What Is Skinimalism and Will It Make Your Skin Happy?

The K-Beauty 10-step routine might still be a thing for many, but not for me. As a busy mom, working full-time outside the home and blogging on the side, I simply cannot spend hours and hours on my AM and PM routine. So when the new trend on the block – skinimalism – started showing up in my mailbox and online, I was all ears. 

Turns out, this new “trend” is not really that new to me. In fact, I have been implementing a version of it ever since I started detoxifying my daily skincare routine. So what is skinimalism and do we need it in our lives?

Skinimalism: A Passing Trend Or A Routine To Stay 

Skinimalism is probably the healthiest thing you can do to your skin. Basic, simple, effective, and often multi-tasking products are all you need. And your skin will thank you big! I’m a strong believer of less is more when it comes to skin. Less but better, that is.

What is Skinimalism?

Skinimalism is basically an approach to skincare that is diametrically opposed to the 7- or 10-step routines. With skinimalism, we use less but more targeted products that can bring the best out of our skin. When we scale down the number of products without compromising on the quality of them, this is skinimalism at its best.

“Minimalist skin care is exactly what it sounds like: It’s a skin-care routine that is simple and easy to follow,” says Michele Green, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City.

Every Day Health

Why Does It Make Sense To Implement?

There is a lot to gain:

• less time spend on Am and PM routines
• less money spend on (too) many products or re-directing the money toward fewer multi-taskers
• less waste of products and packaging
• less danger that you might be layering wrong products which can be outright dangerous for skin’s health

The layering of multiple skincare products especially those not designed to work together can have a detrimental effect on the skin, impairing its natural barrier. Over exfoliation and damage from over use of Retinol are two examples often cited on social media these days

Formula Botanica

How To Start On The Minimalist Skincare Routine?

This is what I did when trying to detox my skincare routine as part of my overall detoxification project. Here are the steps:

• Get all of the skincare products that you own out of the drawers, medicine cabinets, counters, and vanities. 
• Look at every single label and decide whether the list of ingredients is something you would still consider using
• Toss the ones with questionable ingredients like “fragrance” which might be hiding a host of undisclosed chemicals
• Make a pile of those that might still be considered clean enough to use
• Decide which of the products that might seem clean and healthy for the skin are really needed for your minimalist routine. Remember, less is more!
• Divide the products into two piles: one with multitaskers, i.e. an oil cleanser that can double up for a body oil or a beauty balm with mica that can be used for your cheeks and lips
• Once you found your clean, green, multi-tasking ingredients, and still have a large pile, it’s time to make cuts. Find your favorite products, toss, donate, or gift somebody with the rest. 

You’ll be amazed how much space you’ll be saving and how much more time will you have when you embark on the minimalist skincare routine.

Skinimalist Must-Haves

There are a few staple products that definitely belong into the skinimalist routine:

Cleanser

A high-quality cleanser is a must. This is something that we cannot and should not be skimping on. Invest in a good-quality cleanser of your preference. 

Personally, I like to use cleansing grains in the morning, and a cleansing oil or balm at night. The reason for this difference is that in the morning, there is no need to take off makeup or pollution, and so cleansing grains are a good option and a multi-tasker too. Cleansing grains act both as a cleanser and a gentle exfoliator so it’s a win-win for a skinimalist.

Toner

Toners are multitaskers as well. A good quality toner can act as a toner (of course), a make-up setting mist, and a hydrating spritzer when out and about. Again, a perfect product for a skinimalist.

Treatment Serum or Oil

For a woman of a certain age like myself, a good serum is a must. I am partial to my own Hyaluronic Acid Serum and I use it religiously both in the AM and PM and with great results. In the morning, it acts as a great primer for my SPF foundation. In the evening, I add a few drops of an oil face serum like this one and make it into a nourishing moisturizer to pamper my skin overnight.

Moisturizer/ Sunscreen

Here is where skinimalism can really shine. Rather than layering a moisturizer, an SPF, and makeup; see if you can combine all three products in one. Ever since I switched to the non-toxic foundation and other makeup products, I fell in love with tinted sunscreen moisturizers. That’s huge money and time-saver. Combining three products in one, simply genius!

Facial Masks to treat specific concerns

While not essential, I still like to include a few facial masks in my skinimalist regimen. A face mask can target issues such as hyperpigmentation, dryness, acne breakouts, and more. 

Check out one of my bestsellers: the Beautifying Clay Mask with Rhassoul Clay, rose Powder, Hibiscus, and Aloe Vera Powder. It is simply divine and gentle enough to use 2 or 3 times a week.

