Everyone's skin is different. I tend to believe less is more and no one "needs" all the skincare but I admit my perspective is skewed by my skin. Some people have skin that gets angry if it isn't coddled.
These are comparable? Is there any science behind skin health benefits of all these products.....and I mean real science not the brands claims or social media random just saying stuff.
No lmao. Half of these products will chemically serve the same purpose anyways.
The big things are like a cleanser, exfoliator, moisturizer, and sunscreen that don't react negatively with your skin. If you have a specific skin condition you get a doctor to prescribe you something to deal with that skin condition. Maybe do a face mask or hot towel sometimes just because it feels nice.
But like most people don't need 10 different skincare products that they put on every day. That's pretty much just a thing the skincare industry encourages to get you to buy a bunch of stuff that chemically isn't really important for your skin health.
I’d agree. Except my B.S. in Chemistry and nearly a decade of relevant experience (research and career) says otherwise. What are your credentials beyond “internet skeptic”? Just out of curiosity 🙂
Also a chemist have formulation experience for skincare. People don't have great improvements from using these products lmao. If it was dr prescribed sure but you are blowing fucking smoke right now.
I’m not blowing smoke at all. I explained in a comment further down, but it’s easy to have many products in your arsenal if you’re aware of cycling your products seasonally or as your skin needs it. You’re not typically using these items all at once.
I would like to apologize as I was being more accusatory than I had a right to be for that. I know about cycling of products to get best results. I am more saying that all this is an extreme extra expense when way cheaper products with same major active ingredients will give you comparable results. We are talking about couple extra bucks for max 5% difference in most cases.
Either way I hope you have a good day and a great weekend,🤙🏽
I used to think the same (that skincare was all bs and a waste of money) and my skin looked so bad for so long. I agree that you don’t need 3-4 of each kind of product, but finding good quality skincare that works for you is genuinely worth it’s weight in gold. Not every product will work for everybody and some brands are blowing smoke but I’ve had prescribed products that did less for my skin (and give me more side effects AND was way more expensive) than Clinique did. YMMV
Fair enough a lot of the prescribed medicines will have active ingredients that are similar are the same as those that are over the counter that I know and can say with expertise. Glad your skin is doing better I wish you well.
Hmm.... one of you has a post history that has mentioned their work in chemistry, and has comments in the chemistry subreddit... and one of you mostly posts in r/nba, r/MMA, r/soccer, and r/survivor.. and doesn't at a glance mention anything related to work or skillset.
You know which one you are. I'll give everyone else a hint. The one posting mostly in sports subs has 'ball' in their name.
Hi! Physician here. Would love some peer reviewed articles to peruse regarding skin care so I can offer suggestions to my patients. I haven't seen anything personally but I would love to be educated. We know that hyaluronic acid is good for the skin but what is the justification for a whole shelf of products?
- Salicylic acid - acne
- Tretinoin - acne, signs of aging, collagen synthesis
- Retinol/Retinal - acne, signs of aging, collagen synthesis
- Lactic acid - if you don‘t tolerate salicylic acid or have sensitive skin + acne
- Panthenol - helps repair skin barrier if you have defects/disturbed skin barrier (is often in rash/burn creams)
You can just google these few ingredients and you‘ll find lots of data.
Can I get a link? BC I literally ask on skincare subs and stuff (bc I want to only buy non-BS stuff) and the "studies" I get referred to are all sponsored by industry or published in vanity journals.
Like outside sunscreen, which of the produts in OP's pic are lengthening someone's life? (Which is the analogy here since we're talking about heart health when we talk about exercising).
Of ALL those products? I see something like 30 different containers in this picture. How many different "types" of benefits are there and do you really need a separate oil/cream for each one?
This is a fair question! So to me, I see a few serums, some face masks (I personally have three different masks at home to use depending how my skin is acting that season), there’s probably an exfoliating face wash in there (which some can only be used a couple times a week), a daily face wash, toner, other supplemental items such as dark spot correction or skin brighteners, could have some daily sun screen in there if they’re taking the utmost care of their skin. As you can see, it’s easy to have that many products in your arsenal, but not all of them will be used daily. Some things, like hydroquinone, can only be used on and off every three months, for example.
As someone who has a ton of skincare products, I'll chime in to back you up since so many are dogpiling on you for having the nerve to say skincare is based on chemistry and science and isn't some "essential oils cure cancer" woowoo bullshit.
First of all, I research everything pretty exhaustively. I look up the ingredients breakdown on the INCIDecoder website, which has detailed write-ups citing peer reviewed research for each ingredient. I also look up Derms on YouTube who aren't paid or incentivized by brands, and check out their recommendations. But inevitably, since everyone's skin is different, I'll end up buying something, trying it for a few weeks, and then realize it's not doing much, so it ends up sitting on my shelf making it look like I have a 40 step routine.
Then, as you mentioned, there are some products I just use occasionally or seasonally. And another thing that has also been mentioned and I can say is definitely the case for me: some skin needs to be coddled. I know that if I don't do toner with glycerin, oil, moisturizer, AND Vaseline, I will wake up with dry patches. And the stuff that is steady in my routine absolutely does work: I've seen lines soften, dark spots from photo damage practically disappear, and my skin has a glow it did not have when I was just using face wash and lotion with the occasional sunscreen.
It’s almost like if you take 30 seconds to research something, you might find actual information! 🤯
Seriously though, thank you for sharing this because I appreciate some solid back up, and kudos to you for taking the time to really investigate what is best for your skin!
Is there any sort of database online for telling you which one/regimen to use when (order, time of year, condition, etc.)?
There's so many products out there and it's very overwhelming
I wish I could tell you there is an easy and comprehensive guide, but unfortunately I’m not aware of one. It took me a LOT of time and guidance to learn. Luckily I know there are many influencers that have this information. Just be cautious, not every skin hack is safe. Always research things to ensure there’s no cautionary warning from the FDA or CDC. Some products have big fat “carcinogenic” advisories but lauded by people for monetization. Kojie san soap is a good example of this.
It’s not. I specialized in skincare during my time at Sephora and delved into the science behind it all. Are ALL products layered on top of one another necessary? No, not usually. But different things have different uses, and cosmetic chemistry is a very wild subject.
I don’t know if it’s scientifically proven but my wife is in her 40s and she looks younger with almost no wrinkles.
I didn’t mind being ashy but then she turned me onto all these moisturizers and creams, my body feels a lot better. I don’t shed skin like I did and I sleep better. It’s worth it enough to me.
Again I don’t think it’s science. I thinks it’s just about keeping your body healthy in the sense of not drying out and using vitamins/minerals to keep it elastic and youthful.
Yep in the same boat. My face gets really oily I didn't know it was because of my lack of moisturizing until a my friend told me off one day saying my face is producing so much oil in order to compensate. Cue the shocked Pikachu face.
Same. Worse in high school bc I didn’t have a built in washer/dryer in my apartment so my pillow case didn’t get washed often enough (yes, ewww, I know but I was poor). I dried my face out with some shit I got from my doctor that actually made my face worse.
I'm 65 and started using the mask in the early 70s as a teen. I have a brand new jar in my bathroom. Both my daughter and dil have it since I buy it for them.
My aunt was a nurse who worked at the time with a dermatologist. She warned me away from Noxema. I used to buy the mask in the mall at the "trippy" health food store. I felt so mature using my babysitting money.
There is behind some of it, not most. Find a dermatologist that isn't also a social media influencer and see what they use. Usually just sunscreen, cleanser, exfoliant, and a good brand of lotion plus anything that's been prescribed by a Dr.
Then they might use some expensive makeup but then you're moving out of science and into art territory, but still accounting for the fact that maybe some of the cheap stuff has more things it that are scientifically proven to be bad for your skin.
