When it comes to skincare, my head starts spinning with all the trends that come and go, with many of them not being helpful. However, I recently stumbled upon a goldmine of Skin Cycling was introduced on TikTok. Skin Cycling is more than a trend because it comes from a dermatologist, Dr. Whitney Bowe, who has been perfecting for years at the different clinics she has worked at over the years.
What is skin cycling? I will let Dr. Bowe explain this as she is the best expert to listen to when it comes to this trend. “It’s a four-night cycling schedule: exfoliation night, retinoid night, recovery night, recovery night, repeat. You will get the most out of the active ingredients in your skin-care products while minimizing irritation by building in those needed recovery nights,”
Often, we need to give our skin time to adjust to new products and start by layering products like Retinol and Hyaluronic Acid on our faces. However, this can often work against us. We all need some rest time, and our skin does, too. Skin cycling allows us to give our skin time to acclimate to these products without having bad reactions. What is magical about this “trend,” is that it simplifies the world of skincare. From my perspective as Manor’s beauty editor and a Business of Beauty and Frangrance major, I often get asked about what order to put skincare on and how even to use products that people already have; this allows for a clear set of instructions to follow. Many brands add key skincare buzzwords and make everything sound science-based to draw in consumers, but this often leaves people confused about where to start. You might have heard some of these terms like “clean beauty,” “oil-free,” “paraben-free,” “chemical-free,” and many other phrases that are easily defined in different ways by different people.
Skin cycling allows anyone to know how to start and what type of products to use. This can apply to anyone from drugstores to La Mer products, a pretty inclusive skincare trend. TikTok skincare trends often come about by someone saying you have to use a particular product, whereas this breaks down the scientific side of what the products are doing.
Will skin cycling be part of our routines longer than an average trend? This is a double-sided question because it depends on the person, but yes. There will always be people that try something for a little bit and stop, but this is a routine that is based on science and has been seen by 46.8 Million people on TikTok. This will become a regime that people who love it will stick with and want to tell their friends about; we can all understand the idea that when you find something that works, stick with it! For some people, this might go in and out of their routine just when they need a refresh, and some people will never try it. However, this should stick for many consumers who want to uncomplicate their skincare.
Words by Annika Petersen.
Graphic by Reem Hinedi.