Skinsider Jokes: 5 Things Every Skincare Lover Can Relate To (& Commiserate With)

From bad packaging to skin sins, if you’re a skinsider, aka skincare junkie, then you know exactly what we’re talking about.

As I make my way through my journey — because we know it’s never over lol — I’ve been fortunate enough to find a few people who were just as obsessed with patting in layers, picking apart ingredient decks and simultaneously hunting for the most cost effective products while justifying high priced purchases. Call us junkies, call us obsessed, call us skinsiders. Just don’t call us dehydrated.

I hope all of you skincare junkies out there have your own circles of people that you can send sheet mask selfies to. If you do have your partner(s) in crime, I feel like there are some things that we (lovingly) joke about when we see things pop up. Here are some things that elicit the biggest eyerolls from me and my skinsider crew (@Jude Chao most of all).

Good product, horrible packaging

Why does bad packaging happen to good products. WHY. It’s honestly the most heartbreaking thing when you find a product that works well, fits your budget, and you love to use, only to discover that there’s some packaging flaw that ultimately ruins the experience. L-ascorbic acid serums in clear bottles, I’m looking at you. Shout out to anyone who also remembers the catastrophe that was the original packaging for Urban Decay Primer Potion. If people are literally sawing open your packaging to get to the product, there’s a problem.

I also had a huge issue when I shattered a glass bottle of toner that slipped out of my hand while I was trying to get the spray to work because it kept getting stuck. I don’t think standing in a small puddle of toner and shattered glass was the intended experience.

The crazy thing is, simple, functional packaging isn’t this crazy expensive thing for a company to accomplish in the grand scheme of things, so it baffles me when a multi-million dollar corporation releases something in a hard plastic squeeze bottle you have to Hulk out to dispense or a tall, skinny, rectangular pump bottle that makes it impossible to get the last 10% of product out. Why. Someone send them help.

Why does this smell so much

I understand that ingredients that go in skincare don’t always smell the most appealing (hot dog water vitamin C is all I’m saying), but sometimes I swear the fragrances that these companies come up with make using the product actually painful. I understand the temptation to spruce up products with a pleasant scent, but some of this stuff is a far cry from anything that’s enjoyable. There was a foundation I tried last year (yes, I wear makeup) that smelled so strongly of roses that I actually got a headache. I don’t care if you’re not sensitive to fragrance, that cannot be good for you in the long run.

Just the other day, Jude and I were talking about an incident she had with a soap product that was supposed to be an “herbal” scented soap. I believe she used the word “postmortem” to describe the actual smell of the product. I cannot understand the thought process behind some of these decisions, and I question the sanity of the board of people who approved these products. When they said beauty is pain, this is not what they meant. I know some people don’t find the natural scent of ingredients the most pleasant, but I would rather endure the aforementioned hot dog water smell than feel like I’m getting some floral scent poured into my nostrils. I’m not kidding, that foundation made my head hurt for hours after washing it off.

But is it going to do anything?

I’ve mentioned before that I love me some “natural” skincare, even though that word itself has become quite a hot button issue in the last few years. The plant oils, extracts, hydrosols — whatever it is, I’m likely to give it a shot. However, I think that there is a balance to be struck between these types of natural alternatives and products that have proven clinical research backing them. And while there are some “natural” ingredients that have been studied, that’s not what’s inducing the eyeroll.

What doesn’t make sense to me, or to any of us, are the claims that are sometimes made about these natural ingredients based upon research of something entirely different. You can’t put fruit juice in something and market it like it’s going to take the place of a serum that has a researched form of vitamin C in it. Using a bunch of willow bark extract is not going to be equivalent to an exact dosage of salicylic acid in a formula. They could definitely have similar effects on the skin and/or have a host of other benefits, but calling it a one-to-one swap-out? I would side-eye and eyeroll at the same time if I could.

Oh, that’s gonna burn

I think part of the unspoken rule we have as skinsiders is that we end up serving as a resource for a lot of our friends and family that don’t have the time and/or interest in doing the research, but want the results of a solid routine. And honestly, I get it. I’ve spent far too much time learning about products for just one person, so it makes me feel like my time was spent well when I can help out another person. However, there are also times when people do start getting the skincare itch that they fly off the handle and go way, WAY too hard.

We’ve all texted each other and gotten texts from people who shoved way too many products and actives into routines that have led to a broken moisture barrier and irritated skin. I never thought I would be sending pictures of the skin rolling off my forehead like a peeling gel to anyone, but Jude got to experience that particular honor/horror. It’s a loving eyeroll, but one all the same when something like this happens. It’s almost like one person becomes the parent turning a mistake into a teachable moment with their kid, but questions are more like, “Well, how many times did you use your acid toner after your skin started flaking from retinol?” or “Wait, how many new products did you start at once?” We still love them. But they should’ve just listened to us.

The rest of it is pointless

Also in that category of “loving judgment,” it always amuses me when someone wants to delve into skincare and ask for the advice, but they don’t actually want to follow said advice. Fortunately, I don’t have much resistance in the way of my personal friends, but I can’t tell you the huge number of clients I’ve had speak to me about wanting to spruce up their skincare routines because they’re not sure what the “next step” is, but also are dead set on getting a specific product like a serum or mask. Oy.

The only thing that I’m checking for at ground zero when I’m helping someone find a new skincare routine is proper cleansing and sunscreen usage. They’re not the most alluring products, but honestly, if you’re not properly applying sunscreen to protect yourself during sun exposure and not properly removing sunscreen and/or makeup at the end of the day, there’s not really a point in doing much else. So when someone tries to pull a fast one on me and skate by the fact they use makeup wipes and want to talk about retinol usage, I will, in the most caring way, drag them back to that stop sign they just sped by, because nothing will work well slathered on top of leftover foundation.

I could keep going forever, so I'll stop here, but I do want to know: Are you a skinsider? Do you guys have anything that makes you chuckle or roll your eyes when it comes to skincare? What’s the last thing that happened that made you run to your group chat of skincare junkies? Sound off below! :)