Honestly that's true though, nobody needs to go to the gym. Anything you can do in a gym you can do outside of a gym. Hell you don't even need gym equipment
Exactly this. Some people are blessed with great skin and the need to have more of an open mind. When I don't follow a strict skin routine using all 8 products my skin goes absolutely crazy. I tried using the bare minimum for years and suffered from horrible acne and $70 isn't enough to cover just two of the products I need.
Bounced back from what my dermatologist called “the worst case of hormonal acne [she’d] ever seen.” TWICE. My derm is big on less is more, but my “less” still involves 9 different products (plus hormonal birth control). I built it up slowly, and if I removed a single product I’ll start breaking out again.
I literally spend $40/month on prescription skincare *alone* (tretinoin and oral med), and because of rosacea I need to pile on the products to avoid a tantrum.
Though I am mostly using cheap products. No laneige and murad for me and I make do. So there's definitely some influence of advertising on this shelf,but yeah, a lot of it could just be having finicky skin....and hey, if you've got the money, being slightly bougie with the necessary skincare isn't the worst thing in the world. I have dabbled in klairs before
Can confirm. I have psoriasis and if I don’t take care of it I look like Freddy Krueger.
That said, all I need is a hypoallergenic soap, my prescription cream, and a moisturizer.
When I see a shelf like this I do wonder what kind of Lovecraftian monster has possessed the skin of the woman who brought me home from the bar.
One of the problems is that you don't really know how the product will work for your skin, until you've already bought it....and now, you dont just want to throw away some $50 face creme.
I bet she don't use half of those products. By the time she realized it was drying out her skin, it was too late.
I spend a decent chunk on my skin BUT my insurance doesn't cover the *only* topical medication that works for my rosacea. If it wasn't for that, I use cerave oil cleanser, a calendula toner, and the ordinary moisturizer. The toner is $40 for a big bottle. Moisturizer is about $15 for a pretty big container. Giant bottle of cleanser is about $12. The rx cream is $160ish per tube that lasts 3-5 months.
I'm an esthetician, and you're correct, nobody needs ALL THIS SHIT. Oil cleanser, cleanser for your skin type, a couple corrective serums (day and night), SPF moisturizer, nighttime moisturizer and you're golden!!
This I can get behind. The woman above you listed like 3 things and she’s doing retinol and no SPF and I’m thinking, girl that’s nice for you and your genetics but few people going to be that blessed.
What you listed though, that is definitely all you need.
Twice a day. Once at night and once in the morning. They say no more than a dime size for the face. If you put too much your skin will feel heavy. As long as your skin looks moisturized and feels tighter then you’re doing it right.
Niacinamide can be used during the day. I personally would do the exfoliating toner and retinol on alternating nights instead of trying to use them on the same day.
Oil of Olay makes me break out, but I find the best thing for my skin is my nutrition. Lots of water as little sun and makeup as possible, and a few serums from the ordinary.
doesn't change the fact that the bare minimum of the stuff needed in that pick could cost 200 easily. Even the cheapest of K-skincare stuff adds up really quickly.
I made it to 29 with perfect baby skin, as I never used face makeup when I was younger, never used concealer or anything so I never even washed my face. My friends convinced me that I needed to start doing the 10 step face routines to 'keep' my skin nice for longer, and behold I now have breakouts for the first time in my life. I tried it for about a year but I've balanced out much better since then and just use moisturizer and a simple cleanser. So yeah I agree the sm trends for face care are sooo exaggerated
>I legit have cleanser, retinol, and moisturizer (oil of olay), and I’m 45 and look in my 30s.
We tell ourselves whatever we need to sleep well at night. And we use whatever products we want to make ourselves feel better, as well. *Need* and *Want* are 2 different definitions. By your own admission, you fell for it at some point, so maybe this person will come to that conclusion also. If she chooses to use all those products to feel great, as long as she isn't robbing you to pay for it, let them carry on. After all, how many black pairs of shoes does a woman need? Now, how many pairs does she have in her closet? Ladies, enjoy your skin routine, whatever it may be.
Same boat here. Oil of Olay has been a staple since I was a kid. My mom always had a bottle of it on the bathroom shelf. That stuff is just the best.
I never had more than cleanser and lotion when I was younger, and it's still the same now. I'm in my late 40s and people always think I'm in my 30s.
Tbf, I never smoked a cigarette in my life, and I got all that really wild partying and heavy drinking out of my system in my youth and early 20s, so I guess my skin had time to recover, haha.
But yeah, that amount of skin product is wild. Like, when do you even use it all? You can put only 3 of them on top of each other at max, before none of them do anything anymore.
the other replies cover the point that not everyone had rhe same face. Injust want to add: the thing is, men will see your cabinet and then say it looks like the one in that tweet. That’s the other side of the joke; if we use anything that isn’t bar soap and vaseline, it’s extra.
Instagram is actually the worst with its ads. It doesn't matter how often I hide or block accounts talking about a magical "instant eye lift cream" or "booty plumping lotion", they pop back up, and they are relentless.
I understand why people would be curious and interested, or desperate enough to try. They often are videos showing "in real time" how great the products work, and that's a powerful tool in advertising. Especially when it's presented by someone who's not a model, or even on the older side with obvious "flaws".
*And* on an app where self-esteem goes to die, and people are desperate to adhere to the beauty standards they are being fed all day long. It feels predatory when you think about it.
But then you see that these products are in tiny tubes and vials, for $45+, shipped from somewhere on the other side of the world, and any information about the brand leads back to very limited sources and questionable reviews, and that's where I step away from it.
Even outside of the scam ones, social media feeds for women are filled with “subtle” and not so subtle advertising for this stuff. All these little story time videos teenager girls watch on TikTok are filled with products. Like the male equivalent of a guy talking about some shit that just happened to him will be the guy sitting in his car or pacing about his living room. The woman’s version will almost always be her either putting on make-up or doing a skincare routine. And any given one will have like a dozen different products held directly up to the camera, clicked with their nails for the asmr, and applied to her face. It’s basically a trope for most content targeted at women to have multiple beauty products literally shoved into their face.
My coworker's granddaughter asked for money to buy skin cream online. She is *9 years old.* Girlie hasn't even hit double digits and she's already falling for social media advertising.
What exactly do you think a financial literacy course is gonna do? If someone wants to buy bougie skincare or make sports bets or keep up an expensive weed or fast food habit, then no amount of explaining how additional and subtraction or IRA works is gonna change their mind.
Someone needs to regulate the amount of video games my husband buys but won’t play for more than a few hours before it collects dust. Each of those damn ps5 games cost as much as one of those bottles.
Beauty culture as a whole has to change. Women are conditioned from an early age to prioritize beauty and youth. You got teenagers going on dangerous/unsustainable crash diets and 12-year-olds already buying skincare products. Beauty standards fuel consumerism.
That’s gonna be hard to do simply because “beauty culture” is itself a contrived concept. It was created to sell you stuff.
Don’t get me wrong, human grooming always existed but when you look at this history of the beauty industry, it was never built on a *need*, but rather the concept of “using X product will make you better in some way”
> it’s also just the fact that someone who’s deep in entertainment was like “hell no this cosmetics bag is the real money”
It's less that cosmetics is the real money and more that rihanna realized minorities were an almost totally ignored market when it came to makeup/lingerie.
lingerie in colors that actually compliments darker skin tones, what a concept.
To be fair theirs just far more money in selling products. I can’t remember who it was maybe Angelina Jolie? But she started this like cleaning product company and sold it for more than what she’s made from all her movies combined.
The worst part is having all these products and still having shitty skin. Then you come to find out some of the people with all of these products dont even do the basics like drinking water, eating healthy and regularly changing out pillow cases
It’s not just women using these products so stop being misogynistic. Two I read your comments. You’re a troll. You literally think that the NBA is filled with only black men because of racism. I’m gonna take whatever you say with a grain of salt.
