Heard of skin fasting? It’s essentially a strict diet for your skin and is one of the few trends we can actually get behind. This less-is-more approach to skincare is based on one thing very few TikTok trends have: common sense. This pared-back might just be your ticket to clearer, smoother and more radiant skin. And the best part? It’s easy to implement. Here’s everything you need to know about skin fasting.
What is skin fasting?
Skin fasting (or skin streaming) is a trendy way of describing a minimalist skincare routine; cutting back on potentially unnecessary and harsh ingredients that are overloading the skin (and emptying your wallet).The practice is either something that you can do temporarily — typically if you’re experiencing a form of dermatitis and need to strip back your routine — or as a permanent approach.
Despite what you may believe, our skin doesn’t actually need many skincare products in order to be healthy. In fact, using too many ingredients can have the opposite effect we’re striving for. This is particularly true when it comes to active ingredients. Overloading your skin with potent actives can lead to issues like an impaired skin barrier, sensitivity, dermatitis and in extreme cases, even burns.
Skin fasting routine
What a ‘skin fasting routine’ looks like will be different for everyone. But in general, it prioritises:
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Cleansing
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Prescription creams (e.g. retinoids)
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Moisturiser
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Sunscreen
Benefits of skin fasting
Still not convinced? There are numerous reasons you might want to consider taking a break from a complex skincare routine.
Skin barrier repair
In order to get the benefits from active ingredients, our skin barrier needs to be in good shape. This means not over-exfoliating or layering on too many products at once. A good skin barrier routine prioritises hydrating and repairing ingredients and prioritises skin cycling to give skin rest days.
Results from skincare
If you’re not seeing results from your skincare and you’re confident that you’re using skincare designed for your skin type and concerns, it could be that you’re simply using too much of it.
Stripping back your routine to the basics and slowly introducing new products will yield far better results. Not to mention this helps identify if new products are causing unwanted side effects or reactions. Consistency with a basic routine using ingredients that are science-backed are going to give you results. You just have to practice a little patience.
Less risk of perioral dermatitis
Perioral dermatitis (or periorificial dermatitis) can be triggered by using too many products layered on top of each other. The condition requires a visit to a dermatologist and alongside other treatments, they will almost definitely suggest striping your skincare back to the bare basics. If possible, it’s recommended to take a break from wearing makeup, using very gentle cleansers only, applying topical treatments (as necessary) and only light, non-occlusive moisturisers.
Better for the environment because of no wastage
Using more skincare products than you need and buying into skincare that’s not suitable for your skin type isn’t great for the environment. The beauty industry has a waste problem, particularly as overconsumption is encouraged. We’ll never encourage buying more than you need. That’s why we freshly compound our Chapters routines to ensure nothing goes to waste.
More cost-effective
Buying into trends isn’t cheap. That’s why we’ll always advocate for science-backed skincare that’s designed to do as it promises. Investing in your skin ultimately costs less in the long run as you’re not wasting time, money or energy on fads.
