Savannah-area derms weigh in on health and beauty misconceptions – and even danger – that abounds on digital platforms
Written by ALLISON ARBUTHNOT SANDERS
ACCORDING TO ALLIED MARKET RESEARCH, the global skincare market was valued at $146.7 billion in 2021, and is projected to reach $273.3 billion by 2031. And though skincare has been around forever, the incredible modern growth of this industry aligns with — you guessed it — the rise of social media. The surge began in 2019, according to Grand View Research, with the launch of Kylie Jenner’s bubblegum pink skincare line, Kylie Skin, which was the first in a wave of viral celebrity skincare brands from names like Rhianna and Jennifer Lopez.
“In this age, there’s so much more consumer knowledge and power, and that is 100% due to social media,” says Dominica Baird, the pioneering chair for the beauty and fragrance program within the DeSole School of Business Innovation at Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD).
Before joining SCAD this academic year, Baird worked at L’Oreal as head of trends and innovation for Maybelline Global Marketing. One of her responsibilities was forecasting beauty trends, a process in which Baird looked at macro events first, like global news, or other industries, like food and dining, to gain an insight into how consumers are feeling and, ultimately, what they may want to buy as a result.
“We are moving away from the organic foods movement of the pandemic and have started to go back to this idea of having fun with food, like these new sodas and snack foods that offer healthier, transparent ingredients but still taste good,” says Baird. For her, that was an indicator that consumers are wanting to seek pleasure. “I am seeing that search for joy — which is very much a post-pandemic feeling — progress from food into beauty. People are embracing fun again in their skin and makeup routine after a few years of a sort of austere, clinical routine.”
Kid in a Candy Store
Walk down one of the many skincare aisles in your local drugstore, and it’s easy to pick up on the “fun” that Baird is talking about. In fact, you might think you’ve wandered into the candy aisle. A rainbow of products in neon packaging line the shelves, each glossier than the last and called things like “bubble,” “slushie,” “jelly” and “whipped cream.” Multicolored, shiny, star-shaped pimple patches dominate an end display. Today’s trendy skincare is absolutely fun. It’s playful. It’s almost … childlike.
Indeed, the quest for youthful skin appears to be starting younger. Generation Alpha — those born between the early 2010s and 2024 — have been making headlines lately for their obsession with skincare, nicknamed “Sephora Kids” on TikTok. Meanwhile, according to a 2021 survey among U.S. shoppers by Statista, 41% of Gen Z shoppers (currently ages 12 to 27) said skincare is the product category they spend the most money on.
“When I opened Glow in 2006, the only people getting injectables (such as neurotoxins, like Botox and fillers) were ages 50 and up,” says Courtney Victor, owner of Glow Med Spa. “Now the patient base is split into thirds: it’s a third Baby Boomers, and a third Gen X and older millennials in their late 30s and 40s starting to treat wrinkles and skin laxity issues. And then there’s a third group in their early 20s who are coming in for ‘glass skin,’” she says, referring to a Korean beauty trend that’s caught on in the U.S. in recent years. “It’s not about not having wrinkles because the wrinkles haven’t formed yet. It’s about having no movement to the skin,” says Victor. “It’s what all the younger clients are wanting.”
Victor sees these shifting demographics in her home as well as in her business. Even for someone who works in the industry, she says the experience of seeing her daughter wanting to wear makeup and begin a skincare routine at age 9 was a “transcendental moment.”
“As a mother, the standard of beauty that we are constantly exposed to and the information overload is concerning, especially when that standard of beauty is so regularly modified and not reflective of reality,” she says. “Unfortunately, now there is this conception that we should be changing ourselves aesthetically, and it’s starting younger and younger.”
Natural Nightmare
Dr. Tonya McCullough of Chatham Dermatology says she sees how social media plays a role in exposure to information that can lead to more risk than reward.
“Most of the TikTok skincare trends are hype and are not beneficial,” says McCullough. “Some trends can be harmful, plugging pores and irritating and disrupting the skin barrier.”
The worst? Home pore-vacuuming and aggressive dermaplaning or microneedling, which could cause damage to blood vessels and scarring. On the upside, McCullough notes that pimple patches or acne spots are among one of the most beneficial skincare trends (colorful shapes optional), along with masks (especially those made from clay, mud and charcoal; but avoid oily or comedogenic masks) and self-tanners.