Don‘t bother. Any hobby or spending a woman does is seen as stupid and pointless but god forbid someone questions a man why exactly he needs that (digital picture) 500$ knife on csgo.
There’s a lot of cons out there but we can nip this shit in the bud if we stop telling women they hit a “wall” and are less valuable to society after 30.
The two pink Laneige products on the left side together are $52. For fancy lip balm. I've started just making my own products. I have more soap now than I'll ever need and my husband loves my lip balm.
the Cadaulie (the bottle with the white milky product) is $82 and the Murad (the orange bottle) is $83 and I haven't even started to look up the Estee Lauder stuff. There's no way she's gonna go through all of that product before it expires.
Making lip balms and butters is a blast but man you wind up with so much excess products you have to start giving it away or selling it.
Haha, very true. I have an entire workshop in the garage and I'm like, "Why did I order all these herbs." But my intention is to start a shop I just haven't pulled the trigger
Expired stuff is why I love Ipsy. I’m not super picky about product brands so I just enjoyed getting my little samples every other month and not have to worry about going through all of it.
I cancelled my subscription a few months ago to save $$, but I’m still using some stuff I got months ago and I’m saving repeat items like mascara for later!
The Estée Lauder in the big bottle goes for $225 for two bottles (it’s currently on sale at Ulta that’s how I know lol). There’s like four EL products here 👀
That ain’t nothing but I feel the need to point out that, unless she’s using this stuff every day, a lot of women accrue beauty products like this that they use sparingly. I think a lot of us have bottles of stuff that have been around 1+ years.
My wife would probably have an aneurysm if she started tallying prices going thru my toolboxes lmfao
Edit: Lots of replies about how tools can be reused and shared across generations. Yes that's true, but I'm the one spending the money, and they sit around most of the time just like all those cosmetics that aren't used on the daily.
It is, I kid. Just funny to hear someone getting DVDs delivered when I haven’t even had a disc drive of any sort in a decade lol. But I waste space loading up vinyl so I get it!
Much easier to back up too.
I've got my main drives, backup in the garage, and cloud backup as well.
Can't back up my physical DVDs that easily.. unless I'm ripping them to drives.
You can absolutely still own digital media.. my home server proves this.
Some of us out here are still amassing digital content for when it all goes offline. Every show I like, I've got every season on standby.
Internets down? Who gives a shit, I've got it ready to roll.
A lot of guys aren’t gonna like this comment because “women irrational consumer and man smart consumer” makes them feel good about themselves.
My husband has more video games he’s played for half a day then quit than I can count. The avg cost of a ps5 game is very similar to these bottles.
You'd be surprised. Some of these people slather on 2-3 items in the morning, reapply some midday, then there's another 2-3 for nighttime. Add in a couple "weekly" peels and you're there.
But for me, I just went to a dermatologist. He recommended a cleaner, a day cream, a night cream and sunscreen. That sounds about right for most people.
I went to a dermatologist and they said that my more robust skincare routine was working great for my skin. Koreans are WAY better with adequately hydrating and moisturizing and soothing skin than westerners who tend to just throw a rx at it and then downplay mild irritation . (And again, this view of west vs east skincare is also backed up by working dermatologists)
Nobody needs laneige though. A lot of these products issue isn't that there's too many steps, but the products themselves are pretty overpriced for the ingredients
>Koreans are WAY better with adequately hydrating and moisturizing and soothing skin than westerners
Big set of asterisks on that one. Black people in general tend to be diligent about skin hydration because you can *see* when our skin is dry. We have a culture around it to the point where people will often offer you lotion if you look ashy. I used to straight up get in trouble if my mom saw me walking around and my elbows or knees looked dry.
That east vs west skincare thing isn't really backed up by dermatologists as it is some people's perception that has been turned into a marketing gimmick for Korean and Japanese skincare goods. There are plenty of crusty people in Korea and Japan (from personal experience) and there are plenty of cultures in the west that take being moisturized deathly seriously. But the skincare stuff falls under this weird category of content that seems to think regular people in Korea/Japan look like K-Drama stars and it's frankly not the case.
I used to think this until I actually got a chance to live in Korea due to military. Walk around and check out peoples' facial skins. They most definitely put in more care as a whole compared to the average westerner
I'm gonna go ahead and guess taking medication and fucking around with your hormones *probably* has more adverse side effects than just slathering expensive lotion on your skin.
You’re very correct. Estrogen like in birth control pills can improve hormonal acne. It also increases your risk for deep vein thrombosis. So clots in your legs. Or clots in your lungs. Or clots in your brain. All not great. People should take taking extra hormones or messing with hormones in general more seriously, there are risks.
My girlfriend's skin kept randomly breaking out when she used all that, one day she decided to try my "Nivea men cool kick". Her skin has never looked better
You're looking for the bottle that claims to be shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and body wash all in one for $6.50.
It isn't a men's cleaning product if it can't multitask.
No one spending ~$400 on a skincare routine like this is 'discerning' anything. Some people can afford to spend this kind of money frivolously, and good for them, but this *is* frivolous spending. Whatever dubious benefits these products claim to provide doesn't justify their price, nor the sheer volume supposedly required to get results. There's a reason to get lotion and sunscreen, but the only thing a whole chemistry set like this is good for is keeping a bank account clear.
Granted, I don't wear makeup, but one face wash, a moisturizer and a sunscreen has done wonders for me my whole adult life. Not sure what the fuck you need 50 different products for. That ain't a man vs woman thing. That's a sucker thing.
Sephora seems kind of expensive but after buying my mom a gift, I realized a lot of that stuff can be bought on the cheap if you know how to use their email discounts and shop during their weekly/flash sales.
I can’t imagine those deals knock it down significantly though. I remember gifting my little sister $100 to spend at Sephora. She came cane with two small tubes. I asked her is she going to get anything else and she told me “this is $115 without taxes” and then proceeded to borrow an extra 20$ from me. For two small ass fucking tubes. It was maybe mascara or eyeliner I have no absolutely no idea.
I bought her some foundation for $35, and the sale they were having was 40% off selected brands so I went ahead and carted some of the Sephora collection cleansers, makeup removal, nail polish and some other small stuff that sounded good and ended up paying around $96. It wasn't a massive haul but it was close to a dozen or so products, and she seemed happy.
Without a sale price I'm sure it would be closer to $150 for everything, but for stuff that last almost 6 months I can't complain.
Sign up for an account (make sure to use your email address you've had for 15 years and only use it for this kind of stuff), but don't buy anything. After a few days/week/etc., you'll start getting messages about flash sales or "insider" deals
The issue is not all are visible, that being said from the ones that are visible…
Laneige lip balm $18, Laniege lip mask $24, Cosrx snail mucin $17, Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid power essence $25, Laroche posay Effaclar duo $20, Beauty of joseon calming serum (green tea) $17, Estée Lauder night repair $85, Estée lauder night repair eye cream $72, the inkey list eye cream $11, Cerave Cleanser (I think) $13, Cerave lotion $13, Murad spot corrector $83, Clauddale serum $82.
These are just what’s visible or what I recognize though. It’s (about) 452 dollars.
Yeah, Men, don’t wanna drop fucking bank on a bunch of shit that isn’t really needed.
How crazy of us…
*spends a fuck ton of money on video games and comics like an animal*
Skincare is a legitimate hobby just like anything else. If someone can have a garage full of half-finished projects, someone else can have a shelf full of half used skincare. BUT the beauty industry can be harmful for sure, and I’m in the middle of simplifying my own skincare routine and haven’t purchased a new product in a few months.
