It’s always fascinating to me the many ways the paper of record does a disservice to its readers with the standards and policies it has in place. I’ve bumped up against them too and I wish they could have more internal flexibility when the case calls for it--this one so obviously does, which you explained perfectly.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to you as always for speaking truth to the big guys and the bill payers. Wish more of the NYT readers got the full piece but hopefully some will come check you out here
"Serums often promise to penetrate pores, which exist to excrete sweat and sebum and 'are not meant to receive anything into the body,' he explained."
I've been reading beauty content for years and have never read this anywhere until now—this will stay with me! I've known for a while that serums/toners/etc are an extraneous category most of the time, but this statement basically implies that all these products are bad for your skin...
i remember learning about this too... a revelation!! actually one of the original concepts i pitched the nyt for this was "non-penetrative skincare" lol
Thanks so much for writing this! And glad it’ll reach a bigger audience in NYT, too. The other beauty articles recommended under yours on the app suck, but I hope that after reading yours no one will be tricked by them! I threw away all my skincare products a couple months ago and now just wash my face & use jojoba oil from trader joes. My skin and wallet are much happier.
this !! I'm mad about the anti-aging NYT content linked immediately under the piece on their site, but glad that at least a few of these myths are getting busted on a mainstage.
When I was practicing as a dermatologist, patients had mixed reactions to my recommendations to use the plainest products and simplest routine possible, but one thing is for sure, no one’s money or time or space budget can fit all the products consumerism wants us to buy. And the environment will be better off, too. And fewer skin problems.
Thanks to your reporting Jessica, I too have abandoned my old regime of exfoliating, spot treatments, and retinol. And like these beauty journalists, my skin is so much better! I used to battle dry skin and breakouts constantly. Now I'm just splashing my face with water and putting on sunscreen (Elta). Sometimes I have a zit here or there but it's nothing like it used to be. And my skin is not dry anymore. Thank you!
I would've happily informed the Times that those people are no longer journalists; they're "content creators" a.k.a salespeople. Nothing wrong with that, but the distinction is an important one.
lol yes out of respect for all involved i didn't include the back-and-forth details here. but anyway, beauty reporters have never been held to typical reporting standards (the beauty media runs on gifts, trips, freebies, bribes essentially...) so why start now?
Don’t wait till your skin is a mess or have a weird reaction that seems unexplainable. It’s all so avoidable. The urge to be better or more or instantly absolved of troubles by dabbing at our skin may be primal and looking for hope or help won’t be accomplished by emptying our pockets and applying, applying anything we have been told will ✨Jessica’s clear voice is a North Star of health which is real happiness and beauty in this confused beauty market. 🙏
Should I become a licensed aesthetician and open a practice where people pay me a lot of money give them a large tub of Vanicream and sunscreen? This could have legs now that “de-influencing” is a thing. Great insights, as always!
Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts about curly hair influencers and how the tutorials, haul videos, etc. can contribute to people purchasing a lot of products to try to get perfect curly hair. - someone with naturally curly hair that has been ravaged by very hard water
oh man, i’m a curly girl as well. probably out of laziness, but i keep my routine so simple. i see folks in my curl groups post the most intense routines (putting their hair in a bowl??) and products. anyway, my hot water heater was out for a week (needed a part, had to be shipped, etc) and you know what improved my hair more than anything? cold water lol. like my hair looks IMMACULATE as if i did every curl with a wand. cold fucking water. (i can’t speak whether it’s hard or soft water, which probably means it’s soft)
I’m not a curly girl, but had a similar experience after not showering after a sauna-cold bath combo. It was the softest and shiniest my hair been in aaaaages! The water round here is hard.
I am a Black curly/coily haired person and the recent surge of curl specialists has been fascinating to me. On the one hand, I appreciate that there is a method of hair care and styling that seems to be standardized across all curl patterns. But as a recent adoptee of this method, I am still dousing my hair in products and using a lot of water to accomplish my style goals. I don’t know if it’s eco-friendly (botanical products are used to be fair).
