How to Simplify Your Skincare Regimen and Embrace Skin Minimalism

POPSUGAR Australia has partnered with Garnier Green Labs to help you get your best skin yet.

Glowing skin is on all of our wish lists and 2021’s biggest beauty trend, skin minimalism, is all about delivering exactly that, with minimal effort (and products). Pinterest called it first when it was predicted that skin minimalism would be the huge beauty trend this year and now that we’re 10 months in, it’s safe to say that they were spot on. 

Searches for “naturally glowing skin” and “face yoga exercises” were up by four times in Australia in the past 12 months, so clearly, we’re all ready to ditch the 12-step daily routine and streamline the process to make life that little bit easier. The good news is, this approach to skincare might actually benefit your skin, too. “I am all about skin minimalism,” Sydney-based dermatologist, Shreya Andric, tells POPSUGAR Australia. “I often see patients who come in with irritated skin and almost all of them have been using multiple different products.”

This ethos is one that cosmetic doctor, Imaan Joshi, wholeheartedly agrees with, not just because complicated routines aren’t always the most effective for your specific skin type. “Most of us are time-poor and lack the time to indulge in complex, multi-step regimens,” she says. “The promise of these steps wears off very quickly, leaving us too frazzled to do any of it and leading us back to square one once the initial motivation wears off.” That’s where skin minimalism comes in.

So, What is Skin Minimalism?

Skin minimalism isn’t just a passing fad and it doesn’t mean you need to ditch your entire makeup bag, either. Rather, it’s about simplifying your routine and finding a few one-and-done products that feel luxurious enough to still give you that self-care moment at the end of the day, are hard-working enough to give results, but don’t need loads of steps to get the job done.

We’ll all have our version of skin minimalism. For me and my acne-prone skin, skin minimalism means using a few multi-tasking skincare products that all work well together and won’t flare up my problem areas. From there, I go in with a liberal amount of highlighter, a bold brow, and a glossy blush.

How Can I Embrace Skin Minimalism?

Andric explains that there are a few basic products we could all benefit from having in our arsenal and it’s a relief to hear that they are products we all might have in our bathrooms already. She explains that having a gentle cleanser that suits your skin type (“if you have oily or acne-prone skin, you may choose one that contains salicylic acid”), a moisturiser you can use morning and night, and sunscreen (every day, regardless of your skin type), is a good basic routine to follow. “If you wear makeup, then I would [also suggest] double cleansing at night to thoroughly remove it, for example, by using micellar water first, before a cleanser,” Andric adds. As for adding active skincare ingredients, the general rule is to go gentle.

Personally, I’m a fan of products that work as a moisturiser but also have a bonus like ingredients such as niacinamide or hyaluronic acid — and that’s for two reasons. First, I know myself and I never remember to use a serum, but if I can get the benefits of a serum in my moisturiser step, I’m sold. Second, I know that all the different ingredients and actives are formulated to work together, rather than popping multiple serums on that don’t play nice.

Products like the new Garnier Green Labs serum cream range do exactly that. While there are three to choose from, my favourite is the Pinea-C Brightening Serum Cream because of the Vitamin C (an antioxidant that brightens),  pineapple extract (glow boosting for dull skin) and a hit of broad spectrum SPF15. The latter is particularly handy if you’re the kind of person who regularly forgets to wear sunscreen.

To explore the entire Garnier Green Labs range, head to its website to figure out which product is right for your skin.

Editor’s note: Dr Andric is an independent dermatologist and Dr Joshi is an independent cosmetic doctor — neither are contracted to Garnier in any capacity.