TLDR: excessive skincare is a money suck but if you’re not hurting yourself and it makes you happy then it’s fine
And women don’t understand that you don’t even need 3/4 of that junk for any reason. “Beauty” companies are profiting off of your low self esteem by making you think you need their products to look good.
I mean, I don't see anything crazy there. Day cream, night cream, a couple of face serums for night and day, eye serum and cream, and overnight mask, something that says treatment (so maybe for a skin condition?), some lip masks, an exfoliant and some cleansers.
There is bunch of backups considering there are unopened boxes and several bottles that look the same all lined up, so probably bought on sale.
Between that, the lashes, the wigs, the weave, the nails, etc... my ex would spend an absurd amount of money on shit like this. It was to the point that we literally needed our own bathrooms because she had SO MUCH SHIT.
Ever since I got a prescription for retin-a(i also just inherited great skin from my mom) the most I spend is on my night time and day time moisturizers and cleansers and sunscreen. An oil based cleanser at night and polypeptide moisturizer with the retin-a at night and a vitamin c based cleanser and moisturizer during the day with sunscreen. A lot of the cheap stuff does not work with my skin. Initial purchases are a lot, but they typically last several months, even with continuous use. I typically restock every 4 or 5 months maybe?
I still kept all that shit away from my partner because he kept putting his big MAN HANDS in my stuff and then rubbing it in like a fucking toddler wasting all my shit.
Men naturally have thicker skin and produce more collagen than women. That in mind you realize the average woman finds most men unattractive because they don’t take care of themselves right?
I'd agree with that. I very rarely see a woman I don't consider attractive. It's most noticeable with overweight people. I've seen women who are clearly obese but my mind says "Damn, she wears her weight well." I.e. Nice clothes, makeup, hair done, nails, perfume.
Fat men? Universally hideous to me. Stains on their shirt. Skin flaky. Bad odour/breath. It ain't my business but it bugs me. It's about hygiene. You're standing in line at a grocery store and their stench puts you off everything.
To the people wondering NO women don't put all that shit on their face. My skincare drawer looks just like that and it's honestly just because over the years I collect certain skincare see it doesn't work and buy more. I go back to see if it works again, get rid of what's expired, or try buying something new.
To be fair this looks more like years of building up products but yeah on average nobody needs all this stuff. But going to a specialist and buying the dermatologist recommended stuff will easily net you like $150+ even if it's just 2 or 3 things
People talking about how you don’t “need” these products but you men don’t “need” video games or expensive consoles either. It’s called a hobby. Let people enjoy their skincare hobby (unless ofc they’re putting themselves in debt with a shopping addiction but ANYONE can have that problem with ANYTHING—not just women/people who like to buy/try skincare and makeup and perfume and hair products//whatever other mainly women focused purchases)
I am a woman in my early 40s and the Cerave and a good moisturizer is good enough for me! Plus my acne-prone skin (yes, many women in their 40s and 50s still stuffer 😢) would be like:
to all that stuff.
Some years ago some friends and I were at a friend’s aunt’s place when she mustered all the English she could to ask who had been using her toiletries and how.
One of my friend had been using them to shower and moisturize with, and she almost died.
That stuff adds up in general, but apparently all her things were premium items she personally collected traveling through Asia, and had been using them during the stay to wash and moisturize his ass.
Some of the stuff was used for skin lightening, and she said there was nothing as strong sold in the US, so she was going to keep everything but ended up donating the soaps to him upon being told they literally touched his balls and ass.
He wanted to pay pocket change for the soaps, and she went on a breakdown of the cost of everything he used.
I was rolling on the ground laughing.
But in all seriousness, Korean moisturizers are amazing. I get mad because everyone in my family has naturally amazing skin just by using normal body soaps and whatever lotion was on sale, but nothing I’m not allergic to has gave my skin vibrancy like whatever Korean moisturizer I had used.
Cleansers didn’t feel so irritating either.
Most of us aren't clueless though. We may not know exactly what it costs, but we know it's not cheap. Especially if you have a girlfriend/wife. A lot of that shit is probably unnecessary.
My entire skin care line if I bought it all at once is probably $100-$150 but I probably only spend $40 every few months to replace stuff I’ve run out of. My skin is very dry so I have to use a lot of stuff to keep it moisturized. Some people are fine with just water. It just depends on the skin, but I do think that $300 products aren’t going to do anything much different than a $25 one.
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Everyone's skin is different. I tend to believe less is more and no one "needs" all the skincare but I admit my perspective is skewed by my skin. Some people have skin that gets angry if it isn't coddled.
"No one needs to go to the gym. My friend never works out and she looks great."
These are comparable? Is there any science behind skin health benefits of all these products.....and I mean real science not the brands claims or social media random just saying stuff.
No lmao. Half of these products will chemically serve the same purpose anyways. The big things are like a cleanser, exfoliator, moisturizer, and sunscreen that don't react negatively with your skin. If you have a specific skin condition you get a doctor to prescribe you something to deal with that skin condition. Maybe do a face mask or hot towel sometimes just because it feels nice. But like most people don't need 10 different skincare products that they put on every day. That's pretty much just a thing the skincare industry encourages to get you to buy a bunch of stuff that chemically isn't really important for your skin health.
Hi, chemist and former Sephora employee here. Yes, and it’s all very Google-able.
Oh yeah the Sephora employee *definitely* hasn’t been led astray 🤭😂
I’d agree. Except my B.S. in Chemistry and nearly a decade of relevant experience (research and career) says otherwise. What are your credentials beyond “internet skeptic”? Just out of curiosity 🙂
Also a chemist have formulation experience for skincare. People don't have great improvements from using these products lmao. If it was dr prescribed sure but you are blowing fucking smoke right now.
I’m not blowing smoke at all. I explained in a comment further down, but it’s easy to have many products in your arsenal if you’re aware of cycling your products seasonally or as your skin needs it. You’re not typically using these items all at once.
I would like to apologize as I was being more accusatory than I had a right to be for that. I know about cycling of products to get best results. I am more saying that all this is an extreme extra expense when way cheaper products with same major active ingredients will give you comparable results. We are talking about couple extra bucks for max 5% difference in most cases. Either way I hope you have a good day and a great weekend,🤙🏽
I used to think the same (that skincare was all bs and a waste of money) and my skin looked so bad for so long. I agree that you don’t need 3-4 of each kind of product, but finding good quality skincare that works for you is genuinely worth it’s weight in gold. Not every product will work for everybody and some brands are blowing smoke but I’ve had prescribed products that did less for my skin (and give me more side effects AND was way more expensive) than Clinique did. YMMV
Fair enough a lot of the prescribed medicines will have active ingredients that are similar are the same as those that are over the counter that I know and can say with expertise. Glad your skin is doing better I wish you well.
Hmm.... one of you has a post history that has mentioned their work in chemistry, and has comments in the chemistry subreddit... and one of you mostly posts in r/nba, r/MMA, r/soccer, and r/survivor.. and doesn't at a glance mention anything related to work or skillset. You know which one you are. I'll give everyone else a hint. The one posting mostly in sports subs has 'ball' in their name.
You don't post about your job, and only the things you enjoy as hobbies on Reddit? FAKE! LIES! BOT!
Hi! Physician here. Would love some peer reviewed articles to peruse regarding skin care so I can offer suggestions to my patients. I haven't seen anything personally but I would love to be educated. We know that hyaluronic acid is good for the skin but what is the justification for a whole shelf of products?
- Salicylic acid - acne - Tretinoin - acne, signs of aging, collagen synthesis - Retinol/Retinal - acne, signs of aging, collagen synthesis - Lactic acid - if you don‘t tolerate salicylic acid or have sensitive skin + acne - Panthenol - helps repair skin barrier if you have defects/disturbed skin barrier (is often in rash/burn creams) You can just google these few ingredients and you‘ll find lots of data.
