5 Questions to Ask Yourself Before Wasting Money on Skin Care Online
Yads Cauchi is a Dermal Clinician, Nutritionist (BHSc, MSc) and Beauty Journalist. She's also a mum of four. Evidence based skin health and nutrition are her thing and she works from her own skin clinic based in Canberra - you can find her there, or on Instagram and TikTok @yadscauchiskin.
Raise your hand if you love shopping for skincare online. Don't lie now, I see you.
I honestly can’t even remember the last time I went into a shop...
While lockdown (and not being to physically go into retail stores) definitely had something to do with an increase in online skincare shopping, there's no denying it's also just very convenient.
On the flip side, it's easy to waste your money on products that aren't right for you - and potentially impair your skin barrier - by being lured in with cute branding and strategic marketing.
As a dermal therapist, I think it's great more and more people are interested in looking after their skin with a dedicated skincare routine.
But when shopping for skin care, you need to be mindful of why you are purchasing certain products to begin with.
Is it because you think your skin could really benefit from a certain product? Have you identified a missing step in your routine?
Or, is it because your girlfriend is using it too? Or perhaps you’ve seen someone online raving about the Next Must Have Product?
If this is resonating with you, or you feel like you've spent a tonne on skincare products but aren't seeing the results, keep scrolling for my expert tips.
How to Buy Skincare Online.
With skin care, there is 100 per cent such a thing as too much.
Whatever the reason you're shopping for skincare online, the best way to get your money's worth is to make sure every product will serve a purpose.
Always come back to your skin and what it needs. That’s how you will get results.
So, when you can’t physically try a product IRL before handing over your money, how are you meant to know if it’ll be right for you?
Here are a few questions to ask yourself before checking out to help you shop smarter for skin care online.
Side note - we go into waaaaay more detail on this topic in this episode of Dermal Diaries on the Bite-Sized Beauty podcast below.
1. What Is My Skin Type?
As a dermal therapist, I rely heavily on my client’s skin type (and concerns, more on that in a second) as a guide to get them the results they’re after.
This is because we all are born with a skin type: normal, dry, oily or combination.
These different skin types have different needs, and they also like (and dislike) different types of formulas and product textures.
So, it only makes sense to know what your skin type is before buying products.
Get to know your skin type by reading this article or watching our skin types YouTube video below.
2. What Are My Main Skin Concerns?
I suggest if you’re going to be buying skincare online, you should start to think about your own skin concerns.
By skin concerns, I mean the things or areas for improvement you'd like to address, like dehydration, skin texture, hyperpigmentation, oil production, signs of ageing, breakouts - or all of the above.
It's important to know what you want to achieve with your skin care before buying products, because different ingredients work well to target different concerns.
For example, vitamin C and pigment inhibitors work well for reducing the appearance of hyperpigmentation.
Vitamin A is an excellent anti-ageing ingredient, but it’s also great for blemish and acne-prone skin.
Then, there are all-rounders like niacinamide and hyaluronic acid that help to support your skin barrier for functioning healthy skin.
So, before you buy a product, ask yourself, will this product treat my concerns?
If it isn’t directly going to treat your concerns…. do you realistically need it?
Knowing your skin type and concerns will also help you decide if a product someone's recommended will be right for you.
Whether it’s your friend or someone on Instagram, does that person have the same skin type and skin concerns as yours?
The product they love might be amazing, but it won't be amazing for you unless it's designed for your skin type and concerns.
3. Is This Skincare Product in My Budget?
Next, we need to chat about budget, because everyone’s budget is different - including what we perceive to be 'affordable' or 'expensive'.
How much we spend (or are willing to spend) on skin care will ebb and flow with life. It's very personal to each individual, but the good news is, it's absolutely possible to build a great skincare routine for under $100.
A general rule of thumb for skincare shopping on a budget is to invest in your active ingredient serums (treatments) and save on basics like cleanser and moisturiser.
But at the end of the day, if a product is way out of your budget and you don't think you'd realistically be able to afford to repurchase it regularly, then it's not the right product for you.
P.S. If you’ve spent a lot of money on skincare products without getting the results you’re after, it's time to turn to a skin professional for guidance.
This does come with an initial upfront cost and time commitment, but it will save you money in the long run by removing the trial and error shopping.
I mean, just calculate the total of all the failed products you've bought and tried!
Dermal therapists can help you map out your skincare routine by assessing what you're currently using, arranging them into the correct order, and making suggestions for products that suit your skin and budget needs.
4. Do I Already Own Something Similar?
Shopping for skin care is different to shopping for clothes.
If you buy and wear five white shirts that all look and do the same thing, the only thing impacted is your wallet.
But imagine what might happen to your poor face is you decided to buy and use five vitamin C serums or retinol serums?
(Hint: It'd fall off.)
Skin care is meant to be fun, and for some people, part of the fun is having a long, luxurious routine with lots of different steps.
Unless you are confident in how to rotate similar products in and out of your routine, keep it simple and take stock of what you already have to avoid doubling up.
Figure out what products are missing from your routine first, and buy those. Or wait until you've almost finished a product, and buy one similar if you want to try something new.
As a base, I generally recommend the following products and ingredients for morning and night skincare routines:
- Morning skin routine: Cleanser, antioxidant serum, moisturiser, sunscreen.
- Evening skin routine: Double cleanse (oil/balm first then follow with a cleanser for your skin type), treatment serum, moisturiser.
This is very simple, but I hope it makes things less confusing.
You can find out how to structure your skincare routine in the YouTube video below.
5. What Do the Reviews Say?
Finally, don’t forget to read reviews on the products you have your eye on.
Most retailers have positive and negative product reviews on their websites, but you can also find reviews on YouTube, in Facebook beauty groups and in the comments section on the brand's Instagram posts.
Plus, pay attention to the advice from brands and the educational content online retailers provide.
There are so many different ways brands and retailers help their consumers.
Things like online chat options, videos, social content, podcasts, educational blog features... like, ahem, Adore's Beauty IQ!
You can even send a brand or retailer a message on Instagram if you want more info on a product and if it might be right for you.
To recap: The most important thing when buying skincare online is thinking about whether a product will be right for you, your skin and your budget.
Not your best friend's skin. Not an influencer's skin.
I’m all for retail therapy, but I also hope this article pops into your mind the next time you’re thinking of adding 10 new serums to your cart.
Want to read more of Yads' expert skincare articles? Check out more below:
