The truth behind the trend: 5 skincare myths debunked

A quick search on the Internet for skincare advice shouldn’t hurt, right? 

The Internet has a never-ending, almost infinite stream of information about ‘skincare routines to swear by’ or ‘holy grail ingredients’ that target a specific concern.

However, things can get confusing very quickly, making it easy to fall down a rabbit hole of misinformation and creating faulty skincare myths.

Below, we break down 5 most common skincare myths and mistakes. We’ve talked to Earthcare Asia's CEO Tatsuya Inoue for some professional help so that you don't fall prey to these 5 skincare myths too.

Table of Contents Myth 1: A multi-step skincare routine is necessary for healthy skin. Myth 2: If you have oily skin, you don’t have to moisturize. Myth 3: The more expensive, the better it works. Myth 4: The harder you scrub, the more exfoliated your skin will be. Myth 5: A higher concentration of popular ingredients is better. The only 2 products you need: Your solution against these myths

 

Myth 1: A multi-step skincare routine is necessary for healthy skin.

Fact: Just because you have many steps in your skincare routine, doesn’t mean it’s actually doing anything better to your skin.

You might be thinking that all of your lotions, milky lotions, serums, ampoules, and mists have unique and special roles for getting that healthy skin.

In reality, those products can only seep into the outermost layer of your skin surface, which is roughly 0.01mm to 0.03mm thick.

Not to mention, the more products you use, the more you’re touching your face, and the more you're irritating your skin.

Skincare brands and companies want you to fall for their trap. They market several products under one series - all of which they say you need to purchase to get good results - but that’s nothing but a money-grabber scheme.

If there’s one step to keep doing in your skincare routine is to moisturize.

Your skincare might not be working - not because you don't use enough products, but because you're not moisturizing enough or properly. When our skin is dehydrated, it’s the most vulnerable.

• Dehydration causes an overproduction of sebum, causing the skin to be acne-prone
• Dehydration causes the skin to get hard and regenerate even when it doesn’t need to

The goal, then, is not to apply lots of products, but to keep your skin’s softness and retain its protective barrier to prevent further drying of the skin. The best way to do this is by replenishing the moisture that your skin has lost with an effective moisturizer - nothing more, nothing less.

Myth 2: If you have oily skin, you don’t have to moisturize.

Fact: Just like people with dry skin or any other skin type, people with oily skin should moisturize properly.

Excess oil on the skin is actually a sign that your skin is dehydrated. Our bodies overcompensate for this lack of moisture in the skin by producing more oil.

Generally speaking, oils and sebum are things that our skin needs. But, too much can cause more irritation and acne-prone skin. Why our skin gets oily depends on factors like your age and gender - we break down the causes and optimal treatments for teenagers, men, and women below.

For oily skin and any other skin type, cleansing and moisturizing are essential. 

But not just any kind of cleansing and moisturizing - the key is to effectively cleanse and moisturize your skin.

For effective cleansing and moisturizing, Double Cleansing Gel and Aquatect Gel are your go-to duo.

Typical facial cleansers strip your skin of all of its natural moisture and oils. This is to give off the illusion of a fully-cleansed effect. However, stripping your skin of its natural moisture and oils means to take away the 2 things your skin absolutely needs. This becomes a gateway to an abundance of skin issues.

Unlike typical facial cleansers, Double Cleansing Gel doesn’t strip away your skin's necessary natural moisture and oils on your skin. It is also a 2-in-1 product that acts as a makeup remover and a facial cleanser. By using this cleanser you can cut back on the amount of time and money you spend on skincare, as well as significantly reduce the irritation to your skin by reducing the number of times you have to wash it.

After cleansing, it is crucial to moisturize. But it's not enough to only moisturize - you must effectively moisturize.

There are 2 components to effective moisturization.

1. Replenish moisture and hydration to your skin with water and moisturizing ingredients
2. Prevent moisture from evaporating by creating a barrier over your skin with oil

Aquatect Gel is an effective moisturizer that performs these 2 essential functions to healthy and beautiful skin. It replenishes the essential hydration and oils to your skin with a specially formulated, golden ratio of water and oil. By maintaining your skin's moisturized state for a long period of time, your skin becomes stronger against external stimuli.

All you need is this one product. It acts as a 7-in-1:

• Lotion
• Milky lotion
• Cream
• Serum
• Body cream
• Face mask
• Makeup base

This effective moisturizer is also non-comedogenic tested, so not to worry for those of you with acne-prone skin!

Ready to achieve healthy, beautiful skin with effective skincare?

Click here to purchase the value trial kit - limited for first-time customers only!

Myth 3: The more expensive, the better it works.

Fact: How expensive a skincare product is doesn’t automatically mean it works better.

Short answer: the price has nothing to do with the effects of a product. Just because a product is expensive, doesn’t mean it’s good, but just because a product is cheap, doesn’t mean it’s good too. It all depends on what people consider to be “good.”

