November 11, 2021
Bye-bye, skin shaming
by Lena Severin
In the cosmetics industry, we are constantly confronted with the terms “anti-pimples”, “anti-blackheads” and “anti-blemishes”. They are all anti. But why?
1. Pimples, so what?
If you haven't heard the news in this industry yet, you might hear it now: pimples, blackheads, and the like are completely normal skin conditions. No matter what skin type or age, everyone has more or less of them. And that's totally OK. We have to stop letting these "anti" slogans mess up our self-esteem. Whether it's a single pimple or a face full of pimples: they have nothing to do with your personality and don't make you worse or less lovable!
2. Skin shaming has no place with us.
At 16, spots were my biggest enemy. Whether I had the self-confidence to be extroverted, to talk to someone, to give a presentation or to put my hair in a ponytail was determined by how my face looked on the day. And I know that I wasn't the only one who felt that way. My friends and I met regularly back then to test new "anti-spot" masks, gel rollers and creams, to find the best concealer or the ideal make-up. It was clear to us: spots are not part of us and should be hidden. So that we feel better. So that we feel beautiful.
If we weren't told that spots are disgusting and only caused by poor hygiene, we would all have felt better during puberty. So much bullying, stupid comments, exclusion, lack of self-confidence and sadness have been caused by these unwanted companions on our skin. And why is that? Due to a lack of information about what actually causes spots (especially during puberty) and advertising that portrays them as a flaw.
It's no secret that beauty ideals are distorted on social media. And luckily there are positivity movements that are now gaining widespread traction, especially in relation to body and mental health. But #skinpositivity is still in its infancy. So many strange beauty hacks and tips are floating around on social media... sometimes we in the team just shake our heads. Rubbing potato peels on your nose to get rid of blackheads? Face masks that pull all the dirt and sebum out of your pores?
Sure, I understand wanting to get rid of pimples. And it's true that pimple-free skin is simply healthier. But does that mean products and beauty hacks have to be so "anti"? Do pimples deserve to be the number 1 enemy on our faces and product packaging? I don't think so.
3. Acne products? Yes, but without shame
Don't get me wrong. It's important that we pay attention to the little breakouts on our skin. After all, they're small injuries that need to be cared for properly so that the skin can reliably perform its natural functions again. But why do we have to be triggered with anti-pimple attitudes? I myself, for example, always have to deal with hormonal blemishes at certain times of my cycle. And I'm 100% not alone in that. These underlayers slowly grow out of the skin, feel more like an insect bite and are painful on top of that. It's basically the pimple jackpot. But: Even these pimples deserve not to be treated so much anti-attitude. Our skin wants to communicate with us. It tells us that something isn't going well in our body and if we learned to understand it better, we would look at blemishes completely differently. Namely, as little messengers who appear symptomatically to tell us: “Hey, listen to yourself, observe yourself, because something is not quite right”.
We generally take a holistic approach, especially when it comes to treating the skin. Because we know that there is more to dryness, spots and most illnesses and that more needs to be done than just finding the right care. For us, nutrition, psychology, lifestyle and skin go hand in hand. And that also applies to spots. That's why I would like to recommend to you: don't curse your skin, listen to it. Observe how it behaves, whether you discover a connection with your hormonal cycle, with certain foods, stress or other life circumstances. Also look at what care you use, because spotty skin doesn't like aggressive surfactants in cleaning products any more than any other skin. If you would like to know more about the causes, care and dealing with impure skin , I have mentioned more articles below that might be of interest to you.
4. When time comes, serenity comes
Maybe that sounds strange because I'm not even close to 30 yet and I'm certainly not the wisest person. But when it comes to my skin, I've become more relaxed since I was 21. So what, I just have a pimple or a fatty underlayer. Does that mean I'm not allowed to step outside anymore? Do I have to turn off my camera in online meetings? Should I be happy that the FFP2 mask covers the pimple? No.
It took a long time, but now I don't even bother to use concealer to cover my blemishes. For me, make-up has taken on a completely different meaning than it did back in school when I and my friends would conquer the drugstores of the city. Putting on make-up was a way of covering up, concealing and hiding everything I didn't like. When I put on make-up today, I use selected products to highlight exactly what I like about myself. And if a pimple smiles at me in the mirror, I let it smile instead of tapping concealer in until it's barely visible.
It should be important to heal the injured skin, i.e. to care for the pimple instead of trying to cover it up or treat it aggressively. That should be a priority. That is how we should communicate in our industry. So that the focus is on the health of the skin and not on shame and discomfort. With these thoughts in mind, we developed our pimple paste and our zinc facial toner . Without "anti", but with lots of support for the healing process of your skin.
A pimple is an inflammation in the skin. And inflammation in the body always has a cause.
It's high time we acknowledged that there are many causes of blemishes: hormones, stress, diet, the wrong skincare products, our environment - just to name a few. Let's celebrate our skin for communicating with us in this way and give it what it needs to heal. From the inside and the outside. If you're fed up with skin shaming and want to find out more about the origin of your blemishes, I recommend our Instagram post, in which we recommend possible causes, tips and care options. So that you can care for your body and your skin together.
And if you would like to have more expert knowledge about how exactly pimples form in the skin and what exactly is behind the new products, the pimple paste and the cleansing gel , take a look at the article by our aspiring pharmacist Mara !
Until then, keep your skin healthy, let your pimples be pimples and practice calmness. So there's only one thing left to say: goodbye to skin shaming!