“Cleanse, tone, and moisturize.”
“Don’t forget to buy a cream for your turkey neck, as well!”
“Have you tried this mask? It’s a facial in a sheet!”
Geez, if you bought every skincare product out there, you’d need a separate room just to house your lotions and potions. And your skincare routine would take you one hour and a half!
Good news. A lot of skincare products out there are gimmicks. They may come in handy once in a while but they are by no means staples to splurge on a daily basis.
But, what deserves the boot? Here are 5 unnecessary skincare products you don’t need to invest in:
NOTE: Unnecessary means you don’t need them on a daily basis to achieve clear, younger-looking skin. But if you want to splurge on a mask as a pampering treat or something like that, go ahead.
Unnecessary Skincare Product #1: Toner
This is one product that refuses to go away. Did you know it was invented to remove the residue soaps left behind? Very handy when soap was all you had to wash your face. Thank goodness, those days are gone!
So why are you still using toners?
Some women use them to remove the traces of makeup their cleansers leave behind. But why not buy a better cleanser that takes off everything instead?
Other women use them to restore their skin’s ph after cleansing. But, your skin already does that on its own. It’s smarter than toner.
Some use them to shrink their pores but it doesn’t work. Nothing can shrink them.
So, why are you still using toners? I have no idea. I gave them the boot years ago and my skin hasn’t missed them one bit.
Ok, if your skin is dry and could do with the extra moisture, a hydrating toner could help. And if the rest of your skincare routine lacks antioxidants, you may want to add an antioxidants-rich toner.
Even so, why not get your hydrating or antioxidant fix from a serum? They contain higher concentrations of active ingredients so they’ll work better and faster.
By the way, most toners aren’t like that. Most are just a mixture of alcohol sprinkled with alcohol infused in even more alcohol. They’re terribly drying and irritating. Stay away!
Related: Is Toner Really Necessary?
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Unnecessary Skincare Product #2: Neck Cream
Your neck needs some TLC, too.
Just like your face, it’s exposed to the harsh winter winds and the unrelenting summer sun every day. Forget to take care of it and it’ll betray your real age sooner than you think.
But you don’t need any special products for that.
Your neck needs what the rest of your face needs: a gentle cleanser, a bit of exfoliation (preferably with glycolic acid), an antioxidant-rich serum, a rich moisturizer and a mineral sunscreen.
So, as you apply your facial skincare routine as usual, take a few seconds to slather each product on your neck. You’ll see an amazing difference without shelling out any extra bucks.
Related: What Are The Best Antioxidant Rich Serums?
Unnecessary Skincare Product #3: Face mists
Face mists baffle me. I just don’t get the point of them.
Ok, in summer, they’re so refreshing. When you’re sweating buckets, that feels good.
But, that’s SO not good enough to splurge on a few drops of water in a fancy bottle. Cos that’s what they are.
If you’re really addicted to these money suckers, go with the cheapest one you can find. You SO don’t want to splurge on this nonsense.
Unnecessary Skincare Product #4: Anti-cellulite products
If these worked, I’d be the first to tell you to stock up, ladies.
But, you already know the sad truth. Like me, you’ve tried your fair share. Like me, you saw ZERO results.
Anti-cellulite products don’t work. Period.
Ok, if retinol is in there, they’ll smooth out the surface of the skin a bit. That’ll make your cellulite look less obvious. But, guess what? That bumpy skin’s still there.
And it’s totally normal. Cellulite isn’t a disease or a blemish to get rid of at all costs. It’s something all women have. And that’s ok.
Related: Get Over It, Cellulite Is Normal!
Unnecessary Skincare Product #5: Facial Masks
I wouldn’t call facial masks useless. There’s nothing like them to perk up your skin before a special occasion.
I’m just saying, they’re not a necessity. Most of them don’t contain as many antioxidants as they say they do. Most of them are just hydrating or oil-absorbing treatments, not anti-aging ones, like they claim.
If that’s what your skin needs, go for them. Just be aware there’s only so much they can do.
Related: What’s The Right Type Of Mask For Your Skin Type?
Thanks for telling it as it is, Gio! One product I’m wondering about is eye cream. I don’t personally use it, but I go round and round as to whether I should . . .
