The Cult of Skincare

New podcast episode!

The skincare industry hinges on the idea that you, as you are — an amalgam of oil and dead skin cells, bacteria and blemishes, wrinkles, pimples, and other basic human features — are inherently bad, and only through the power of products can you be made good.

Its most popular offerings promise aesthetic immortality.

It’s fueled by fear: fear of aging, fear of ugliness, fear of the sun, fear of toxins, fear of not being accepted.

…Doesn’t that all sound a little cult-y?

If you answered yes, you’ll probably enjoy my guest appearance on the Sounds Like A Cult podcast! This week I joined hosts Amanda Montell and Isabela Medina-Maté to discuss some of the more cult-like characteristics of the skincare “community” (as Montell points out in the episode, the end goals of Scientology and skincare are one and the same: going clear). Listen for my thoughts on retinoids, The Ordinary, and how modern skincare acts as a stand-in for spirituality.

P.S. The strongest evidence that the skincare industry is indeed an all-but-inescapable cult? The fact that this podcast episode is sponsored by… skincare brands. Lol.