Skincare Bargains: When a Good Deal Becomes a Bad Idea

A tempting discount can make almost anything look essential. The problem? Your skin doesn’t care how good the bargain was.

Skincare can be fantastic when it is chosen well. It can also become your skin’s worst nightmare when five new actives, three serums and an exfoliating toner suddenly arrive on the bathroom shelf at once.

Sometimes the smartest bargain is the product you don’t buy.

More Products Do Not Mean Better Skin

A good deal can make building an entirely new routine feel strangely sensible.

Please don’t.

Introducing too many products at once makes it almost impossible to know what is helping, what is irritating and what your skin would quite like returned to sender.

Strong actives can overlap, exfoliation can become excessive and ingredients designed to improve the skin can end up compromising the very barrier they are meant to support.

Read next: Dry, Tight, Moody Skin? Let’s Talk Ceramides

Purging or Irritation? Know the Difference

A genuine skin purge can happen when certain ingredients, particularly retinoids and exfoliating acids, speed up cell turnover and bring existing congestion to the surface more quickly.

But not every sudden breakout is “purging”.

Burning, persistent redness, itching, excessive flaking or breakouts appearing in completely new areas may be signs that your routine is simply too much.

There is no prize for pushing through an angry skin barrier.

Explore: Retinoids: The Fine Line Between Results and Overdoing It

If Your Skincare Is Rolling Off Your Face, Pay Attention

Ever layered your products only to find little balls forming across your skin?

That is pilling, and it often happens when too many formulas are layered together, incompatible textures are combined or products are applied too quickly.

Aside from being annoying, it can also mean you are wasting expensive skincare because it is sitting on top of itself rather than being used effectively.

Sometimes fewer layers, applied in the right order, will get you considerably further.

A Bargain Can Get Expensive Very Quickly

Buying products simply because the price is irresistible is not much of a saving if they duplicate ingredients already in your routine, irritate your skin or expire before you can finish them.

Spend according to your skin plan, not the sale countdown.

Think cleanser, targeted actives, hydration, barrier support and daily SPF. Then invest the rest of your skin budget where homecare cannot go, including professional treatments for collagen, pigmentation, texture and firmness.

Read next: How To Get More From Your Skin Treatments 

The Best Bargain Strategy?

Know what your skin actually needs before you open the sale tab.

Replace the products you already love. Invest in formulas that genuinely fill a gap. And resist the urge to introduce an entire skincare wardrobe simply because the price is good.

Your skin does not need more stuff.

It needs the right stuff, used consistently and intelligently.

Explore more smart skincare advice, ingredient guides and treatment insights on the Skin Online blog.