2022 Skincare Trends

With another year coming to a close and 2022 just around the corner, many of us are looking ahead. 

When it comes to skincare, there are a few growing trends. Some of these are things that have been around for a long time, but are seeing a resurgence, while some of them are happen to be increasing in popularity.

Some of these are questions I have been asked recently, while others you may have never heard of. Either way, I wanted to talk today about some of the skincare trends I am seeing (the good, the bad, and the ugly!) as we roll into 2022! 

Keeping Skincare Products in a Mini Fridge

Though skincare refrigerators aren't new, this trend has definitely grown this past year and will continue to be big in 2022. 

Keeping skincare products in the fridge isn't necessary, however there are a couple of reasons why you might consider storing some of your skincare products there. The largest benefit you will see from this is an added cooling effect, which not only feels good, but also helps to reduce inflammation!

If you are someone who struggles with acne inflammation, puffiness, and redness, storing specific products in a mini fridge might help. Refrigeration will also help to prolongue the life of Brilliant-C Serum, Enlightening Serum, and Pro-Retinol Serum! 

Emme Diane Products That Can be Stored in the Refrigerator

• Calm Down Toner
• Skin Quencher
• Cucumber Cooling Mask
• Eye Treatments 
• Dew Drops Serum
• Firming Peptide Serum
• Brilliant-C Serum
• Enlightening Serum
• Pro-Retinol Serum

With that being said, there are some skincare products you do not want to keep in the fridge. 

Do Not Store the Following Products in the Refrigerator

• Tinted Mineral Sunscreen
• Pure Protection Sunscreen
• Sulfur Refining Mask

Skincare Layering Guides

When it comes to layering skincare, there is a basic rule of thumb:

The thinnest products go first. 

Toner > Humectant > Treatment Serum(s) > Moisturizer > Sunscreen

This is a general rule, and as you know, skincare is not "one size fits all". With that being said, there are some instances where I will customize your skincare routine in a different way. Please always stick to the order and application directions that I have customized for you. If you have questions or think you may need to make some changes to your routine, please always Check-In with me first. 

So, when it comes to layering skincare, there is a myth out there that is simply untrue. The myth is: When you layer skincare products, you want each layer to fully absorb before you move onto the next one. 

This myth sprung up with the idea of addressing two skincare concerns:

Concern 1: If you allow the skincare products to fully absorb, they will go to the layer you want, which will make them more effective (This is false and I will explain why in a moment).

Concern 2: Allowing each layer to fully absorb will minimize skin irritation (this is also false).

The truth is, the ingredients in your skincare will absorb to where they are intended to,  regardless of how long you wait between each step...and when it comes to irritation, the opposite of this is true. Allowing the skin to dry between steps means the moisture is evaporating off of the skin, which can actually lead to irritation. 

When layering products, make sure you move quickly through each layer and ensure the skin does not dry between steps. 

Vitamin C Skincare Routines

Clear skincare routines, anti-aging, lightening...and now trending: a Vitamin C Skincare Routine? 

Vitamin C has been heavily marketed as an ingredient that helps to lighten pigmentation. While Vitamin C does address pigmentation concerns, it doesn't do so by lightening pigmentation but rather by "brightening" the skin and preventing pigmentation. 

So let me explain why there is this common misconception. 

Vitamin C is a tyrosinase inhibitor. What this means is Vitamin C prevents a certain enzyme (tyrosinase) in the skin from activating melanosytes (pigment) to turn darker. 

Here's a good example. When we think of individuals with albinism, we often think of them as lacking melanin (pigment) in their skin. However, that's not actually the case. People with albinism lack tyrosinase, the enzyme that catalyzes the production of melanin. Because they lack tyrosinase, that "darkening" process never begins, leaving them with very light skin tone, eyes, and hair.

This is why tyrosinase inhibiting ingredients are excellent at preventing pigmentation from forming, but they do not correct hyperpigmentation that already exists. What this means is that Vitamin C is a great preventative measure, but does not effectively fade hyperpigmentation.

If you're looking to lighten existing hyperpigmentation (dark spots, melasma, sun damage, etc.), you'll want to use a pigment correcting serum like Brighten Up Serum or Enlightened Serum. 

With that being said, Vitamin C serum is an amazing ingredient to have in your skincare routine - not only to prevent sun damage, but to also help stimulate collagen growth, reduce fine lines and wrinkles, and also strengthen capillary walls to help prevent broken capillaries.

But there are a couple of important things to remember when using Vitamin C serums. 

1. Use Vitamin C serums in the daytime only. When used with sunscreen, the two act as a powerhouse to prevent sun damage/tyronase from creating sun damage. 

2. Vitamin C is one of the most unstable ingredients in skincare. When Vitamin C comes into contact with oxygen, it quickly oxidizes. If you have ever had a Vitamin C that turns a darker orange color to even brown, that means the Vitamin C has oxidized...turning it from an antioxidant into an oxidant. The serum goes from being beneficial to actually being somewhat harmful (aging) for the skin. This is the reason we always use airless pump bottles at Emme Diane, to ensure that minimal oxygen comes into contact with our products during their use. 

Our Brilliant-C Serum is formulated with two effective forms of Vitamin C and is packaged in an airless pump to reduce the risk of oxidation! It's a fantastic serum to implement into a routine when you're looking to prevent hyperpigmentation.

