2023 has left us with a revolution of hashtags and trends that have also forced us to learn a little more English: Skin flooding, face slapping, slugging… and when we managed to get our skin to assimilate one of these proposals, another one came along that, normally, didn’t quite match the previous one. We have tried many beauty proposals that have become fashionable this past year and we have already abandoned them. Because of laziness? impatience? We analyse the four most outstanding ones that, fortunately, have remained in our cosmetic past.
Face flooding or how we have flooded our skins
This summer a new trend appeared on TikTok and Instagram. Its name? Skin Flooding, from the Saxon term ‘flood’, which means to flood. In a literal sense, this trend advocated that the key to crystal-clear skin was to fill it with moisture. In it, we should follow steps such as repeated toning to fill the skin with water, the application of hyaluronic acid serums and sealing with a moisturiser to provide all-day comfort. First of all, “this trend is not new. It is the standard routine for any skin that requires extra hydration, following the usual steps of cleansing, toning, specific moisturising product and finishing with a moisturiser,” says Daniel Jiménez, cosmetologist and technical director of Skin Generics and CEO of BeLab Services.
“This trend advocates the application of products without waiting for the previous one to be absorbed. This, for example, with moisturiser, can cause it to lose its nature when mixed with the previous product and not fulfil its function of retaining moisture in the skin. In other words, we can achieve the opposite effect to this flooding and cause us to lose more water than desired. We may also get the famous “macaroons” or simply have an unwanted reaction because the safety of the products as a whole has not been evaluated. That said, she does recommend that we all include in our routine “a product with moisturisers such as hyaluronic acid, an active ingredient that provides hydration throughout the day and will work for any skin type,” she says.
Slugging: what they don’t tell you
Another trend that has taken us by storm in 2023 is slugging, a Korean proposal that is linked, once again, to skin hydration, or rather, how not to lose that hydration. Slugging proposes applying ultra-moisturising products and finishing the routine with a balm that covers the skin and is left on. “The most visual thing about this trend is that it advocates applying a final occlusive such as petroleum jelly. The problem with these products is that they prevent perspiration, so it is better to avoid ingredients such as paraffin, which is very common in this type of formulation. It is better to opt for emollients that do not clog the pores, such as squalene, fatty acids (Omegas), vitamin F or ceramides, for example. They will reinforce the skin barrier, but allow full perspiration,” adds Daniel Jiménez.
Face Slapping
Face Slapping proposes giving yourself cakes to activate circulation to promote the creation of new collagen and elastin. “It is a trend that comes from Asia and we must be careful with these proposals, because Asian skin is thicker and more resistant than Caucasian skin. It is true that certain traumas, such as those caused by micro-needling treatments, can promote skin regeneration, but slapping will have a very superficial action and, moreover, there is no evidence that it helps to promote collagen and elastin synthesis. What’s more, the impacts often cause damage to the skin that does not benefit it and may even sensitise it in the long term”. If we want our skin to generate more collagen and elastin, it is best to use products rich in active ingredients with this function, such as retinol or vitamin C.
Mixing all products
Call it cosmetic mixing, whisking or whatever you like. In short, it’s about combining several products and applying them in one step, merging, for example, a serum and a cream. “This is a mistake because it goes against pharmacokinetics, or how the different ingredients and actives penetrate the skin. This is the science that explains that an active ingredient applied to the skin in one way acts in one way, and applied in another way, it has a different effect. For this reason, serums and creams do not have the same encapsulations, the same active ingredients or the same textures. Each product must be applied at its specific moment and once the previous ones have been absorbed”. That is why there is also an established order for applying products, which normally begins with cleansing, toning, serums and moisturiser.
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