The Truth About Skincare Trends

Trendy or Totally Useless? Let’s Talk Skincare

Some months I sit with a blank page for a while, waiting for what wants to be said. May wasn't one of those months. I've been writing for Yahoo and several beauty platforms about the trends dominating the conversation right now — and after all of that, I felt something pulling at me.

Not to repeat what I'd already written, but to be honest. To tell you what I actually think.

TREND NO. 1

Korean Skincare: Beautiful, Yes. But How Many Layers?

Korean beauty isn't going anywhere — and it shouldn't. Some of the most innovative, thoughtfully formulated products in the world are coming out of Korea, and yes, we use them in our studio. The philosophy of care, the texture, the ritual of it — there's real wisdom there.

But here's what I need to say out loud: your skin cannot absorb 15 or 20 layers of product. It simply cannot. No skin can. What happens instead is that each layer dilutes the one beneath it. The activities you paid for never actually reach the place they need to go. You're not building a better barrier — you're building a wall that blocks itself.

"More is not more when it comes to your skin. More is usually just more stress — on your barrier, your budget, and your time."

A curated routine of four to six targeted products, chosen specifically for your skin will outperform a twenty-step routine every single time. This is not a trend. This is biology. I've been saying it for over twenty years, and I'll keep saying it.

TREND NO. 2

Fragrance in Skincare: The Hidden Harm

This one feels personal to me, because it's so easy to overlook and so hard to undo once the damage is done. If you have rosacea, psoriasis, sensitive skin, or acne-prone skin — please, move fragrance and artificial colorants to the top of your ingredient watch list. These are among the most common triggers for inflammation, and the products that contain them are often the ones marketed as "calming" or "luxurious." Read the label before you fall in love with the scent.

SOMETHING MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW

Applying perfume directly to your skin isn't just a potential irritant — it can actually accelerate visible aging. The chemical compounds used to stabilize fragrance interact with UV light and generate free radical activity. Over time, that's oxidative stress on the skin. Your neck, your décolleté, wherever you habitually spray — this is where I often see premature aging in clients who otherwise take exceptional care of themselves.

Fragrance has its place. On your clothes, in your home, in the air. But your skin is sacred. Treat it accordingly.

TREND NO. 3

PDRN & Polynucleotides: A Powerful Ingredient That Deserves Your Respect

Polynucleotides — PDR, PDRN, PN — are having a major moment, and for good reason. This ingredient, derived from salmon DNA, is genuinely regenerative. In Korea, it's injected directly beneath the skin in clinical settings. It supports collagen, accelerates cellular repair, and works at a level most topical ingredients can only gesture toward. We use it at the studio. During micro channeling, we introduce medical grade polynucleotides through the microchannels created in the skin — it's one of the most effective delivery methods available for a topical application. The brand we trust is SALON, a Korean company, medical grade, and among the most rigorously tested in the market.

A WORD OF CAUTION

If you're seeing PDR in an over-the-counter serum for $9, $12, or even $20 — pause. Polynucleotides are expensive to source and difficult to stabilize. Cheap formulations are often sticky, loaded with synthetic fillers, or contain only a trace amount — well below the percentage required to produce any therapeutic effect. In skincare, when an ingredient is powerful, its price reflects that. There are no shortcuts here.

This is one of those ingredients that deserves real investment — in the right hands, delivered in the right way. Otherwise, you're paying for the idea of it, not the result.

TREND NO. 4

NAD: Real Science, Wrong Packaging

NAD is a coenzyme central to cellular energy and repair — and yes, our levels decline with age. The science is real. But seeing "NAD" on a $15 moisturizer tells you almost nothing. Delivery method and concentration determine everything. Be curious, ask questions, and access it through a professional who can actually get it where it needs to go.

TREND NO. 5

Peptides: The Quiet Workhorse Worth Your Attention

Peptides don't have the drama of PDR or the buzz of NAD — and that's exactly why I trust them. They're short chains of amino acids that signal the skin to behave younger: produce more collagen, repair faster, hold moisture more efficiently. They've been around long enough to have real evidence behind them, and they work quietly, consistently, without asking for attention. What I love about peptides is that they respect the skin's intelligence.

They don't override its processes — they remind it of what it already knows how to do. For anyone navigating aging skin, barrier damage, or loss of firmness, a well-formulated peptide serum is one of the most honest investments you can make.

As with everything: quality matters. Look for formulas where peptides appear high on the ingredient list, in stable, fragrance-free bases. And if you're not sure where to start, ask. That's what I'm here for.

A CLOSING THOUGHT

What Your Skin Is Really Asking for

We live in an era of extraordinary access — more ingredients, more products, more information than any generation before us. And yet I see clients every week who are more confused, more overwhelmed, and more disconnected from their skin than ever. There is a quiet wisdom in simplicity. Your skin wants to communicate with you. It tells you when it's stressed, when it's thriving, when something is working and when it isn't. The trends will keep coming. Some will be worth your attention. Most won't. 

"The best skincare routine is the one that listens — to your skin, not the algorithm." 

I've spent more than twenty years watching what actually transforms skin over time. It isn't the newest ingredient. It isn't the most elaborate routine. It is consistency, intention, and the willingness to slow down long enough to hear what your skin needs. That's the work I do every day in the studio. And that's the only trend I'll ever fully stand behind.

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