Right now my hair is my largest beauty expense with products, time, and professional hair cuts, but I truly don’t know how I could improve upon this while keeping my hair healthy and manageable. I think an article on curly hair maintenance across racial lines would be interesting to see!
i would love to see this as well. it has always irked me that curly hair products often have “unruly” on them, like a measure of character. it’s been exciting to see so much come out for hair but like you said, it’s expensive and elaborate, and what is sustainable (in effort, price, and for the environment)?
Yup. I’ve never done much to my face. I’m an oldie now-back in the 90s and 80s things were way less complicated. But even then-I noticed that face cleansers left me feeling overly dry. Face scrubs (if overused) caused itchy bumps. Heavy night creams and serums made me break out. So I basically washed my face with water or non soap cleanser and used a basic moisturizer. It worked. Probably because it was next to nothing (and I didn’t have any other skin conditions to deal with for the most part).
Fast toward to more recent times and I found natural oils for taking off makeup (much better!). But I also found, foundation or concealer=pimples (even under my eyes!!!). Which seemed funny to me because it’s there to make your skin look *better* but it didn’t. So I stopped using foundation/concealers too.
I went some time like this free as a bird. It felt good. My skin was just my skin and it functioned just fine! And one day I thought, I should use up this makeup. I mean, I don’t think it caused pimples *every time.* So I wore it and a few days later had a breakout-not huge, but not fun either. I would start and stop using (different brands too) and the same result. Pimples after using any brand of foundation or concealer. So now, I’m just done with it.
Really interesting how much your skin just wants to be left alone! Thanks for more on the topic! Think I’ll have some fruit and veggies!
‘Glazed and confused’ 😅
It’s always fascinating to me the many ways the paper of record does a disservice to its readers with the standards and policies it has in place. I’ve bumped up against them too and I wish they could have more internal flexibility when the case calls for it--this one so obviously does, which you explained perfectly.
Right?? I understand the value of policies like this but too often in my career it's led to mediocre reporting and boring writing
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 to you as always for speaking truth to the big guys and the bill payers. Wish more of the NYT readers got the full piece but hopefully some will come check you out here
Finally! Some people are waking up to the idea that having an extensive and exhausting skin regimen is not good for your skin. Or your wallet!
I’ve had fairly dry skin throughout my life and the less I do to it, the happier it is.
it's def catching on!
"Serums often promise to penetrate pores, which exist to excrete sweat and sebum and 'are not meant to receive anything into the body,' he explained."
I've been reading beauty content for years and have never read this anywhere until now—this will stay with me! I've known for a while that serums/toners/etc are an extraneous category most of the time, but this statement basically implies that all these products are bad for your skin...
i remember learning about this too... a revelation!! actually one of the original concepts i pitched the nyt for this was "non-penetrative skincare" lol
Thanks so much for writing this! And glad it’ll reach a bigger audience in NYT, too. The other beauty articles recommended under yours on the app suck, but I hope that after reading yours no one will be tricked by them! I threw away all my skincare products a couple months ago and now just wash my face & use jojoba oil from trader joes. My skin and wallet are much happier.
yessss
this !! I'm mad about the anti-aging NYT content linked immediately under the piece on their site, but glad that at least a few of these myths are getting busted on a mainstage.
When I was practicing as a dermatologist, patients had mixed reactions to my recommendations to use the plainest products and simplest routine possible, but one thing is for sure, no one’s money or time or space budget can fit all the products consumerism wants us to buy. And the environment will be better off, too. And fewer skin problems.
Thanks to your reporting Jessica, I too have abandoned my old regime of exfoliating, spot treatments, and retinol. And like these beauty journalists, my skin is so much better! I used to battle dry skin and breakouts constantly. Now I'm just splashing my face with water and putting on sunscreen (Elta). Sometimes I have a zit here or there but it's nothing like it used to be. And my skin is not dry anymore. Thank you!
love to hear it!!
