BEAUTY BUSTERS

Dermatologists and cosmetic chemists are now on a mission to stop misinformation and push accessibility within skin care.

- Nawaf Rahman

Navigating the world of skin care can be tough. We can read all the reviews by influencers or celebrities and still end up buying products that don’t meet our expectation. But lifting the veil on the content around key ingredients, potency and the use of particular products is a full-time job that most of us aren’t qualified for.

Enter the “skinfluencers”, a new crop of beauty insiders and influencers who are using their social media platform to demystify skincare and clear up the industry’s most pervasive myths. Unlike the traditional beauty influencers, they are not only scientifically literate, qualified and facts-orientated, but they also invent viral trends and hold brands accountable. One of the originals is Michelle Wong (@labmuffinbeautyscience), a Sydney-based science teacher with a PhD in medicinal and supramolecular chemistry.

While the science behind skin care can be complex, she breaks it down in the simplest form so anyone can understand it. “I started a blog back in 2011 when I was a student. I was building a skin care routine on a budget and it was only then that I realised how confusing product messaging can be,” she says. The idea of “clean” and “dirty” ingredients and products is false, she insists. On the whole, this is largely a myth and one she spends a lot of time trying to dispel.