The New Age Diet Culture: Skincare

What happens when skincare starts becoming our identity and the very essence of our being? Is an overload of 'must-have' lists, 12 to 20-step skincare routines, or needing every active out there fuelling addiction?

- KONIKA DATTA

Reading the ingredients of anything that you put inside you or on you is now normal. Everyone's an expert on the pH of their cleanser, the 'right' hydration level of the skin, marking the day they will finally start needing retinol - all of which would probably sound bizarre a decade ago. Add to that two years of isolation, changes in skin and hair due to Covid, the need for multivitamins et al. In fact, did you know that one of the major impacts of this change in skincare consumption is the transition from a fuss-free CTM routine to a 10-step regimen? Products spiked with essences, layers of serums, eye creams, and sheet masks, among other necessities, have now become second nature.

If you look back to when weight-loss lollipops made it to the neutraceutical shelves, the hue and cry over diet culture legitimately pointed to a much bigger issue at hand: The dangers of propagating unhealthy levels of thinness. Drawing a parallel, is modern skincare culture set to go down the same route?

Glamourisation of self-care

The wellness market has boomed at an exceptional rate in recent times, and with it has the narrative of 'skincare is self-care'. Following a long, perfectly curated skincare regimen is a performative way of ensuring that we're taking really, really good care of our skin. Of course, there's nothing wrong with taking care of oneself, but this mindset can be so crippling for some that missing even one day of this routine makes them feel guilty for neglecting their skin.