Beauty bloggers shift focus to skincare

Whether you are obsessed with K-beauty or want to focus on clean beauty, there's a skinfluencer for you

With people no longer stepping out, makeup products have been pushed to the back of their dressing table, and skincare products have taken the spotlight. As self-care booms, a section of bloggers that cater to this growing interest has also increased. Skincare influencers, or, skinfluencers are educating consumers about the newest products, trends, tips and more.

Skincare is selfcare

Bengaluru-based Ashwini Dixit is a travel, fashion, beauty and lifestyle blogger. She started dedicating some space on her page for skincare because she believes that it is a form of self-care. “I find it really therapeutic and in these tough times I think it’s extremely important to shower some love on ourselves so we can spread the same around us,” she says. While most of her followers are women, she says that she also has many men DM-ing her appreciating her recommendations.

Educate and inform

Travel blogger Manya Vittal (@mylyf_in_a_bag) started a page dedicated to skincare (@be.utilicious) because she felt that there was a lot of miscommunication on the topic. Hitting 30 and dealing with postpartum skin got her to do a lot of research and understand the benefits of using the right ingredients and right products.” I wanted to educate people on what products to use and how to use them,” she says.

Most of her followers fall in the 25 to 35 age group, and she says there has been a significant increase in interest since the pandemic. “I see a lot of people, men and women interested in skincare. It’s all about self-care — health and skin. I also feel it’s because we now have a lot of time to contemplate and focus on ourselves, thanks to the lockdown and quarantine,” she says.

#Nofilter

Mumbai-based Prableen Kaur Bhomrah started blogging at end of 2019. A couple of months later she was invited to an influencer meet. However, her experience at the event left a sour taste in her mouth. People, who she had just met, started passing comments on her skin.

“I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was in the third year of college. I always had acne issues, which was something I was conscious about because I never saw people on magazines or TV talking about these issues,” she says. As soon as she got back home, she posted a photo of herself with no filters. The photo went viral, starting off her journey as a skin-positive influencer. However, she has also had to deal with a lot of trolls. “I receive a lot of hate comments. Initially, I used to shut Instagram and not open the app for a day or two. I was also diagnosed with depression and anxiety and these comments took a huge toll on my mental health. I started filtering out the comments. Also, I realised that the positive comments were way more. My content is for those people who relate to me and want daily motivation or reminder to be comfortable in your own skin,” she says.

It is very important to be inclusive and make people aware of skin conditions so that they can embrace imperfections. To this end, she started a hashtag ‘#nofilterwithPKB’ so people can upload photos with no filter. “I see so many photos daily. Men usually DM me because they are more conscious,” she says. Brands, she says, should be more conscious about their marketing strategies. “Not only are there so many products targetting so-called problem areas, but they also use celebrities and influencers covered in makeup to sell them,” she says. Set realistic expectations and use real people, she adds.

Pandemic trends

Ashwini says that the introduction and usage of ‘actives’ such as vitamin C, hyaluronic acid, retinol or AHAs/ BHAs have been the latest trend. “There is also a boom in sustainable and organic skincare products,” she adds.

Korean skincare, Manya says, is becoming a trend these days mainly because the products are gentle on the skin and effective. International brands and clean beauty products and fragrance-free products are also becoming popular, she adds.

Skincare tips

Metrolife asked the influencers to share some tips that are beginner-friendly. Here’s what they suggested.

Sunscreen is a must, even when at home.

Drink an adequate amount of water.

Have a set skincare regimen like the CTM (Cleanser, Toner, Moisturiser) routine after identifying your skin type.

Pamper yourself with DIY face packs or sheet masks twice a week.

Exfoliate your skin once a week.

If you wear makeup, don’t just wipe it off. Double cleansing is a must.