Social media is turning us all into products who buy products. Photo courtesy of Flickr.

ANA DOLLARD | STAFF REPORTER | adollard@butler.edu 

 If you’re on social media, you have most likely been exposed to skin care products displayed on your feed. Whether it’s a get-ready-with-me, a product review or some kind of storytime, products to make your skin look better are deeply embedded in our social media lives. 

I decided to test it with a 30-minute scroll on Instagram. Within seconds, a video popped up with a girl demonstrating a “new Korean lymphatic drainage hack that ‘actually’ works!” The “hack” was placing hair ties over her ears and keeping them there for 20 minutes until, miraculously, her face puffiness disappeared! This is, of course,  disregarding the fact that face puffiness disappears naturally after a few hours and this “hack” was likely nothing more than a coincidence. This was one of many videos of people — mostly women — showing off their collagen masks, explaining how to look like a glazed donut or demonstrating how to glow up in 8 hours. 

With how often these strange videos populate for you pages and explore pages alike, many are concerned about the over-promotion of skin care products online. 

First-year exploratory studies major Charley Potthast said when she was younger, she fell into the trap of social media advertising herself. 

“Growing up, I would [use social media to get product recommendations], like, St. Ives, for example,” Potthast said. “Actually, that [product] made my skin so horrible. I got really into [using products from social media], and it made my skin so much worse.” 

Potthast also noted that, on a broader level, skin care companies are not looking out for the populations they market to.

“A lot of skin care brands don’t actually care about helping you,” Potthast said. “It’s more about making money. That’s why they have so many apps and so many influencers to suggest their products.” 

The beauty industry now has a dystopian level of reach, especially with younger demographics. It’s become so rampant that a new term has emerged — “skinfluencers” — an online influencer who shares beauty and skin care recommendations with their followers. Unfortunately, the most popular of these skinfluencers seem to have the least amount of medical training. 

The naiveté of younger generations combined with adolescence being an age of insecurity make social media the perfect platform for companies to market their products. A study by Mintel, a market research agency, found that nearly half of teens aged 12 to 17 discover new skin care products through social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. 

First-year chemistry major Charlotte Jones noted younger audiences who use skinfluencers as role models or guides for skin care products are ultimately being harmed by their advice. 

“It’s detrimental to kids that are watching this and watching their role models putting 30 different things on their face,” Jones said. “You don’t need to do that to have good skin, and sometimes, [even] if you do [use those products], you’re not gonna have good skin.” 

Shanti Grossman, a junior criminology-psychology major and spa coordinator at Woodhouse Spa said she sees the effects of online skin care trends first-hand every time she goes to work.  

“Yes, [making your skin look like the pictures] is the goal of the service, [but] it’s simply not universal,” Grossman said. “Not everyone has the same skin type, not all products are gonna work the same on every single person.” 

If you’ve felt the pressure to make your skin as clear as glass and as shiny as a “glazed donut,” you’re not alone. The skin care industry is fueled by insecurity, and social media has been the equivalent of a middle school bully whispering products into people’s ears. 

While everyone who sees skin care products and videos online can be affected by them, some groups in particular have faced more expectations than others. 

In addition to her working experience, Grossman also noted that — from her personal experience — there seems to be a difference in how the pressure to have perfect skin is distributed across racial lines.

“As somebody who has a darker skin tone, the way that skin care issues present in me, versus my lighter skin friends [is different],” Grossman said. “People are a lot more forgiving of people who have lighter skin and dark spots, versus people who have dark skin and dark spots.” 

The beauty industry capitalizes on the idealization of lighter skin, and this is especially the case when it comes to skin-bleaching products. Studies have shown that women of color spend more than $8 billion on skin-bleaching creams worldwide every year. 

Grossman also described how paying attention to skin care trends and products is more common for women than for men. 

“Gender-wise, women are so much more ‘required’ to have clear skin [than men],” Grossman said. 

Women are by far the most common consumers of skin care products and are more than two times as likely to have a skin care routine than men. The expectation and expense of cosmetic labor are disproportionately placed on women, and even more so on women of color. 

However, not all skin care products are part of some capitalist hellscape. Some products genuinely help treat acne and other conditions. For those with persistent dermatological problems, social media can be a helpful partner in finding a product that works. 

First-year chemistry major Charlotte Jones commented on how she has used social media as a tool for skin care recommendations and had some success.

“I’ve been influenced before for skin care and my skin’s not the worst,” Jones said. “So [social media has] definitely helped me personally.” 

Trying to find products that work for you is daunting, especially with such a plethora of choices. It’s understandable why so many turn to their most trusted influencers on Instagram or TikTok for help.

However, if choosing to use influencers instead of dermatologists — or even dermatologists who happen to be influencers — remember to keep media literacy in mind by researching a product before you buy it.

In fact, the best skin care routine is one that acknowledges that “perfect skin” is likely not within your control. Many factors play a part in how your skin looks, including genetics, hormonal changes and even environmental factors like humidity. You are likely not going to be able to change much without an appointment with a licensed dermatologist and a prescription skin treatment — and even then, you don’t usually need that harsh of treatment. 

Breaking out? Maybe your hormones are imbalanced and your skin is producing more oil than it needs. Or, maybe you’re stressed out and need to make time to recharge. Whatever it is, know that your skin is a part of you that works hard to protect you from injuries, toxins and everything else nasty in the world. While it’s easy to smother your face with chemicals a Tiktoker recommended, do the more difficult thing and try to treat your skin with the same kindness it gives you every day.