Demanyé 
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Intensive cleansing, a popular beauty trend on social media, promising clean, clear, and glowing skin, is unknowingly damaging the skin’s complexion.
It all began with the “no-makeup makeup” trend, which gained popularity in recent years, shifting the beauty industry’s focus from makeup products to skincare.
No-makeup makeup offered a way to accentuate your features and enhance your natural beauty while still looking effortless, but it starts with having a clean, hydrated base – a good skincare routine.
This is where Korean skincare beauty became popular for offering skincare products that remove impurities and give skin a hydrated, glowy look, perfect for a no makeup makeup look. This trend emphasized double cleansing to remove impurities and gentle exfoliation to remove dead skin cells to achieve a smooth, glowing texture.
As influencers showcased their elaborate skincare routines and followers watched as every trace of oil, dirt, and impurities was removed to achieve a satisfying look, unknowingly, they reinforced the dangerous belief that intensive cleansing equals better skin health.
On TikTok, users shared viral videos of skincare routines using Korean products, often showing every step of double cleansing, exfoliation, and layering of toners, moisturizers or serums.
TikTok creator _jessicalittle_, posted on TikTok saying, “got influenced and started Korean skincare and now my skin looks worse.” The video showed redness and irritation around her cheeks, highlighting the damage intense cleansing and the influence social media can cause your skin.
The skin’s protective barrier is composed of dead cells, lipids, proteins, and fat that help protect your skin from the environment.
The overuse of washing, exfoliating, or improper use can damage the skin’s natural barrier by stripping away protective lipids and disrupting pH levels.
As the skin’s barrier becomes compromised, skin sensitivity can increase, reacting to products once tolerated or ingredients that did not cause irritation before.
Redness around the nose or cheeks may indicate chronic inflammation from repeated trauma to the skin’s surface and could gradually become more apparent or difficult to conceal.
Pores can allow dirt and oil to penetrate deeper into follicles, resulting in enlarged pores, acne, or blackheads.
Once damaged, barriers may struggle to protect and repair themselves, which can lead to aging, hyperpigmentation, or changes in skin texture.
Achieving healthy, good skin does not need to be an intense 10-step routine. Instead, a simple routine that uses a gentle cleanser to remove impurities without disrupting the skin’s protective barrier, along with minimal products that support the skin’s health or concerns, is the most effective way to achieve a healthy, glowing complexion perfect for days with or without makeup.
thereneetomato 
Alex Tisdale 
