Why are my skincare products not improving my skin?

Let me guess, you and your friends took a trip to your local Sephora and told the sales associate about your skin concerns. She walked you guys over to the brightest and boldest gondola covered in lights and model photography and told you “this brand is a best-seller, anything you pick out will be good” and left you to figure it out. You have no reason to doubt her, I mean, she’s a professional and you’ve definitely seen this brand on Instagram before, so you fill up your little basket with a ton of products and expectations. After about a month of your “cult-favorite” skincare routine, you’ve noticed little to no changes, and your pricey products are already rearing their end. Is it you? Is it the brand? Could it just be the product? Well, here’s a hint: it could be all three. 

Is it me or is it marketing?

About 75% of brands are using something called “marketing amounts of active ingredients” in their products. This means they just sprinkle just enough of an ingredient into their formulations so that legally, they can make their claims and leverage the ingredient for marketing purposes. While this hurts the brand’s legitimacy, it also affects the consumers trust in the skincare industry as a whole. If you’ve identified your skin concerns and after doing tons of research you learn that you could benefit from specific ingredients like peptides or acids, look beyond the product name and start reading ingredient lists. Understanding the necessary percentages of active ingredients will help you grab products that actually work and avoid being fooled by compelling marketing. Personally, this is one of my pet peeves and I think we need to push for more regulation within the skincare industry. That’s why in all our Olga Lorencin Skin Care formulas, we use the maximum amount of active ingredients for optimum absorption and performance

It’s not you, it’s your skin type 

Popular beauty brands tend to label their products as “suitable for all skin types” and while that’s very cute, it’s not entirely true or possible. It’s important to be real with yourself and look at your skin through an objective lens, this will help you find products that are unique to you and your needs. If your friend is using something that they love, good for them! Unfortunately, if you don’t have the same skin type or skin concerns, it probably won’t work the same for you. About 30% of the products in our line are appropriate for most skin types, the rest are targeted to specific concerns. As someone who has spent years treating skin, it is of utmost importance to match your skin to the right products. If you have acne, ultra-nourishing and hydrating products could actually worsen things whereas purifying, detoxing products will improve your skin. Get familiar with your skin and the ingredients that can help tackle your concerns so that you don’t accidentally spend money on a product that will not help.

When will this thing kick in? 

Look, it takes a minimum of 2 weeks to see any transformation in your skin when you are starting a new regimen. On occasion, products like our Facials in a Box will have immediate results but of course you shouldn’t count on it, especially if you’ve been neglecting your skin for a while. You might’ve come across ads that show a shocking before and after image claiming that this transformation happened in just a few days, but hear me out, these ads are mostly manufactured and not really honest. It takes time for your skin to adjust to the new ingredients interacting with it sometimes at a cellular level. Introduce one new product into your routine at once so that you can really see whether or not they’re working before you move on to the next one (especially if you have sensitive skin). 

Let’s follow the instructions.

The “directions” on your product are not there for no reason, believe me it’s very hard to fit all the important text into such a small amount of real estate. Usage instructions are for your own good, they allow you to know what step each product should come after, what you should and shouldn’t combine with, and how to properly store. Picture your skin regimen like baking a cake, you don’t want to add the eggs after the cake has already come out of the oven. 

As you become more familiar with your skin, the ingredients you need and the brands that are honest, you’re going to be way more confident when it comes to skincare shopping. The key here is to be as informed as possible so that you don’t mindlessly harm your skin or throw away money.