Maybe it’s just a matter of perspective.

As we roll quickly through the opening months of 2022 we’re happy to see that the skinimalism trend that first really started showing up on our radar in 2021 is going strong.

There is no denying that the world is changing. How the world is changing can sometimes feel like it’s out of our hands, and that can be true. But there is another side to that equation that suggests that the world changes based on the small choices we make every day.

After two years of pandemic, the Great Resignation, and border conflict that goes against political intuition, many people are looking to make meaningful changes in their lives at the level they can influence: themselves.

With more people than ever e-commuting to work, Skin Actives brought you our article on the science versus the perception of blue light pollution.

With strains on the supply chain still affecting how business is done, we brought you our article on natural versus synthetic.

Today we’re checking in on the state of skinimalism and you, and what you can do to affect both change in the world and change in your skin’s health.

What Is Minimalist Skincare?

Every idea needs its own word in today’s day and age it seems. Skinimalism is the catchy, fun name that people are using to describe minimalist skincare. We reported on this phenomenon once in 2021.

But beyond the buzz-worthy trend words, skinimalism is about reducing the amount of products you put on your face.

This could be for a couple of reasons. 

Save Time - On one hand, maybe you’re just trying to save some time. The past 10 years has assailed us with a veritable avalanche of beauty programs each more specific and more multilayered than the next. Skinimalism is a multi-disciplined concept that reaches into both the world of make-up and skin care. Remember contouring? Remember the Korean skincare method? In an era where we’ve found that time is our most precious resource, who wants to spend so much of it in front of the mirror with 10-step routines?

Save Money - With inflation at a 40 year high in America, you may be looking for ways to save on your skincare. One of the things about the boom in multi-step skincare routines is that they are inefficient economically. They rely on the consumer spending hard earned cash on numerous creams and serums, each with their own bespoke concern. This means you’re buying more products than ever to address concerns that could be condensed into fewer (or a single) product. Meanwhile, routines that promote repeating a single step multiple times in the same session are encouraging you to crush through product much faster than a morning routine and an evening routine.

Save Your Skin - This one is aimed primarily at makeup, but skincare routines that encourage you to “polish” your skin to a glass-like luster count too. Makeup routines that rely on painting on a new face can lead to clogged pores, the accumulation of dead skin cells, and other reactions that can lead to dry, cracked skin or acne. Meanwhile, attempting to achieve a “wet” or “glossy” skin look can lead to over-exfoliation that damages the skin barrier and even results in over-sensitive skin. All of this is to say, the mission of Skin Actives Scientific is to help you achieve skin that is healthier and higher-functioning than ever before! Skin health is its own kind of beauty!

Essential Skincare

Perhaps a better way to think about skinimalism is “essential skincare”.

By this we mean, what does your skin really need to thrive?

If you’ve been an astute reader of the Skin Actives blog, you probably have a number of words springing to mind right now.

Antioxidants & Lipids - You counterbalance the effects of environmental oxidation, we need to make sure that our skin is getting valuable antioxidants to fight free radicals. Many non-water soluble fats called lipids are rich in these antioxidants, and can help keep our skin barrier thick and healthy as well as providing us with some:

Vitamins & Nutrients - Our skin is a machine that runs on fuel, just like the rest of our body. Because our digestive system deprioritizes our skin when it’s handing out the vitamins and nutrients we take in via food, we should supplement some of these topically, to make sure our skin is well fed.

Proteins & Enzymes - These building blocks are working inside our cells all the time to keep them functioning. As we age our cells can become dormant or die. Dormant cells can be “woken up” when they receive signals from proteins and enzymes getting your skin to function like it did when you were younger, or to prevent future shutdown that can lead to the looks associated with aging.

The concept of essential skincare made manifest in skinimalism would be to use only those products that meet these needs and preferably, use products that meet them at the same time, or in multiple ways, rather than relying on dozens of products to address individual issues.

How Do I Get Started With Skin Minimalism?

Well, fortunately Skin Actives Scientific makes your skinimalism journey easy!

In fact, it wouldn’t be that far off to say that when Dr. Sivak founded the company, her goal was to create products that would do a lot for each customer with just a little. Even with the wide amount of offerings in the Skin Actives catalog, we’ve always focused our efforts on making skincare simple and accessible to everyone. 

Here are some great products that you can use to make sure that your skin care routine remains essential:

Skin Cleansing Oil - Even if your skin routine doesn’t have any other steps, it should have a cleansing step. Wash your face twice, once in the morning, once in the evening, to clear away excess oil produced by your body, dead skin cells, and environmental pollutants. Use our Skin Cleansing Oil with its rich antioxidant lipids to give your skin some nutrition it needs, while sweeping away the things it doesn’t.

Advanced Ageless Collagen Serum with ROS BioNet and Apocynin - To meet our minimalist goals, this serum does a little bit of everything. Hyaluronic acid moisturizes, Sea Kelp Bioferment lends vital vitamins and nutrients. Our Epidermal Growth Factor increases cell function and promotes collagen synthesis.

Hydrating and Firming Age Defying Cream - Tremella mushroom provides the silky texture of this anti aging cream that hydrates and nourishes at the same time with a full spectrum of antioxidants. Hydrolyzed collagen and rosehip seed oil round out for cell activity and skin nutrition.

Sunscreen SPF 30 Advanced Protection - Whether you sit in front of a computer inside, or you’re out in the Phoenix sun, you need to apply the protection of sunscreen every single day. Use ours here (it’s great), or any other, just please, use sunscreen. It’s the most overlooked thing you can do for your skin, and you should do it every day!

Thanks for joining us for another episode of the Skin Actives blog! Check us out this Friday when we explain an exciting function recently added to our website. You may have seen it, learn exactly how it works. Thanks, Skin Actives Family, see you think.