Still, the trend dermatologists are talking about most behind closed doors might not be what you’d expect.
“Dermatologists are concerned about the ‘all natural’ marketing hype making patients think that ‘all natural’ is safe,” says McCullough. “After all, poison ivy and arsenic are ‘all natural.’”
Victor and Baird both echo this concern.
“There is an idea that if you make it yourself from natural ingredients or things you have in your kitchen like honey, or lemon juice, or baking soda, that means it’s safe and you can put it on your face as a mask,” says Victor. “We’ve had patients come in with chemical burns from these things.”
“Content creators try to create fear around certain ingredients to generate traffic,” says Baird. “That can lead to people making their own ‘natural’ sunscreen, for example, which can be very dangerous.”
Skincare Vocab Cheat Sheet
RETINOIDS, THE OLDIE BUT GOODIE: “Retinoids are derived from vitamin A, and they benefit acne, sun damaged skin and aging skin. Prescription retinoids stimulate collagen production, increase blood flow to the skin, and help prevent skin cancer. Retinol (available over-the-counter) works superficially and ‘changes the sheets’ on your mattress. But, prescription retinoids change your sheets, mattress pad and reach into the coils and fluff of your mattress to increase collagen and elastic tissue.” — Dr. Tonya McCullough of Chatham Dermatology
HYBRIDIZATION: “I see a continuation of hybridization —crossover between skincare and makeup — elevating and becoming stronger as a trend. For example, a tinted SPF, which is makeup that also serves a function.” — Dominica Baird, Chair of BEAU at SCAD
Sweating the Good Stuff
There’s one “natural” skincare trend that’s been gaining popularity but won’t cause scarring: sweating from exposure to infrared heat via infrared saunas or infrared hot yoga.
“Infrared heat is special because it warms up the object and not the air,” says Kate Doran, owner of Savannah Power Yoga. “When you go into the studio, or an infrared sauna, the infrared waves are penetrating the cells of your body because of the wavelength.” She notes that generating heat from the inside out purifies the body in a way that is different from detoxification, a popular buzzword often associated with infrared heat and heavy sweating.
“Technically, sweating doesn’t detoxify us,” says Doran. “We have organs like our liver that are designed to remove toxins from the body. On a molecular level, infrared heat is exciting the cells, making them vibrate faster, reducing inflammation and moving energy.”
Recent studies have determined that wavelengths of infrared light such as those present in infrared saunas or an infrared-heated yoga studio may have an anti-aging effect on the skin by stimulating collagen and elastin production in dermal fibroblasts (the main cell type present in the skin’s connective tissue), according to the National Library of Medicine.
On the most basic level, sweating is a natural exfoliant, improves circulation and produces a naturally antimicrobial peptide called dermcidin, which helps to destroy harmful bacteria on the skin, minimizing the risk for infection, acne breakouts and flare-ups in chronic skin conditions.
“Infrared heat makes us sweat more,” says Doran, “which flushes the pores and moves impurities out of the body through the skin.” Her pro tip: Just make sure you wash off all that sweat with a cleanser when you’re done, which is possibly the most tried-and-true skincare protocol.
Lessons for a Lifetime
“Young people, as well as older people, do not need complex regimens,” says McCullough in regards to multi-step skincare routines, especially those being embraced by Gen Alpha and frequently shared on social media. “A gentle cleanser and sun protection is all they need.”
Victor agrees and offers a few more tips for parents of young kids looking to explore skincare. She says the drug-store staple CeraVe is a fine cleanser for kids, and it won’t strip the skin’s barrier. Anything with the word “acid” in it is a no, and anything with a granular texture, like a scrub, should be avoided. “Teach them to never use the testers at the makeup counter, which can spread infection,” she adds. And, most important, for kids of all ages: “Number one, hands down, nothing looks better in your 40s and 50s than sunscreen applied in your teens, 20s and 30s.”
“Remember, beauty and skincare is not about anti-aging,” Victor says. “It’s about empowerment. Aging is a gift. The goal shouldn’t be to look younger; the goal should be to love the skin you’re in.”