Laurie, my pleasure! You know, I actually debated whether I should include eye cream in this list as well, but I decided against it because I believe it can be useful in some cases. The ingredients that moisturize, provide sun protection and anti-aging benefits are the same for all areas of the skin, and sadly there’s nothing really that’s effective at getting rid of dark circles or puffy eyes, so most people don’t need an eye cream. The same moisturizer you use for the face would do just fine.
But if the skin around your eyes is different from that on the rest of your face (for instance,, dry around the eyes and oily everywhere else), or your facial moisturizer has a consistency too thick that can cause milia seeds or contains a fragrance that irritates your eye area, than using an eye cream makes sense.
Yes, I can see that. Fortunately I don’t have any special eye issues at this point that would require a special product.
Thanks and Buon Natale to you! 🙂
Laurie, glad you don’t have any issues around the eye area.
Thank you, and Merry Christmas to you too. 🙂
I too have always been puzzled by face mists. I own MAC’s Fix+, not a mist per se, but also fancy water in a bottle. What I do is spray it on my face after powder to tone down any cakeyness
Tirurit, I’m glad you’ve found some use for it. Water can be very useful indeed when applying makeup, but I don’t see the reason to pay a lot of money for it. 🙂
I’ve always thought of face masks as… well, not completely ineffectual, buy too expensive per use.
Yet, now I’m considering adding them to care/New Year packages for my friends and thinking too much about them: “How can I give them if I don’t believe in them? … But other people do think they work, and you’re making gifts for them, they’ll love them!”
Ana, I feel your pain. It just feels wrong somehow to give something you don’t believe in to others even if you know they are going to love it.
If it is just a matter of price, maybe you can try buying a pack of them and splitting them among your friends? Or look for one that can be used more than once? I like Montagne Jeunesse masks because they last 3 or 4 times, so I feel like I’m getting my money’s worth, even if they act just as a pick me up for skin.
I agree with everything but the toner. For me it’s essential to use toner right after cleansing to hydrate my skin.
Melissa, hydrating toners certainly have their benefits. I can see why people use them, but I prefer to opt for a richer moisturizer when I need more hydration. 🙂
I full agree with this post, but love to use Toners when I have been makeup free runing around all day just to remove that one exposed “layer” of skin which got dirty .
Smashing Beauty, glad you’ve found a good for them. 🙂
Even I feel there is no use of toner and seperate creams… But I do use ubtans and masks sometimes 🙂
Himanshi, I use masks too sometimes. I don’t think they are a necessary part of a skincare routine, but they are a nice way to pamper yourself, especially before a special occasion. 🙂
face mists have their place…on airplanes and Sahara-like offices. They moisturize just enough to Take the edge off the ‘tights” but don’t screw up your makeup (if you fly for business, you’re wearing makeup, don’t fool yourself).
You’re spot on re the cost though. Water, a humectant, and a fine spray nozzle are the only things you really need. Frankly, you can make them yourself.
Rbaral, I guess there are situations when face mists may be handy, but I don’t see them as a necessary part of a daily skincare routine. And certainly it isn’t necessary to buy one. I agree, you can make it yourself.
I would put eye cream on this list as I buy them and then realise they are no different to the actual moisturiser. I would also add foot scrubs. They may feel nice but they only thing that can shift that dead skin on your feet is Urea as it breaks down the cells of the stratum corneum. Good foot creams like Gehwol have synthetic urea.
Annette, I thought of adding eye creams, but decided against it because I think that in some cases a separate eye creams can be useful. But most of them are just face moisturizers in a smaller jar indeed. Also agree on foot scrubs. 🙂
I agree with the drying Toners full of alcohol or other drying ingredients. But, there are some ‘Toners’ (maybe they’re not REALLY Toners?) rich in HA, Niacinamide, Panthenol which are nice to use prior to adding moisturizer. Sometimes in the summer, I especially like them as the RIGHT Toner can almost replace moisturizer on those very hot/humid days.
Charlette, I agree with you that some toners are very hydrating and benefit skin, especially if it’s dry/dehydrated and in need of the extra moisture. But I’d argue they’re not a necessity as they’re not something everyone absolutely needs, like sunscreen or cleanser.