What is Skinimalism?
Onskin Content Team
Your guides through the skincare chaos
As the beauty industry continues to evolve, reaching record revenue in 2025, more and more people find themselves overwhelmed by endless shelves of skincare products, searching for that one product that will make a difference. This tendency towards overconsumption has led to the rise of the opposite trend called skinimalism. Let’s find out why it’s gaining popularity, its benefits, and how to practice it.
Skincare Market in 2025: Figures
The global beauty industry is truly massive, bringing in around $677 billion globally, and is expected to grow by about 3.37% each year through 2030. While the market experienced a decline during the pandemic, with skincare sales dropping by 8% in 2020, lockdowns had an unexpected effect. During this period, even though overall sales were down, 22% of women polled in the USA actually spent more time and money on skincare, showing a change in how people prioritize personal care.
As a matter of fact, this shift wasn’t necessarily positive. One study involving 412 Polish women aged 18 to 29 found that during the pandemic, 20% of participants started doing a full face care routine every day, which led to overexfoliation. The problem with excessive skincare is that it can damage the skin’s protective barrier, potentially causing irritation and even premature aging.
This growing interest in skincare is also reflected in the amount of money the industry spends on advertising. In 2022, beauty companies invested around $7.7 billion in it, which was a 2.6% increase compared to 2021.
Why is Skinimalism Gaining Popularity?
Thousands of brands, millions of “must-have” and “exclusive” products, new collections, 20-step skincare routines, and the “more is better” mantra all contribute to overconsumption. No wonder that in opposition to this trend, skinimalism has emerged. According to Linda Persson, The Ordinary’s Swedish Pharma trainer, in an interview with Vogue, skinimalism comes from people getting tired of complicated routines.
Very briefly, skinimalism means “less is more,” or a quality-over-quantity approach. This trend is especially strong among Generation Z and Millennials, who prefer to buy and use products that match their values. More and more people are looking for clean, natural products, paying close attention to their formulas and where the ingredients come from.
YouTube, by the way, has also played an important role. It lets more beauty enthusiasts get acquainted with the trend. According to Google, women aged 18-54 now turn to YouTube more than any other platform for beauty-related information. Apart from makeup transformation videos, which are gaining popularity nowadays, there’s also a shift in interest for sustainable and eco-friendly beauty products.
Skinimalism Benefits
To sum it up, skinimalism
- Simplifies your routine, saving time and sometimes money;
- Helps reduce over-consumption of products;
- Can benefit your skin by avoiding too many ingredients;
- Reduces waste;
- Makes your travel cosmetics bag way lighter;
- Declutters your bathroom.
How to Practice Skinimalism
Revise the Products You Have
The first step is to get rid of any products you don’t need. Check whether they’re expired or if they suit your skin type. Chances are, you might be using products that aren’t right for you. For instance, if your skin is both sensitive and oily, using products that strip away too much sebum could actually make your skin more sensitive.
If you don’t know your skin type, check our guide to find out how to identify it.
Select New Products Wisely
To find out if a product is suitable for your skin type and issues, you can use the OnSkin app. Simply share your skin problems with the app and take a picture of the product you’re considering. The app will analyze the ingredient list and assess its compatibility with your skin.
More than that, the app will check whether all the ingredients in the formula are safe. Each product is evaluated by the OnSkin science team and given a score from 0 to 100, with 100 meaning the safest level.
Listen to Your Skin
Pay attention to how your skin responds to each product you use. If you notice irritation, redness, breakouts, or dryness, it may be a sign that the product isn’t right for you. Everyone is different, and what works for someone else might not work for you. That’s why it’s always a good idea to do a patch test before trying a new product. Apply a small amount to a discreet area and wait 24 hours to see if any reaction occurs. This simple step can help you check the product and avoid unnecessary irritation.
Be Consistent
Don’t expect skincare products to work like a magic bullet. Apply them consistently, as instructed. Stick to products that take time to deliver effective results. For instance, if you have dark circles under your eyes, eye patches can be a quick fix. However, they only offer short-term improvement. For long-term results, use creams and serums with ingredients like vitamin C, caffeine, and peptides.
What Else You Need to Know To Make Your Skincare Routine More Effective
Whether you’re following the skinimalism trend or not, here are some science-backed guides, tips, and explainers to help you care for your skin mindfully.
- Always avoid these seven common skincare mistakes.
- Study these skincare essentials for winter, summer, and fall.
- Learn how to protect your skin barrier.
- Start washing your face like a pro.
- Learn how to choose the right SPF.
Stick to these 5 ways to hydrate your skin all year round.
FAQ
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Where do I start with OnSkin?
Download the app and think of a product you’d like to know more about. Then, go to the main screen and choose how you’d like to get the info —by manually looking it up in the search bar, by scanning its barcode, or by simply taking a picture of the packaging. Once you’ve done any of these, you can see how safe the product is and if it suits your skin or hair (if this analysis is available).
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What is Safety Rating, and how is it calculated?
In OnSkin, we base product rates on ingredients. Each is closely studied by our medical team and then evaluated. This way, each product gets a score from 0 to 100, with 100 as the safest level.
Safety Levels
- Excellent (76–100)
- Good (51–75)
- Not great (26–50)
- Bad (0–25)
These scores are backed by the latest scientific studies. You can find links to the resources we’ve used on each ingredient page. To assess the safety of product ingredients, we evaluate them according to the following parameters/criteria
- Endocrine disruption risk / Reproductive toxicity
Indicates the probability of mimicking, blocking, or interfering with the body hormones.
- Сarcinogenicity
Measures the potential risk of inducing cancer.
- Allergy risk
Estimates the probability of an allergic reaction.
- High concentration alert
Determines the risk of being unsafe in certain amounts.
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What is Skin Match?
Based on the info you input about your skin type, age, skin care goal, and other “settings,” OnSkin checks how well a product is tailored to your unique skin needs — it’s basically like a dermatologist helping you find the right products, minus the fees and the long wait. The product you’re checking might be labeled as It’s a match!, Hit-or-miss, or Not a match for you. The app also detects ingredient groups such as Anti-acne, Anti-inflammatory, Moisturizes, May be drying, Comedogenic, and others — by tapping one, you see exactly what ingredients from this or that group are in the product.
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I seem to have a problem with using the app. Who should I contact?
Please reach out to us at [email protected], and we’ll carefully look into your issue. Your ideas for improving the app are also very welcome!
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Do you have an Android version?
Not yet! Hey Android users, we hear you, and we're thinking about making an Android version, but we haven't started the development yet.
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