Is the 11-step skincare routine foidslop?

The long version goes something like oil cleanser, foam cleanser, toner, essence, a vitamin C serum, a hyaluronic serum, eye cream, moisturizer, face oil, and in the morning sunscreen. A lot of people finish with a jade roller kept in the fridge, which feels nice and probably doesn't do much else.

Plenty of people film the whole thing as a 'get ready with me' video. The products get arranged on a shelf in the order you use them, and some people buy a small fridge to keep them cold.

The long routine took off in the US in the mid-2010s, when Korean beauty brands and the idea of a 10-step routine got popular with Western shoppers. Serums with active ingredients like retinol, niacinamide and vitamin C went mainstream, and ingredient-focused brands built big followings online. Skincare became something people talked about as self-care as much as hygiene.

Around 2023 it got younger. Stores and parents noticed tweens filling Sephora baskets with expensive serums and retinol creams meant for adult skin, and 'Sephora kids' became a trend story of its own. Dermatologists tend to say most people need far fewer steps: a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer and sunscreen cover most of it. That advice hasn't done much to slow down the shelfies.