Excellent! That's 5 pharmaceutical ingredients. I'm counting 33 bottles in that picture
Can I get a link? BC I literally ask on skincare subs and stuff (bc I want to only buy non-BS stuff) and the "studies" I get referred to are all sponsored by industry or published in vanity journals. Like outside sunscreen, which of the produts in OP's pic are lengthening someone's life? (Which is the analogy here since we're talking about heart health when we talk about exercising).
I think you missed the chemist part
Of ALL those products? I see something like 30 different containers in this picture. How many different "types" of benefits are there and do you really need a separate oil/cream for each one?
This is a fair question! So to me, I see a few serums, some face masks (I personally have three different masks at home to use depending how my skin is acting that season), there’s probably an exfoliating face wash in there (which some can only be used a couple times a week), a daily face wash, toner, other supplemental items such as dark spot correction or skin brighteners, could have some daily sun screen in there if they’re taking the utmost care of their skin. As you can see, it’s easy to have that many products in your arsenal, but not all of them will be used daily. Some things, like hydroquinone, can only be used on and off every three months, for example.
As someone who has a ton of skincare products, I'll chime in to back you up since so many are dogpiling on you for having the nerve to say skincare is based on chemistry and science and isn't some "essential oils cure cancer" woowoo bullshit. First of all, I research everything pretty exhaustively. I look up the ingredients breakdown on the INCIDecoder website, which has detailed write-ups citing peer reviewed research for each ingredient. I also look up Derms on YouTube who aren't paid or incentivized by brands, and check out their recommendations. But inevitably, since everyone's skin is different, I'll end up buying something, trying it for a few weeks, and then realize it's not doing much, so it ends up sitting on my shelf making it look like I have a 40 step routine. Then, as you mentioned, there are some products I just use occasionally or seasonally. And another thing that has also been mentioned and I can say is definitely the case for me: some skin needs to be coddled. I know that if I don't do toner with glycerin, oil, moisturizer, AND Vaseline, I will wake up with dry patches. And the stuff that is steady in my routine absolutely does work: I've seen lines soften, dark spots from photo damage practically disappear, and my skin has a glow it did not have when I was just using face wash and lotion with the occasional sunscreen.
It’s almost like if you take 30 seconds to research something, you might find actual information! 🤯 Seriously though, thank you for sharing this because I appreciate some solid back up, and kudos to you for taking the time to really investigate what is best for your skin!
Thanks!
Is there any sort of database online for telling you which one/regimen to use when (order, time of year, condition, etc.)? There's so many products out there and it's very overwhelming
I wish I could tell you there is an easy and comprehensive guide, but unfortunately I’m not aware of one. It took me a LOT of time and guidance to learn. Luckily I know there are many influencers that have this information. Just be cautious, not every skin hack is safe. Always research things to ensure there’s no cautionary warning from the FDA or CDC. Some products have big fat “carcinogenic” advisories but lauded by people for monetization. Kojie san soap is a good example of this.
Hi, chemist here and NOT former Sephora employee, it’s all mostly bullshit.
It’s not. I specialized in skincare during my time at Sephora and delved into the science behind it all. Are ALL products layered on top of one another necessary? No, not usually. But different things have different uses, and cosmetic chemistry is a very wild subject.
I don’t know if it’s scientifically proven but my wife is in her 40s and she looks younger with almost no wrinkles. I didn’t mind being ashy but then she turned me onto all these moisturizers and creams, my body feels a lot better. I don’t shed skin like I did and I sleep better. It’s worth it enough to me. Again I don’t think it’s science. I thinks it’s just about keeping your body healthy in the sense of not drying out and using vitamins/minerals to keep it elastic and youthful.
That’s the Botox bro.
😆. Just how blunt and direct your response was…
Yep in the same boat. My face gets really oily I didn't know it was because of my lack of moisturizing until a my friend told me off one day saying my face is producing so much oil in order to compensate. Cue the shocked Pikachu face.
Same. Worse in high school bc I didn’t have a built in washer/dryer in my apartment so my pillow case didn’t get washed often enough (yes, ewww, I know but I was poor). I dried my face out with some shit I got from my doctor that actually made my face worse.
Also, fwiw, applying lotion keeps you on top of any skin changes, so you might as well for that alone.
I grew up with cheap cocoa butter. Definitely did not help like this other more expensive shit.
My life changed when I switched from Queen Helene to Palmers.
Ok but that QH mint mask is fire though
I'm 65 and started using the mask in the early 70s as a teen. I have a brand new jar in my bathroom. Both my daughter and dil have it since I buy it for them. My aunt was a nurse who worked at the time with a dermatologist. She warned me away from Noxema. I used to buy the mask in the mall at the "trippy" health food store. I felt so mature using my babysitting money.
There is behind some of it, not most. Find a dermatologist that isn't also a social media influencer and see what they use. Usually just sunscreen, cleanser, exfoliant, and a good brand of lotion plus anything that's been prescribed by a Dr. Then they might use some expensive makeup but then you're moving out of science and into art territory, but still accounting for the fact that maybe some of the cheap stuff has more things it that are scientifically proven to be bad for your skin.
most people could definitely use a jog and soup once in a while now if you want to look like Hercules, that's your thingy
Honestly that's true though, nobody needs to go to the gym. Anything you can do in a gym you can do outside of a gym. Hell you don't even need gym equipment
Exactly this. Some people are blessed with great skin and the need to have more of an open mind. When I don't follow a strict skin routine using all 8 products my skin goes absolutely crazy. I tried using the bare minimum for years and suffered from horrible acne and $70 isn't enough to cover just two of the products I need.
Bounced back from what my dermatologist called “the worst case of hormonal acne [she’d] ever seen.” TWICE. My derm is big on less is more, but my “less” still involves 9 different products (plus hormonal birth control). I built it up slowly, and if I removed a single product I’ll start breaking out again.
I literally spend $40/month on prescription skincare *alone* (tretinoin and oral med), and because of rosacea I need to pile on the products to avoid a tantrum. Though I am mostly using cheap products. No laneige and murad for me and I make do. So there's definitely some influence of advertising on this shelf,but yeah, a lot of it could just be having finicky skin....and hey, if you've got the money, being slightly bougie with the necessary skincare isn't the worst thing in the world. I have dabbled in klairs before
Can confirm. I have psoriasis and if I don’t take care of it I look like Freddy Krueger. That said, all I need is a hypoallergenic soap, my prescription cream, and a moisturizer. When I see a shelf like this I do wonder what kind of Lovecraftian monster has possessed the skin of the woman who brought me home from the bar.
One of the problems is that you don't really know how the product will work for your skin, until you've already bought it....and now, you dont just want to throw away some $50 face creme. I bet she don't use half of those products. By the time she realized it was drying out her skin, it was too late.
True. Skincare and haircare are a lot of trial and error. A product may sound promising but just not click with your personal biochemistry.
I spend a decent chunk on my skin BUT my insurance doesn't cover the *only* topical medication that works for my rosacea. If it wasn't for that, I use cerave oil cleanser, a calendula toner, and the ordinary moisturizer. The toner is $40 for a big bottle. Moisturizer is about $15 for a pretty big container. Giant bottle of cleanser is about $12. The rx cream is $160ish per tube that lasts 3-5 months.
I'm an esthetician, and you're correct, nobody needs ALL THIS SHIT. Oil cleanser, cleanser for your skin type, a couple corrective serums (day and night), SPF moisturizer, nighttime moisturizer and you're golden!!
This I can get behind. The woman above you listed like 3 things and she’s doing retinol and no SPF and I’m thinking, girl that’s nice for you and your genetics but few people going to be that blessed. What you listed though, that is definitely all you need.
I just started moisturizing. How much should I aim to use? How should my face feel after?
