is that if you want skin care products you can trust to be safe, the best bet is to choose products from reputable brands that specialize in skin care.
Stocking Up on Effective Skin Care Products
Need to make some changes to your skin care routine now that you have this new information? Feel free to browse Skin Elite’s selection of high-quality, reliable skin care products from respected brands you can trust.