The Skincare Industry Is a Guilt Trap by Marline Brink

‘So, you have acne? Maybe you should try washing your face sometime, or drink more water, or buy an unaffordable skincare product!’ Maybe you’ve also heard this annoying type of advice before. This may be because the quality of our skin has become increasingly important in recent years. The skincare industry has skyrocketed, make-up styles have become more simplistic, and the ‘clean girl,’ with natural, effortless beauty has become the new ideal. Perfect skin is another entry in the long list of impossible beauty standards. We get convinced, however, that we might reach them if we just try hard enough. The conclusion seems to be simple, then: whatever it may look like, the state of your face is your fault!

 Although we might buy these products in the name of self-care, in reality, we do it out of a compulsion to consume.

Although skincare products may have their issues, the industry surrounding them is the bigger problem. Skincare can actually be great; it may improve the quality of your skin and can be crucial for people with debilitating acne or eczema. However, the companies selling these products are not doing so because they care about our wellbeing. They sell for profit and will create problems which must be solved using their new products. This is just how marketing works when profit is all that matters, but we may wonder how ethical it is to spread insecurities through social media marketing just to make more money.

The skincare hype quickly spreads through social media. Every day, users get bombarded with countless influencers promoting new products. Words like salicylic acid and benzoylperoxide get thrown around to explain how we should ‘fix’ our faces. We may start to think that we need a large collection of hyper-specific products, but in reality, these ‘8-step skincare routines’ done by influencers are absolutely unnecessary. For most people, a bit of cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen is enough. This endless stream of promotions is especially problematic because not all products work, not all skin types need the same products, and not all people need excessive skincare. Plus, children get hooked on skincare at far too young an age, simply because they see it all across social media. When it comes down to it, the skincare industry is just another symptom of our overconsumption culture. Although we might buy these products in the name of self-care, in reality, we do it out of a compulsion to consume.

Skincare is simply more focused on beauty than on health. We idealize perfect skin, suggesting that flawed skin is unattractive. ‘But don’t worry, skincare can save you. If you care enough, you can get perfect skin too! If you still have

blemishes though, it must mean that you don’t take care of yourself. In fact, all that acne on your skin seems so dirty; your spot-filled face must mean you’re a filthy human being.’ The state of your skin has become your responsibility, and more importantly, your fault, regardless of all other factors affecting your skin. Once again, our physical appearance is seen as a reflection of our virtue. Skincare companies condition us into feeling guilt about our appearance, since if we are desperate enough, we will buy anything they offer us.

Marketing with guilt is a strategy used rather often, especially in female-beauty industries. A good example is female shaving products. When someone refuses to shave, this is not just met with disapproval, but also with disgust. Body hair is often considered unhygienic, which makes many women afraid of ever showing any. Another example is the make-up industry. Many women will refuse to go outside without a full face of make-up because of the fear of being seen as sloppy or unprofessional. We can see a pattern here: skincare, shaving, and make-up are considered a prerequisite for being a respectable woman. If we want to avoid being seen as dirty, lazy, or uncaring, we must always make an effort to look beautiful. Of course the same is never expected of men, because we live in a world of double-standards.

 Once again, our physical appearance is seen as a reflection of our virtue.

I feel like my body has become a social media marketing campaign. Guilt is forced upon me by malicious companies and their influencers, who are always fishing for more money. Skincare companies play into this guilt to make people buy an endless stream of unnecessary products. This not only happens with skincare, but across the entire female-beauty industry. When physical appearance becomes directly connected with virtue of character, it becomes impossible to escape the beauty ideals. Harmful beauty trends, malicious marketing strategies, and bad faith judgements are unavoidable, especially in our time of social media. Nevertheless, we must try to break down the guilt, shame, and pressure step-by-step in the hope that we will learn to accept our own fallible skin.