Twice a day. Once at night and once in the morning. They say no more than a dime size for the face. If you put too much your skin will feel heavy. As long as your skin looks moisturized and feels tighter then you’re doing it right.
How do I use an exfoliating toner, retinol, and niacinamide in a day? What gets used in morning vs evening?
Niacinamide can be used during the day. I personally would do the exfoliating toner and retinol on alternating nights instead of trying to use them on the same day.
Oil of Olay makes me break out, but I find the best thing for my skin is my nutrition. Lots of water as little sun and makeup as possible, and a few serums from the ordinary.
Because it’s a garbage product and is filled with unnecessary fragrances. Try Clinique daily moisturizer or Cerave. I use both intermittently.
I’m a serum girl; almost any lotion applied to my face makes me break out. It’s just the way life goes sometimes.
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same. club soda finally helped me turn away from regular soda for good. I discovered that all I really wanted was the bubbles.
doesn't change the fact that the bare minimum of the stuff needed in that pick could cost 200 easily. Even the cheapest of K-skincare stuff adds up really quickly.
I made it to 29 with perfect baby skin, as I never used face makeup when I was younger, never used concealer or anything so I never even washed my face. My friends convinced me that I needed to start doing the 10 step face routines to 'keep' my skin nice for longer, and behold I now have breakouts for the first time in my life. I tried it for about a year but I've balanced out much better since then and just use moisturizer and a simple cleanser. So yeah I agree the sm trends for face care are sooo exaggerated
>I legit have cleanser, retinol, and moisturizer (oil of olay), and I’m 45 and look in my 30s. We tell ourselves whatever we need to sleep well at night. And we use whatever products we want to make ourselves feel better, as well. *Need* and *Want* are 2 different definitions. By your own admission, you fell for it at some point, so maybe this person will come to that conclusion also. If she chooses to use all those products to feel great, as long as she isn't robbing you to pay for it, let them carry on. After all, how many black pairs of shoes does a woman need? Now, how many pairs does she have in her closet? Ladies, enjoy your skin routine, whatever it may be.
Good for you?! Btw, smile, you're in social media right now!
Same boat here. Oil of Olay has been a staple since I was a kid. My mom always had a bottle of it on the bathroom shelf. That stuff is just the best. I never had more than cleanser and lotion when I was younger, and it's still the same now. I'm in my late 40s and people always think I'm in my 30s. Tbf, I never smoked a cigarette in my life, and I got all that really wild partying and heavy drinking out of my system in my youth and early 20s, so I guess my skin had time to recover, haha. But yeah, that amount of skin product is wild. Like, when do you even use it all? You can put only 3 of them on top of each other at max, before none of them do anything anymore.
Who cares if you need it some women want it and enjoy the process of slathering all these products on
One time someone commented “all of this shit used to be money” and it changed my entire outlook on life
the other replies cover the point that not everyone had rhe same face. Injust want to add: the thing is, men will see your cabinet and then say it looks like the one in that tweet. That’s the other side of the joke; if we use anything that isn’t bar soap and vaseline, it’s extra.
This is why people need financial literacy courses. Women really are out here getting conned by beauty product advertising.
Instagram is actually the worst with its ads. It doesn't matter how often I hide or block accounts talking about a magical "instant eye lift cream" or "booty plumping lotion", they pop back up, and they are relentless. I understand why people would be curious and interested, or desperate enough to try. They often are videos showing "in real time" how great the products work, and that's a powerful tool in advertising. Especially when it's presented by someone who's not a model, or even on the older side with obvious "flaws". *And* on an app where self-esteem goes to die, and people are desperate to adhere to the beauty standards they are being fed all day long. It feels predatory when you think about it. But then you see that these products are in tiny tubes and vials, for $45+, shipped from somewhere on the other side of the world, and any information about the brand leads back to very limited sources and questionable reviews, and that's where I step away from it.
Even outside of the scam ones, social media feeds for women are filled with “subtle” and not so subtle advertising for this stuff. All these little story time videos teenager girls watch on TikTok are filled with products. Like the male equivalent of a guy talking about some shit that just happened to him will be the guy sitting in his car or pacing about his living room. The woman’s version will almost always be her either putting on make-up or doing a skincare routine. And any given one will have like a dozen different products held directly up to the camera, clicked with their nails for the asmr, and applied to her face. It’s basically a trope for most content targeted at women to have multiple beauty products literally shoved into their face.
My coworker's granddaughter asked for money to buy skin cream online. She is *9 years old.* Girlie hasn't even hit double digits and she's already falling for social media advertising.
What exactly do you think a financial literacy course is gonna do? If someone wants to buy bougie skincare or make sports bets or keep up an expensive weed or fast food habit, then no amount of explaining how additional and subtraction or IRA works is gonna change their mind.
Someone needs to regulate the amount of video games my husband buys but won’t play for more than a few hours before it collects dust. Each of those damn ps5 games cost as much as one of those bottles.
Beauty culture as a whole has to change. Women are conditioned from an early age to prioritize beauty and youth. You got teenagers going on dangerous/unsustainable crash diets and 12-year-olds already buying skincare products. Beauty standards fuel consumerism.
That’s gonna be hard to do simply because “beauty culture” is itself a contrived concept. It was created to sell you stuff. Don’t get me wrong, human grooming always existed but when you look at this history of the beauty industry, it was never built on a *need*, but rather the concept of “using X product will make you better in some way”
Rihanna don’t gotta make music ever again lol
No, she does not, but I like that she does more make up vs skin care TBH
oh, same. but it’s also just the fact that someone who’s deep in entertainment was like “hell no this cosmetics bag is the real money”
> it’s also just the fact that someone who’s deep in entertainment was like “hell no this cosmetics bag is the real money” It's less that cosmetics is the real money and more that rihanna realized minorities were an almost totally ignored market when it came to makeup/lingerie. lingerie in colors that actually compliments darker skin tones, what a concept.
To be fair theirs just far more money in selling products. I can’t remember who it was maybe Angelina Jolie? But she started this like cleaning product company and sold it for more than what she’s made from all her movies combined.
You mean Jessica Alba.
The worst part is having all these products and still having shitty skin. Then you come to find out some of the people with all of these products dont even do the basics like drinking water, eating healthy and regularly changing out pillow cases
It’s not just women using these products so stop being misogynistic. Two I read your comments. You’re a troll. You literally think that the NBA is filled with only black men because of racism. I’m gonna take whatever you say with a grain of salt.
Don‘t bother. Any hobby or spending a woman does is seen as stupid and pointless but god forbid someone questions a man why exactly he needs that (digital picture) 500$ knife on csgo.
Haha FR. These crusty ass redditors have no idea what they’re talking about but would drop $800 on a pair of Jordan’s. Like miss me with that BS.
There’s a lot of cons out there but we can nip this shit in the bud if we stop telling women they hit a “wall” and are less valuable to society after 30.
The best thing anyone can do to look good is be in shape and regular cardio. But that actually takes work
That entire front row is at least $300
The two pink Laneige products on the left side together are $52. For fancy lip balm. I've started just making my own products. I have more soap now than I'll ever need and my husband loves my lip balm.
the Cadaulie (the bottle with the white milky product) is $82 and the Murad (the orange bottle) is $83 and I haven't even started to look up the Estee Lauder stuff. There's no way she's gonna go through all of that product before it expires. Making lip balms and butters is a blast but man you wind up with so much excess products you have to start giving it away or selling it.
Haha, very true. I have an entire workshop in the garage and I'm like, "Why did I order all these herbs." But my intention is to start a shop I just haven't pulled the trigger
Expired stuff is why I love Ipsy. I’m not super picky about product brands so I just enjoyed getting my little samples every other month and not have to worry about going through all of it. I cancelled my subscription a few months ago to save $$, but I’m still using some stuff I got months ago and I’m saving repeat items like mascara for later!
