Are actives quietly wrecking our skin?

Not long ago, a skincare routine entailed cleanser, toner, and a dab of moisturiser. Today, bathroom shelves resemble apothecaries—brimming with serums, acids, retinoids, enzymes, and peptides, each claiming to brighten, tighten, exfoliate, or regenerate. Social media has glamorised the 10-step skincare routine, championing “glass skin” and chemical exfoliation as gospel. But beneath the glossy before-and-afters and dewy selfies, dermatologists are now asking a critical question: Is our pursuit of perfect skin doing more harm than good?

First things first—do actives really damage our skin barrier?

Our skin’s barrier isn’t just a biological construct. It is the essential wall between our bodies and the outside world. And it’s under siege.

“The stratum corneum is the layer that protects the barrier the most, and acids and retinols can damage it, forcing water to leave the skin, and damaging the ability to hold onto lipids, which forms the lipid bilayer protection of cells,” says Dr Kiran Kaur Sethi, medical director of Isya Aesthetics Clinic, Delhi. 

In plain terms: when you erode this layer with overly aggressive ingredients, the skin becomes vulnerable to dehydration, environmental pollutants, and even infection.

At the heart of the damage is an aesthetic obsession masquerading as self-care. Morning serums are followed by lunchtime mists, exfoliants in the evening, and overnight masks with retinoids—all in the name of glow. But skincare is not a buffet.

“When people use alpha hydroxy acids, vitamin C, beta hydroxy acids and retinol together, or when people exfoliate a lot and double cleanse and use an acid or a retinol, it reduces the acid mantle of the skin, and also doesn’t allow the barrier to maintain its strength because of constant exfoliation or renewal or removal of the keratin layer in the stratum corneum,” Dr Sethi explains. “It can also dry out the skin, worsening or causing further irritation.”

And that’s just the beginning. “Remember the barrier protects against infection, irritants, pollution, and keeps the good stuff in. Without a strong barrier, your skin will show the signs of damage fast,” she adds. “The skin is the largest organ in the body, and we would die if it didn’t do its job.”

According to a 2022 consumer trends report by Drive Research, 25 per cent of women use at least five skincare products during their evening skincare routine. And 74 per cent of women use at least three skincare products in their morning routine.

 

Could the viral 10-step skincare routine be partly to blame for this overload?

Instagram skincare isn’t universal. Primarily because our climates are not. The 10-step routines inspired by Korean beauty rituals may photograph beautifully, but they can wreak havoc on Indian skin.

Dr Sethi explains, “10-step skincare routines are not meant for Indian skin. India has high humidity, high heat, and high pollution, which have a hard effect on the skin. Further, Indian skin also has more oil secretion, larger pores, and a higher likelihood of getting acne than Korean skin.”

She adds, “We are more likely to get acne from a multistep skincare routine. Furthermore, these multi-step routines have acids, vitamin C, and retinol built into them, which means we are engaging in way too much skin renewal and exfoliation, and not allowing our skin to maintain the barrier it needs.”

The most misused molecule? Acids under the sun. “The most common active ingredient that’s frequently misused is alpha hydroxy acid,” says Dr Kiran. “Alpha hydroxy acids should not be used when you’re going out in the sun a lot. That means that you tend to get more sensitive to the sun if you’re using them, and people don’t realise that.”

Her advice is crystal clear: “If you’re planning sun exposure, or your job or your lifestyle means that you get more than 30 minutes of continuous sun exposure daily outside, avoid alpha hydroxy acids.”

The skin is trying to talk—are we listening?

The signs of a barrier breakdown are rarely subtle. Flaking, redness, and sensitivity—all are warning flares. But in a culture that often sees skin issues as flaws to be masked rather than messages to be decoded, those signals go ignored.

“You can have more acne, you can have rosacea, you can also get more rashes and irritation on the skin, and you can get drier skin,” says Dr Sethi. “In more severe cases, you can also develop conditions like perioral dermatitis, which is when you get a multitude of pustules and papules, particularly around the mouth and nose, that are very hard to treat.”

An Australian study published in the journal Dermatology found that layering moisturisers with foundation can increase the risk of developing perioral dermatitis by as much as 13 times. Researchers observed that people using three or more cosmetic products daily, especially around the mouth and nose, were significantly more likely to develop the condition.

So if the damage is done—what next?

Dr Sethi prescribes an “emergency three-product protocol” to nurse your skin back to health. “If your barrier is damaged, your skin can’t hold water in it. Thus, my emergency three-product protocol includes gentle cream cleansing or milk cleansing, a strong, heavy moisturiser, and often petroleum jelly, which gives the skin 100 per cent protection from trans-epidermal water loss. ”

She explains: “By applying a moisturiser, which has humectants that bind water and emollients that hold water, and then putting petroleum jelly on top, you make sure water stays in the skin and doesn’t leave.”

And if you want to hit the reset button completely? Dr Sethi recommends a “skin fast”. “The best way to reset is to do a skin fast. I talk about this in my book, Skin Sense. Simply do a gentle cleanse with cold water, apply a fragrance-less moisturiser, and then use a mineral-based sunblock in the day.”

Lead image: Getty
 

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