Social media has had a huge and dramatic effect on social media, and many people who step into an acne treatment clinic do so because a content creator or video inspired them to take care of their skin.
A lot of trends have come from this, some of which have been either very useful or at least very interesting, whilst others are rather more dubious.
However, whilst skincare content has become a massive part of social media sites such as TikTok, they do not always get it right.
In fact, according to a study by Fresha, as reported by Professional Beauty Magazine, over 60 per cent of the top influencers make at least one mistake in their videos.
With that in mind, here are five of the most common missteps and why they matter.
Pulling On The Skin
The most common mistake by a considerable margin with 60 per cent of creators getting this wrong, a lot of content creators tend to be a bit too aggressive with their application of skincare products, pulling on the skin when they should be either tapping or tracing gentle circles.
Pulling on the skin can irritate it, cause damage to the skin barrier and make it harder for certain skin products to be absorbed properly. Slower and gentler is best.
Using Products In The Wrong Order
Skincare layering is exceptionally important, as certain products are thicker and heavier than others and can act as an unintentional barrier to stop them from working. Over half (54 per cent) of the creators did not quite get this right
As a general rule of thumb, start with the lightest, thinnest products first, such as serums and oils, before layering progressively thicker lotions and creams, often ending with an SPF or a moisturiser to lock in the other products and maximise their effectiveness.
Only Applying Products To The Face
Typically, you should be applying your skincare products to any part of the upper body that is visible, and given that fewer people are wearing turtleneck sweaters as the weather heats up, this means applying moisturisers and especially SPF sunscreens to the neck and the chest as well.
Over half (54 per cent) missed this out as well, but that may be a part of how the content is made. Hopefully, they corrected their mistake off-screen.
Washing With Freezing Or Burning Water
It goes without saying that you should clean your hands before putting them into different product containers to avoid contamination, even if 36 per cent managed to miss that, but what might be a more difficult issue to understand is ensuring that the water used is just right.
The problem is that overly cold water is simply not effective at loosening dirt and debris on your skin, whilst hot water is too effective, often removing the skin barrier of vital oils used to avoid dryness, redness and irritation. At least 30 per cent of creators missed this.
Layering It On Too Many Products At Once
This may be a product of rapid editing, but you need to give your skin some time to breathe and the products some time to properly absorb, and 28 per cent of content creators reduced the effectiveness of their products by not giving them enough time to work.
