My favorite skincare article. From The Atlantic. “How Skin Care Became an At-Home Science Experiment” (Julie Beck)
"All of this is a scam. Most skin care is really just a waste of money. There certainly are ample opportunities to waste one’s money on insanely pricey serums and lotions. Peptides are chains of amino acids, often included in antiaging serums and creams, with the thought that they might stimulate collagen production. But one of the issues with peptides is they tend to be huge molecules that don’t necessarily penetrate into the skin.
On the whole, [r/SkincareAddiction] is probably one of the most scientifically accurate sources. Where they get it wrong is mostly in the details and the really nitty-gritty. But if you follow the advice on there, it will be maybe 90 percent the same as a completely accurate regime. The core of the subreddit’s advice boils down to a routine of two to five steps: Cleansing and moisturizing, with the “optional” additions of exfoliating (chemical exfoliators are preferable to scrubs), spot-treating blemishes, and sunscreen (“optional but highly recommended”). This forum is the most visible repository of the apparently growing interest in the science of skin care. It has more than 450,000 readers, and the growth curve of its subscriber base has notably steepened since mid-2017.
"You really just need a sunscreen, a cleanser, and a moisturizer,” Wong says. “On top of that, if your skin isn’t already quite good, then you might need an antiaging or anti-acne product. But once you have the right products, a lot of it is just fiddling, [getting] decreasing marginal returns.”
Lifestyle (diet, exercise, staying lean) goes a long way. My skin tends to look and feel the best on my non-refeed days (when I’m in in a caloric deficit).