Skin streaming consists in streamlining your beauty routine. Photo: AFP
Less is more – or at least less can be more if it's done the right way in the goal of making something better.
That's what skin streaming is all about, the new beauty routine that's been making the rounds on social networks for several weeks now.
While some beauty aficionados may have thought that the return to normal life in the aftermath of Covid-19 would go hand-in-hand with a complex, ultra-elaborate skincare routine, it would seem, on the contrary, that the trend towards simplicity is more in vogue than ever in this regard.
This is a continuation of behaviours embraced during the pandemic.
Beauty experts agree on this point and have been expressing this philosophy for years: you don't need to apply a slew of products to your skin to give it a healthy glow – in fact, the opposite.
It's better to concentrate on a handful of essential skincare products, suited, of course, to each individual's needs, for a well-targeted routine, than to jump on the bandwagon of each and every 'latest innovation' that emerges at breakneck speed on to retailers' shelves or on social network feeds.
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This is what skin streaming is all about.
No, its name doesn't refer to broadcasting one's beauty routine non-stop on the web, but rather to reviewing and simplifying it to make it less laborious – and yet more effective.
So what does 'skin streaming' consist of exactly?
Unlike with many beauty trends, skin streaming doesn't require the application of a specific skincare product, but rather simply looks to reduce the number of products in one's beauty cabinet to create a more efficient, less time-consuming beauty routine.
In practice, this translates into an ultra-personalized routine for each skin type, but also into a routine limited to just a few steps – four at most, if possible.
As you might expect, this means concentrating on the essentials, with a facial cleanser, scrub, moisturiser and a more targeted treatment – either an anti-ageing serum or an anti-blemish serum, for example.
And those are just a couple of examples, as skin streaming can easily be adapted to any type of individual requirement.
If the many videos posted on TikTok are anything to go by, some beauty fans opt for a few specific ingredients, while others focus on targeted skincare according to their particular skin type's needs or issues, and a handful adopt the reflex of multi-purpose products.
In all cases, the aim is to eliminate non-essential products from the beauty routine.
And judging from the reactions of those who have tried out skin streaming, this new approach saves them both time and money.
This is in addition to that fact it is more environmentally friendly, not to mention its benefits in terms of minimising the risk of irritation linked to applying a multitude of products to the skin.
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But before you get going on minimising your routine, make sure that you don't just eliminate products from your bathroom cabinets haphazardly.
"You have to be careful about what you're removing from your routine," dermatologist Dr Julie Russak told PopSugar media, which highlighted this new trend.
"There are some ingredients that may have been added by your physician to address specific concerns, such as acne, rosacea or eczema, and when you're removing them and leaving other ingredients that may may make [those conditions] worse, the results may not be favourable."
Ultimately, this minimalist beauty routine is in essence a condensed version of all the trends that have gone viral in recent weeks – "skin barrier", "status skin" and "skin cycling", among others – which are all about getting more out of your beauty routine with less. – AFP Relaxnews