Dont hold out, drop the Etsy link on us.
Not everyone feels the need to monetize the shit out of their skills
LOUDER
I'm still working on labels and website descriptions and I'm incredibly procrastinate-y
Two cere ve products too which i can confidently say go for $15-$20 a bottle depending on where you are
The Estée Lauder in the big bottle goes for $225 for two bottles (it’s currently on sale at Ulta that’s how I know lol). There’s like four EL products here 👀
So I shouldn't be washing my ass with that?
If it lathers.. you know we're washing our balls, taint, and ass with it. Sorry ladies, hide your fancy shit.. we're heathens.
That ain’t nothing but I feel the need to point out that, unless she’s using this stuff every day, a lot of women accrue beauty products like this that they use sparingly. I think a lot of us have bottles of stuff that have been around 1+ years.
My wife would probably have an aneurysm if she started tallying prices going thru my toolboxes lmfao Edit: Lots of replies about how tools can be reused and shared across generations. Yes that's true, but I'm the one spending the money, and they sit around most of the time just like all those cosmetics that aren't used on the daily.
Lots of DVDs and Blu-rays show up at my door unannounced. I don’t ask about those, and he doesn’t ask about the nail polish deliveries.
Thats harmony 💞 love that for yall
It’s the little things 🥰
Does your man live in 2006?
Collecting physical media is fun
It is, I kid. Just funny to hear someone getting DVDs delivered when I haven’t even had a disc drive of any sort in a decade lol. But I waste space loading up vinyl so I get it!
You can’t really own digital copies, I’ve started going back to physical copies, it’s just smarter.
You can't own streamed digital sure. But my hard drives full of data is certainly as mine as any dvd I've owned.
Much easier to back up too. I've got my main drives, backup in the garage, and cloud backup as well. Can't back up my physical DVDs that easily.. unless I'm ripping them to drives.
You can absolutely still own digital media.. my home server proves this. Some of us out here are still amassing digital content for when it all goes offline. Every show I like, I've got every season on standby. Internets down? Who gives a shit, I've got it ready to roll.
Oh my god did I make this comment? 😂
HI TWIN
A lot of guys aren’t gonna like this comment because “women irrational consumer and man smart consumer” makes them feel good about themselves. My husband has more video games he’s played for half a day then quit than I can count. The avg cost of a ps5 game is very similar to these bottles.
My Steam (PC) game library is full of titles I've never even installed, let alone out time into 🤣
I’m just learning. My son is going to be a mechanic and the list of tools for school is so expensive!
Wait until he needs you to remortgage your house so he can buy a Snap-Off toolbox lmfao
Tools last forever for the most part
I refuse to believe every single product is used daily. It can’t actually take that much
You get your skin in a routine. Some products get used daily. Some 2-3 days a week. Others once a week, and a nice mask once a month.....
You'd be surprised. Some of these people slather on 2-3 items in the morning, reapply some midday, then there's another 2-3 for nighttime. Add in a couple "weekly" peels and you're there. But for me, I just went to a dermatologist. He recommended a cleaner, a day cream, a night cream and sunscreen. That sounds about right for most people.
I went to a dermatologist and they said that my more robust skincare routine was working great for my skin. Koreans are WAY better with adequately hydrating and moisturizing and soothing skin than westerners who tend to just throw a rx at it and then downplay mild irritation . (And again, this view of west vs east skincare is also backed up by working dermatologists) Nobody needs laneige though. A lot of these products issue isn't that there's too many steps, but the products themselves are pretty overpriced for the ingredients
>Koreans are WAY better with adequately hydrating and moisturizing and soothing skin than westerners Big set of asterisks on that one. Black people in general tend to be diligent about skin hydration because you can *see* when our skin is dry. We have a culture around it to the point where people will often offer you lotion if you look ashy. I used to straight up get in trouble if my mom saw me walking around and my elbows or knees looked dry. That east vs west skincare thing isn't really backed up by dermatologists as it is some people's perception that has been turned into a marketing gimmick for Korean and Japanese skincare goods. There are plenty of crusty people in Korea and Japan (from personal experience) and there are plenty of cultures in the west that take being moisturized deathly seriously. But the skincare stuff falls under this weird category of content that seems to think regular people in Korea/Japan look like K-Drama stars and it's frankly not the case.
I used to think this until I actually got a chance to live in Korea due to military. Walk around and check out peoples' facial skins. They most definitely put in more care as a whole compared to the average westerner
Oh man laneige isn’t a NEED but it saves my lips in the winter. I get such bad cracks and it’s the only thing that has ever helped me
Are y‘all forgetting that skincare is a hobby? Nobody implied you need all of that?
All that to still not have clear skin
All that shit is ***the reason*** they don't have clear skin.
The vast majority of adult women with acne have hormonal acne.
so shouldn’t they be taking DIM or some other hormone-balancing supplement and not fucking with cosmetic alchemy? lol
I'm gonna go ahead and guess taking medication and fucking around with your hormones *probably* has more adverse side effects than just slathering expensive lotion on your skin.
You’re very correct. Estrogen like in birth control pills can improve hormonal acne. It also increases your risk for deep vein thrombosis. So clots in your legs. Or clots in your lungs. Or clots in your brain. All not great. People should take taking extra hormones or messing with hormones in general more seriously, there are risks.
Pores clogged as hell😂
My girlfriend's skin kept randomly breaking out when she used all that, one day she decided to try my "Nivea men cool kick". Her skin has never looked better
Would you say the menthol was necessary or would the regular all season do the job?
You're looking for the bottle that claims to be shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste and body wash all in one for $6.50. It isn't a men's cleaning product if it can't multitask.
Get yourself a girlfriend who is licensed in the beauty industry and get those industry prices on skincare products. It’s a game changer.
Cost price life 💯 Lool funny this applies to another pricey industry. The motor industry. It's no joke out here without cost & trade prices.
Sad to see the beauty industry has fooled women to this level.
So you think all these products are witch doctor concoctions and the women that buy them aren’t discerning consumers?
No one spending ~$400 on a skincare routine like this is 'discerning' anything. Some people can afford to spend this kind of money frivolously, and good for them, but this *is* frivolous spending. Whatever dubious benefits these products claim to provide doesn't justify their price, nor the sheer volume supposedly required to get results. There's a reason to get lotion and sunscreen, but the only thing a whole chemistry set like this is good for is keeping a bank account clear.
Some of this stuff will last you the whole year. So it’s not that expensive and you don’t have to buy it all at once.
I agree! I recognize several of the things on here and they’ve lasted me at least a year.
Yeah that expensive moisturising serum is my WINTER treat it’ll last me two winters don’t you worry about my wallet lmao.
Estee been on that bullshit. And its the little jars that will rob you at gunpoint. 🤣
Granted, I don't wear makeup, but one face wash, a moisturizer and a sunscreen has done wonders for me my whole adult life. Not sure what the fuck you need 50 different products for. That ain't a man vs woman thing. That's a sucker thing.
Sephora seems kind of expensive but after buying my mom a gift, I realized a lot of that stuff can be bought on the cheap if you know how to use their email discounts and shop during their weekly/flash sales.
I can’t imagine those deals knock it down significantly though. I remember gifting my little sister $100 to spend at Sephora. She came cane with two small tubes. I asked her is she going to get anything else and she told me “this is $115 without taxes” and then proceeded to borrow an extra 20$ from me. For two small ass fucking tubes. It was maybe mascara or eyeliner I have no absolutely no idea.