Additionally, this is where I put the time issue on the back burner – self-care is health care after all, and so some time must be reserved for pampering

RELATED POST: How to Pamper Yourself with A Magical Spa Night at Home 

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Daily Skinimalist Routine

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Your routine will of course depend on your skin type, your age, your makeup preferences and such.

Here is what I tend to do in my minimalist skincare routine:

AM:

Clean Face Cleanser

Clean Routine starts with clean cleanser. 

Here are a few DIY options:

Cleansing Oil (DIY recipe)

Cleansing Grains (DIY Recipe)

For a more traditional cleanser, here is a great one from Honeyskin: Gentle Face & Body Cleanser

For an oil cleanser – which is my personal preference – check out the Solid Oil Cleansers from my shop:

for oily/blemish-prone skin

for dry/mature skin

If you’d rather get a gentle, foaming cleanser, this one from Beauty by Earth is really nice.

Foaming Face Wash Peppermint Tea Tree – $21.99
from: Beauty by Earth

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Toner

As mentioned above, a toner can be a great multi-tasker within a minimalist skincare regimen: toner, moisture spritzer, make-up remover, and more.

Here is my go-to DIY recipe for a minimalist, 3-ingredients, clean, green toner.

If you’d rather buy a ready-made one, this one is a nice clean option:

Facial Toner with Rose Water (Size: 8 oz) – $19.99
from: Beauty by Earth

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Treatment Serum 

It’s crucial to deliver clean ingredients to the skin. A serum has a lower molecular weight than a cream or lotion, and so it can sink into the skin and revive it from inside out. 

Here are a few good options:

I am partial to my own Hyaluronic Acid Serum. It is organic, vegan, cruelty-free, and it gets great reviews from returning customers. Check it out here.

For other clean options:

• Farmacy Hyaluronic Acid Serum 
• Origins Into the Glow Brightening Serum 
• Bakuchiol Retinol Alternative Smoothing Serum 

Sunscreen

Sunscreen has to be part of even the skinimalist care. There is no way around it. Wearing sunscreen every day will give you the best bang for the buck in terms of staying looking youthful and vibrant. 

I wrote a separate post about sunscreen recommendations, and there are a few suggested SPF’s to buy, depending on your skin’s needs and concerns.

Clean Makeup

I like to combine my moisturizer and SPF, and whenever possible, also use it in place of foundation. Tinted, moisturizing SPF is just such a multi-tasker. I am a huge fan of this Tinted Facial Sunscreen in Natural Beige, SPF 20 (and it comes in two additional shades for darker teints).

For other Make-up and Nail Care needs,I am a fan of Mineral Fusion. See their collection of 100% natural, plant-derived beauty products, and get 15% off your first purchase.

RELATED POST: Non-Toxic Foundation and Clean Make-up

Nighttime Skinimalism

When it comes to PM skincare, skinimalist will rarely distinguish between morning and evening needs, with one exception – a nighttime cream or oil to nourish the skin while sleeping.

My minimalist PM routine looks like this:

1. Solid Oil cleanser
2. Toner
3. Hyaluronic Acid Serum
4. Face oil
5. Nighttime Balm /Mask

Face Oils are a Godsend when it comes to delivering great nutrients to the skin. I am a huge fan of them and sing their praises whenever I can. They certainly are helping my over-50 skin look and feel the best.

If you are a DIY type, facial oil is one of the easiest DIYs you’ll ever see. It is important though to get good info about what your specific skin type might need.

RELATED POST: Which Carrier Oil Should I Be Using?

If you’d rather buy a ready-made facial oil, here are links to a few proven winners:

• Biossance Squalane + Vitamin C Rose Oil 
• Drunk Elephant Virgin Marula Luxury Face Oil 
• Herbivore Lapis Blue Tansy Face Oil – For Oily & Acne-Prone Skin 
• And here you can see my entire collection of facial oils, which – IMHO – are better and easier on the wallet: Oko-Logic SHOP 

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As for the nighttime balm, the main reason to use it is to seal in all that goodness that comes from the serum and facial oil and make sure it works its magic overnight.

Check these out:

• REN Clean Skincare Evercalm Overnight Recovery Balm 
• Oko-Logic Firming Rose Balm 

Are you ready to embark on the Skinimalism trend? I think it makes a lot of sense, both for the health of the skin, for the sake of saving the time, and for the wallet.