February 11, 2021 

“At the end of 2020, Pinterest released its annual Pinterest Predicts report for 2021. Its top beauty prediction? A shift towards skinimalism. In short, this means we’ll be seeing more people embrace their skin’s natural texture and adopting minimalistic skincare routines,” explains Brydie.

The top three drivers behind the trending skinimalism movement are the desires for an easier, efficacious routine, more eco-conscious skincare purchases, and to minimize the skin irritation that can be caused by too many products.

First and foremost, the top driver behind the skinimalism movement is the renewed consumer desire for a simple, stress-free routine.

Over the past several years, complex skincare routines hit peak popularity. The 10-step Korean skincare routine dominated beauty media, along with popular social media trends like “shelfies,” or the perfectly arranged cabinets, closets, and shelves of skincare obsessives.

However, stressed-out consumers now simply want to invest less time and money in their skincare routines.

“Who realistically needs so many products? How can you tell what is working if you are using everything and the kitchen sink? With everyone’s skin having such individual needs and various lifestyle factors influencing the way skin behaves, trialing a million different serums is not only time-consuming to keep a track of—it’s costly, too. Welcome to a new era, where skincare is about to get more stripped back and personalized than ever before,” says Sukriti Wahi in Elle.

Today, rather than buying and using a multitude of products, consumers crave effective, scientifically researched formulations that deliver results.

Another reason behind the recent push for skinimalism? A desire to consume less and to purchase skincare products that are more natural, sustainable, and environmentally friendly.

“With the global pandemic acting as a wake-up call for our shopping behaviors, the status-symbol skincare shelf suddenly feels trivial at best and ignorant at worst. Besides the fact that no-one has enough real estate on their face to get through 25 serums before they expire, is the obvious problem with waste: over 8 million tons of plastic are currently ending up in our oceans each year,” explains Harper’s Bazaar.

With the era of the skincare sheflie over, the hottest skincare products are now effective and environmentally friendly. When making a new purchase, skinimalist consumers most lean towards products with a lower environmental footprint.

To that extent, expect these eco-chic claims to be especially enticing to skinimalists:

• Clean
• Waterless or water-free formulations
• Upcycled
• Reusable and refillable containers
• Sustainable sourcing

Finally, the skinimalism movement is rooted in a consumer desire to reduce the irritation and skincare issues caused by using too many products.

“All those products are, in fact, making your skin worse. Acne, rosacea, eczema, and psoriasis are on the rise, in lockstep with the number of skin-care offerings on the market,” explains Covetuer.

Dermatologists have long recommended against using too many skincare products. Why? Conflicting skincare products can result in damage to the skin barrier and cause issues like redness, dryness, flaking, irritation, acne, eczema, and more.

“What’s to blame for the mass barrier malfunction? Too many creams, serums and other hope in a jar. “It’s largely a product of our own obsession with squeaky clean and using product upon product upon product,” said Whitney Bowe, a dermatologist in New York. Combine product overload with environmental assaults, and you have a recipe for skin barrier disaster,” writes Courtney Rubin in the New York Times.

With sensitive skin claims and adult acne cases on the rise, many frustrated consumers are ready to stop piling on the products.

Skinimalism offers a promising solution to consumers suffering from acne, redness, dryness or other common skin conditions. Less products, less irritation, better skin.

The skinimalism movement is a market trend driven by consumer demand. Skinimalists want simpler skincare routines, more sustainable formulations and packaging, and to reduce the irritation caused by using too many products.

In this new skinimalism era, the scientifically researched formulations that consistently deliver visible results will be the products to earn a coveted spot on newly pared-down shelves. 

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