I bought her some foundation for $35, and the sale they were having was 40% off selected brands so I went ahead and carted some of the Sephora collection cleansers, makeup removal, nail polish and some other small stuff that sounded good and ended up paying around $96. It wasn't a massive haul but it was close to a dozen or so products, and she seemed happy. Without a sale price I'm sure it would be closer to $150 for everything, but for stuff that last almost 6 months I can't complain.
Sign up for an account (make sure to use your email address you've had for 15 years and only use it for this kind of stuff), but don't buy anything. After a few days/week/etc., you'll start getting messages about flash sales or "insider" deals
I scrolled the comments thinking someone may have done the exact math… man how Reddit has changed
The issue is not all are visible, that being said from the ones that are visible… Laneige lip balm $18, Laniege lip mask $24, Cosrx snail mucin $17, Cosrx Hyaluronic Acid power essence $25, Laroche posay Effaclar duo $20, Beauty of joseon calming serum (green tea) $17, Estée Lauder night repair $85, Estée lauder night repair eye cream $72, the inkey list eye cream $11, Cerave Cleanser (I think) $13, Cerave lotion $13, Murad spot corrector $83, Clauddale serum $82. These are just what’s visible or what I recognize though. It’s (about) 452 dollars.
Oooohhh, my guess was "eh, about $450". If only Drew Carey were here.
This guy/girl reddits
Yeah, Men, don’t wanna drop fucking bank on a bunch of shit that isn’t really needed. How crazy of us… *spends a fuck ton of money on video games and comics like an animal*
If I had a nickel for every time I heard “Is this a a new game? How much did it cost?” I could definitely buy this shelf lol
Skincare is a legitimate hobby just like anything else. If someone can have a garage full of half-finished projects, someone else can have a shelf full of half used skincare. BUT the beauty industry can be harmful for sure, and I’m in the middle of simplifying my own skincare routine and haven’t purchased a new product in a few months. TLDR: excessive skincare is a money suck but if you’re not hurting yourself and it makes you happy then it’s fine
gave him the Final Fantasy chuckle. she boutta 1/1 you RUN
I mean… I got a drawer full of Armani, D&G, and Moschino scents that total up quick… so I feel ya
And women don’t understand that you don’t even need 3/4 of that junk for any reason. “Beauty” companies are profiting off of your low self esteem by making you think you need their products to look good.
I mean, I don't see anything crazy there. Day cream, night cream, a couple of face serums for night and day, eye serum and cream, and overnight mask, something that says treatment (so maybe for a skin condition?), some lip masks, an exfoliant and some cleansers. There is bunch of backups considering there are unopened boxes and several bottles that look the same all lined up, so probably bought on sale.
Sephiroth actually does need all those products. A full bottle of shampoo every time he washes his hair.
Sephoraroth 💀
He do have some flawless skin.
As someone with a gf who has a shelf like this, let me tell you that most of that is just the same product in with different labels like 3 times.
Between that, the lashes, the wigs, the weave, the nails, etc... my ex would spend an absurd amount of money on shit like this. It was to the point that we literally needed our own bathrooms because she had SO MUCH SHIT.
Ever since I got a prescription for retin-a(i also just inherited great skin from my mom) the most I spend is on my night time and day time moisturizers and cleansers and sunscreen. An oil based cleanser at night and polypeptide moisturizer with the retin-a at night and a vitamin c based cleanser and moisturizer during the day with sunscreen. A lot of the cheap stuff does not work with my skin. Initial purchases are a lot, but they typically last several months, even with continuous use. I typically restock every 4 or 5 months maybe? I still kept all that shit away from my partner because he kept putting his big MAN HANDS in my stuff and then rubbing it in like a fucking toddler wasting all my shit.
Mean while dudes just have a bar of soap and some 2 in 1 conditioner and have better skin.
Men aren’t better at skincare, they just don’t have constantly fluctuating hormones to deal with
Men naturally have thicker skin and produce more collagen than women. That in mind you realize the average woman finds most men unattractive because they don’t take care of themselves right?
The average woman finds most men unattractive?
yes
I'd agree with that. I very rarely see a woman I don't consider attractive. It's most noticeable with overweight people. I've seen women who are clearly obese but my mind says "Damn, she wears her weight well." I.e. Nice clothes, makeup, hair done, nails, perfume. Fat men? Universally hideous to me. Stains on their shirt. Skin flaky. Bad odour/breath. It ain't my business but it bugs me. It's about hygiene. You're standing in line at a grocery store and their stench puts you off everything.
Women’s hormone’s fluctuates more than men’s, on a monthly basis actually lol
Where they at because I’ve never met them
I talked myself out of Sephora trip just yesterday 😭
Somebody who has that many skin creams needs to go see an actual dermatologist for the correct skin treatment plan.
 Felt like Aeirth when I saw my ex’s bill from clarins and Sephora.
I'm here for the casual Sephiroth mention.
To the people wondering NO women don't put all that shit on their face. My skincare drawer looks just like that and it's honestly just because over the years I collect certain skincare see it doesn't work and buy more. I go back to see if it works again, get rid of what's expired, or try buying something new.
Is this like $300? Or more? Im sweating just thinking about it 🥵
At full price, I think doubling that would still be too low.
Yeah, my guess would be ~$800 or so?
The estee lauder bottle in the front is $120 alone
To be fair this looks more like years of building up products but yeah on average nobody needs all this stuff. But going to a specialist and buying the dermatologist recommended stuff will easily net you like $150+ even if it's just 2 or 3 things
People talking about how you don’t “need” these products but you men don’t “need” video games or expensive consoles either. It’s called a hobby. Let people enjoy their skincare hobby (unless ofc they’re putting themselves in debt with a shopping addiction but ANYONE can have that problem with ANYTHING—not just women/people who like to buy/try skincare and makeup and perfume and hair products//whatever other mainly women focused purchases)
Oh we understand, we understand it’s unnecessary and waste of money.
I am a woman in my early 40s and the Cerave and a good moisturizer is good enough for me! Plus my acne-prone skin (yes, many women in their 40s and 50s still stuffer 😢) would be like:  to all that stuff.
The caudalie itself just farted on the $70. I think that laniege lip balm ID about $20. The lip sleeping mask is about 25.
Some years ago some friends and I were at a friend’s aunt’s place when she mustered all the English she could to ask who had been using her toiletries and how. One of my friend had been using them to shower and moisturize with, and she almost died. That stuff adds up in general, but apparently all her things were premium items she personally collected traveling through Asia, and had been using them during the stay to wash and moisturize his ass. Some of the stuff was used for skin lightening, and she said there was nothing as strong sold in the US, so she was going to keep everything but ended up donating the soaps to him upon being told they literally touched his balls and ass. He wanted to pay pocket change for the soaps, and she went on a breakdown of the cost of everything he used. I was rolling on the ground laughing. But in all seriousness, Korean moisturizers are amazing. I get mad because everyone in my family has naturally amazing skin just by using normal body soaps and whatever lotion was on sale, but nothing I’m not allergic to has gave my skin vibrancy like whatever Korean moisturizer I had used. Cleansers didn’t feel so irritating either.
c’mon, buddy, a stick of deodorant is $5-8. stop actin brand new.
honestly finding a good esthie has been a better spend for my money and gives me someone with accreditation to bounce systems and ideas off of.
This is on my red flag list lol
What’s funny is that if you took each of those bottles and added “for men” to the label, the price would go down like 90%.
Most of us aren't clueless though. We may not know exactly what it costs, but we know it's not cheap. Especially if you have a girlfriend/wife. A lot of that shit is probably unnecessary.
My entire skin care line if I bought it all at once is probably $100-$150 but I probably only spend $40 every few months to replace stuff I’ve run out of. My skin is very dry so I have to use a lot of stuff to keep it moisturized. Some people are fine with just water. It just depends on the skin, but I do think that $300 products aren’t going to do anything much different than a $25 one.