In the first place, what makes an expensive product expensive?

Customers’ trust and satisfaction

What people look for in their skincare products varies greatly. Are you looking for a functional product or an aesthetically pleasing one? Do you value being in possession of an expensive, luxurious, high-brand product? Do you like going to the store and physically purchasing a product? How much are you willing to pay? How much can you afford to pay? What kind of shopping experience are you looking for?

Selling at a store makes the product much more expensive because companies have to spend money on staffing and customer service, advertisements, and holding shops across multiple stores. 

It’s important to consider the material, functional, and emotional needs that you’re looking for. That will determine what you think is ‘good.’

If splurging on a well-known product brings you joy, then by all means. Just remember, it doesn’t mean that everyone has to spend the same amount of money for their skincare to work well.

Brands want to make themselves stand out

To get with the times, brands really value themselves by incorporating special ingredients into their products. They want to make themselves unique and the “one and only,” giving the illusion that they’re better than other brands.

Sure, forcing something new may boost product sales, but this means that companies need to undergo a new batch of expensive testing every time there’s a new ingredient. Not to mention, these new and pricey products tend to be more unstable, experimental, and risky since they’re still underdeveloped babies in the market.

In general, it might be best to stick to long-time holy grails that have been around for a long time, and not think about price at all.

Myth 4: The harder you scrub, the more exfoliated your skin will be.

Fact: It doesn’t have to hurt to work. Scrubbing too hard can cause irritation and overall damage to your skin.

You might think that intense scrubbing will help get all of that dead skin and gunk in your pores. But less is more when it comes to exfoliation.

In fact, skin-wise, you shouldn’t exfoliate. When you use scrubs and exfoliate, you’re forcing a turnover of your skin, meaning that you’re forcing the outer layers off before the inner layers are strong enough to handle external stimuli. It leaves the skin incredibly vulnerable. 

If we think appearance-wise, though, it’s a different story. Exfoliating does help with making your skin appear nicer. Makes sense, since you’re scrubbing to reveal that smooth, untouched inner layer of your skin. Even with your skin’s natural shedding process, some dead skin can be left behind. In that sense, gentle exfoliation can be effective.

Myth 5: A higher concentration of popular ingredients is better.

Fact: “High concentration” doesn’t actually mean there’s a high concentration.

When brands market their products as having a “high concentration” of ingredients like collagen, hyaluronic acid, retinol, or niacinamide, it’s completely subjective to that brand. If the concentration of an ingredient is even just slightly higher than another product they produce, they can brand it as having a “high concentration.” In essence, there is no rule.

Thus, it’s questionable whether products with “high concentrations” are actually effective.

Let’s say a brand uses 0.01% of cosmetic ingredient X in one product and increases that amount by 10 times so that another product has 0.1% of X.

That company would probably brand the new product with some kind of flashy packaging that says it has 10 times the amount of X. But how much of a difference does a mere 0.1% of X make?

Usually, “higher concentration” products tend to be a bit pricier than usual. But will that minor difference in ingredient concentration make your skincare work better? Is it worth paying extra for that minor difference in ingredient concentration? Probably not. 

The only 2 products you need: Your solution against these myths

So, now that we’ve debunked the most common skincare myths, what on earth can you use for your skincare?

Earthcare Asia’s Aqucrio series takes on a skinimalist approach to skincare that targets the only 2 steps you need in your skincare routine: cleansing and moisturizing.

When cleansing, the key is to retain some of your skin's natural moisture and oils. However, most commercial facial cleansers tend to take away all of your skin's natural moisture and oils to give the illusion of a 'fully-cleansed face.'

In reality, stripping your skin of its natural moisture and oils weakens your skin and leads to many skin problems. Double Cleansing Gel adequately cleanses your skin without dehydrating it and can remove makeup simultaneously!

After cleansing, the next important step is to effectively moisturize. 

To moisturize is to provide your skin with both water and oil: water for hydration and oil for long-term hydration retention. Aquatect Gel is formulated with a well-balanced, golden water-to-oil ratio of 8:2 that provides these 2 functions of effective moisturization. It is packed with the functions of 7 different skincare products and can be used by all skin types, all ages, all genders, and all over your body. 

Both products in the Aqucrio series have passed 3 skincare tests:

1. Patch test: Both products do not cause irritation of human skin
2. Allergy test: Both products are hypoallergenic
3. Stinging test: Both products are suitable for even the most sensitive skin

Both products help you reduce your time, money, and effort spent on skincare by performing all-in-one functions.  

It doesn't get any simpler than this clean, 2-step skincare routine. It provides the effective cleansing and moisturization necessary for healthy, beautiful skin - without the need to spend loads of time, money, and effort on skincare.

Want to find out more about Earthcare Asia? Click here!