An essay condemning women who choose to spend their money on and enjoy skincare went viral this week and people were predictably outraged.
Titled The Skincare Con and published on The Outline, author Krithika Varagur makes the case that we’re all spending way to much time on our skincare routines, with products that don’t do anything.
Because skin care is a sham.
There’s a particularly inflammatory line where she reminds us that skincare isn’t “introspective per se: it’s looking into yourself but stopping at the literal outermost layer.”
You see, according to Varagur this is furthermore part of the scourge of the modern-day, Instagram generation. According to her, “before we all lost our minds,” those with disposable income would “buy books or art or beautiful shoes or literally anything that gives more pleasure than another useless exfoliant.”
Because beautiful shoes are infinitely more introspective.
Naturally this has struck a cord with the women whose profession and passions are rooted in the skincare industry. The same women who heart-on-hand advocate for effective products and know first hand how conditions like acne, psoriasis and pigmentation can slowly chip away at your confidence.
Australia’s own Zoe Foster Blake spoke out. While she doesn’t refute everything in the article, she says “yes, your beloved products can backfire if they’re used incorrectly or disrespectfully or impatiently,” but reminds us that there are very real steps we can take to protect our faces.