Hydrocolloid Patches (AKA Acne Bandaids)

More and more people are asking about Hydrocolloid Patches and more options are becoming available. Sometimes called pimple patches, acne patches, or acne bandaids, these patches claim to spot treat acne. It may seem like an easy way to quickly zap a pimple, but unfortunately Hydrocolloid Patches are not the most effective spot treatment when it comes to active breakouts, and here's why:

Some Hydrocolloid Patches have pore clogging ingredients in them, so even if they do clear the breakout that is present, likely another one will be forming right behind it. There are also options that contain micro-needles to help penetrate any active ingredients in the patch, however that opens your skin up to a whole mess of other problems, such as: secondary infections (like staph or MRSA), or could just lead to additional scarring. 

Spot treatments that are effective contain ingredients such as sulfur, salicylic acid, benzoyl peroxide, and other ingredients that actually kill acne-causing bacteria. This is why we recommend a spot treatment like Pink Potion (or Annihilate for those who are pregnant or breastfeeding).

These are both much better options for spot treatments, as well as continuing to use Acne Eraser all over the skin to control the acne bacteria. 

If you are getting frequent breakouts, please do a Check-In with me and we can do a deep dive to prevent them from happening altogether. If you are hew here (Hi there!), start with the consultation, here.

Blue Light Protection for the Skin

We think a lot about blue light protection when it comes to the eyes, but what about the skin? Luckily, we already have products that prevent blue light damage! 

This is yet another reason to wear your Emme Diane sunscreen daily, even if you don't plan to go outside. Our sunscreens are formulated with zinc oxide, which protects against the sun, but also against blue light damage from devices and screens. So if you've been wondering why I say to wear your sunscreen everyday, no matter what, even if you don't plan to go outside - this is the reason why. 

Also, out sunscreens have received a PA+++ rating, which means they offer the highest protection available. If you're unfamiliar with the PA rating, it is a relatively new rating system for sunscreens. This system was adapted from the PPD method (Persistent Pigment Darkening). The PPD method looks at how long it takes any one individual's skin to tan/darken when exposed to UVA light. The results are compared, and the sunscreen is given a grade. A sunscreen with a PPD "2" means you should be able to handle two times as much UVA exposure and be protected. 

The PPD method has some imperfections and is inconsistent, so a handful of countries switched to a more standardized system: PA. 

PA+ means you get some, but minimal protection from UV rays

PA++ means you get moderate protection

PA+++ gives you the most protection possible against UV Rays.

Since our sunscreens are graded PA+++, this gives you more reason to love your Emme Diane sunscreens and to feel motivated to wear them daily!

At-Home Extraction

It can be really tempting to use an extractor tool that is designed to pop pimples or a pore vacuum to clean them out, but both cause so much damage to the skin that our estheticians don't even use them in our facial treatments at Emme Diane! 

If you have any of these tools at home, I literally want you to throw them in the trash! They can lead to bruising, scarring, and capillary damage, but also can cause deep rupturing of the acne lesion that not only infects the surrounding pores with bacteria, but also can lead to severe scarring that could have been easily avoided. It just isn't worth the risk.

Do not use an extractor tool or a pore vacuum on the skin, no matter how tempting they may be!

Instead, I recommend the use of a high frequency tool if you're looking for a skincare tool. High frequency tools are one of the oldest tools in the esthetic world...because they work! These tools work by killing acne bacteria, preventing those pesky pimples from happening in the first place. 

I recommend the NuDerma Fusion Wand. 

To incorporate the NuDerma Fusion, use as follows: Cleanse, ice, apply Skin Quencher Gel, then apply rough gauze on the top (to help with slippage). Use for no longer than one minute per day, then follow with your recommended Emme Diane skincare routine. 

Sure... a high frequency tool is not as gratifying as popping a pimple, but it actually is a more effective way to clear the skin by killing the acne-causing bacteria. 

Skin Minimalism (Skinimalism) 

It's easy to see why Skinimalism is trendy. How great would it be to have a super quick skincare routine with 2-3 products only? That works really well if you're genetically blessed with unproblematic skin...but if you aren't, like the majority of us, there is a reason why there are multiple steps in your skincare routine. 

Each step in your skincare routine works synergistically with the others to give you the results you were hoping for. That's why we customize every skincare routine here at Emme Diane, because each product targets the skin in a specific way. When used in combination, we can address skin concerns while keeping in mind any skin conditions like sensitivity or dryness, as well as your skin type.

With that being said, there is a way to make the routine more "minimal." Just because a skincare routine is multistep, does not mean it needs to take a long time to do. In fact, it shouldn't! The faster you move through your skincare routine, the better! This is actually the secret behind glowing skin!

If you follow an Emme Diane customized routine, it shouldn't take you longer than 3-4 minutes at the most. 

In the spirit of minimalism, there are also products out there that claim to kill two birds with one stone (for example, moisturizers with retinol, or Vitamin C moisturizers). When using these, it's easy to feel like you have saved a step, but you are actually not getting the benefits that you are hoping for.

The issue is "cocktailed products", such as these, are drastically diluted and buffered down, meaning the active ingredients aren't actually going to make significant cellular change to the skin.  

If you are looking to make visible change to your skin (fewer breakouts, lightened pigmentation, reverse the signs of aging, etc.), then it's best to use active ingredients in a serum form and leave your moisturizer to do what it does best: moisturize your skin.

There are so many trends out there, what other skincare trends are you hoping to hear more about? 

xoxo, Emme