It should come as no surprise that I dislike skincare products that claim to give me healthier more radiant skin. When I was a teenager, I was tricked into a torturous beauty regimen that included dabbing on glorified rubbing alcohol, which promised a “tingle” more akin to a four alarm blaze, after furiously scouring my face with jagged bits of apricot pits. I’ve therefore spent the majority of my adult life taking care of my face with the bare minimum routine: a quick cleansing with a very boring (but dermatologist-approved) drugstore cleanser, a generous amount of moisturizer, a slathering of sunscreen (not as religiously as I should, at least until a few years ago), and an occasional sheet mask as a fun spa day self care ritual with my daughters.
In contrast, my Gen Z daughter has developed a skincare regimen fit for a TikTok beauty influencer, complete with tools to guarantee a flawless application, several products imported from Korea, and masks applied twice a week. Even without wearing any makeup, her skin exudes a celebrity like glow. But could I get some of that dewy magic glow and revitalize my decades-old complexion by working a little harder and using a lot more product in my beauty routine? I made the decision to try out her skincare routine experiment.
What My Daughter Does for Skincare
I believe Gen Z will likely be wrinkle free well into their 70s based on what I witnessed when my daughter opened her large skincare basket. Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, retinols, and many other dermatologist recommended ingredients were represented, which pleasantly surprised me. Additionally, she already applies premium sunscreen every day.
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Double Cleansing
After applying an oil based cleanser to dry skin, she rinses it off before using a water based cream cleanser.
Peeling Pads with Phyto Enzymes
She has used facial oils moisturize her skin and a gua sha stone to massage it, but she is currently out of them.
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Moisturizer or Sunscreen
She applies moisturizer in evening and a high SPF sunscreen in the morning.
She also uses two face masks a week, a clay mask and a sheet mask that is tailored to her skin current needs. She is much more conscientious about incorporating face masks into her routine.
My Experience with the Gen Z Skincare Routine
It was time to start my new skincare routine after an elaborate (and incredibly entertaining) show and tell. I followed her advice and spent a whole week scrubbing swabbing softening my face. What I discovered is as follows:
To make her skincare regimen work for me, I had to make a few adjustments needed.
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Naturally, 20 year old skin and 50 year old skin have different needs. I tried all of her products at least a few times, but some of them seemed a little too harsh, so I switched to more age appropriate versions that worked for my skin. After a few tries, I replaced her second cleanser staple with my favorite staple and exchanged the peeling pads for a hyaluronic acid squalane toner that I had received as a Christmas present and had used sporadically ever since. In addition, I used my own anti aging sheet mask instead of her anti-blemish one.
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The double cleanse routine has captured my heart.
Like the rinse and repeat shampoo instructions, which seemed to be an attempt to get you to use the product much more quickly than necessary, the double cleanse was, to be honest, the part about which I was most dubious initially. However, using an oil based cleanser seemed to soften my skin much more than my typical cleanser moisturizer combination could.
Gen Z has some awesome skincare tricks up their sleeves. I always enjoy picking up new beauty tips, such as my daughter’s expert advice to use a gua sha gently to press a sheet mask more firmly onto your face. (I detest the constant feeling that they’re going to fall off; this fixed that!)
My skin undoubtedly looked younger more radiant and felt a little softer and more radiant. And as the week came to an end, I got a big fat pimple on my chin, which was the most obvious indication that I had turned back time. (Perhaps it’s time to apply an enzyme peel treatment!)
I believe it’s time to switch from my low maintenance skincare regimen to a more involved routine. I probably need to do a little more to help my skin along. I might be stealing her oil based cleanser more frequently (or purchasing my own), but adding an anti aging toner and masking more frequently seem like manageable additions to my skincare routine, especially if I have my own Gen Z skincare expert by my side. A little more work will undoubtedly go a long way toward possibly being mistaken for an older Millennial on the street, even though I might not be able to improve my poor skincare past from my teens and 20s or replicate my daughter’s glow on my own skin. And that would be a huge victory opinion in my opinion.