I would've happily informed the Times that those people are no longer journalists; they're "content creators" a.k.a salespeople. Nothing wrong with that, but the distinction is an important one.
lol yes out of respect for all involved i didn't include the back-and-forth details here. but anyway, beauty reporters have never been held to typical reporting standards (the beauty media runs on gifts, trips, freebies, bribes essentially...) so why start now?
Ha! First time I've ever seen YOU back down on anything! xo
Don’t wait till your skin is a mess or have a weird reaction that seems unexplainable. It’s all so avoidable. The urge to be better or more or instantly absolved of troubles by dabbing at our skin may be primal and looking for hope or help won’t be accomplished by emptying our pockets and applying, applying anything we have been told will ✨Jessica’s clear voice is a North Star of health which is real happiness and beauty in this confused beauty market. 🙏
<3
Should I become a licensed aesthetician and open a practice where people pay me a lot of money give them a large tub of Vanicream and sunscreen? This could have legs now that “de-influencing” is a thing. Great insights, as always!
Also, I’d love to hear your thoughts about curly hair influencers and how the tutorials, haul videos, etc. can contribute to people purchasing a lot of products to try to get perfect curly hair. - someone with naturally curly hair that has been ravaged by very hard water
oh man, i’m a curly girl as well. probably out of laziness, but i keep my routine so simple. i see folks in my curl groups post the most intense routines (putting their hair in a bowl??) and products. anyway, my hot water heater was out for a week (needed a part, had to be shipped, etc) and you know what improved my hair more than anything? cold water lol. like my hair looks IMMACULATE as if i did every curl with a wand. cold fucking water. (i can’t speak whether it’s hard or soft water, which probably means it’s soft)
I’m not a curly girl, but had a similar experience after not showering after a sauna-cold bath combo. It was the softest and shiniest my hair been in aaaaages! The water round here is hard.
I am a Black curly/coily haired person and the recent surge of curl specialists has been fascinating to me. On the one hand, I appreciate that there is a method of hair care and styling that seems to be standardized across all curl patterns. But as a recent adoptee of this method, I am still dousing my hair in products and using a lot of water to accomplish my style goals. I don’t know if it’s eco-friendly (botanical products are used to be fair).
Right now my hair is my largest beauty expense with products, time, and professional hair cuts, but I truly don’t know how I could improve upon this while keeping my hair healthy and manageable. I think an article on curly hair maintenance across racial lines would be interesting to see!
i would love to see this as well. it has always irked me that curly hair products often have “unruly” on them, like a measure of character. it’s been exciting to see so much come out for hair but like you said, it’s expensive and elaborate, and what is sustainable (in effort, price, and for the environment)?
Yup. I’ve never done much to my face. I’m an oldie now-back in the 90s and 80s things were way less complicated. But even then-I noticed that face cleansers left me feeling overly dry. Face scrubs (if overused) caused itchy bumps. Heavy night creams and serums made me break out. So I basically washed my face with water or non soap cleanser and used a basic moisturizer. It worked. Probably because it was next to nothing (and I didn’t have any other skin conditions to deal with for the most part).
Fast toward to more recent times and I found natural oils for taking off makeup (much better!). But I also found, foundation or concealer=pimples (even under my eyes!!!). Which seemed funny to me because it’s there to make your skin look *better* but it didn’t. So I stopped using foundation/concealers too.
I went some time like this free as a bird. It felt good. My skin was just my skin and it functioned just fine! And one day I thought, I should use up this makeup. I mean, I don’t think it caused pimples *every time.* So I wore it and a few days later had a breakout-not huge, but not fun either. I would start and stop using (different brands too) and the same result. Pimples after using any brand of foundation or concealer. So now, I’m just done with it.
Really interesting how much your skin just wants to be left alone! Thanks for more on the topic! Think I’ll have some fruit and veggies!
Damnnnnnn!!!
another great issue, Jessica. thank you as always!
Man, all the details here really bring a lot to the piece. Glad we could read the full edit, but I wish it all made it into the NYT!
I can't even use a facecloth!? 💔
lol you can do anything you want, but rubbing w a cloth is not advised
Back to you.