Skincare products that are a waste of money

Money saved is money earned. And when it comes to taking care of one’s skin and the products that you splurge on, it’s important to know what to spend and what is considered by many experts to be a complete waste of money. We’re always here to help, which is why we asked two leading dermatologists to list down a couple of skincare products that will not only burn a hole in your pocket, but also have not much of an effect on your skin. Read on. 

Toners: Earlier, when the only face washes available were harsh, toners were useful to ph balance the skin. But now, with the array of sophisticated PH-balanced face washes, it is an unnecessary step in one’s skincare routine.

Massages and Gua sha devices: They gained popularity during the last few years, but thankfully the graph of popularity went down equally rapidly because of no benefits and a range of side effects noticed due to these devices such as redness, swelling, and pigmentation when done harshly. 

Vitamin C: Surprised to find it here? Actually No! vitamin C is not useless, but most of the vitamin C brands available in the market are useless. The product is either in the wrong concentration or the chemical formulation is either not stable enough—so it is either not effective. Or it gets oxidized soon after the pack is opened. This oxidative product when applied to the skin can cause it to become dark.

Glutathione creams and soaps: With the popularity of this molecule as a brightening agent, a lot of products are being promoted in the market with some percentage of glutathione but this molecule only works in oral or injectable form and has no effect in topical creams.

Scrubs: Scrubs are harsh and cause microtears in the skin leading to comedone formation, acne, and pigmentation so any form of physical scrubs like apricot or home-based grounded pulses scrubs should be avoided.

Cellulite creams: It’s a waste of money because cellulite is something that is hormonal, hereditary and age-related. So none of these products can penetrate so deep to take care of those fatty protrusions in your dermis and level it out. 

Inputs by Dr. Anupama Bisaria Dermatologist and Dr. Meghna Gupta, Dermatologist and Founder, Delhi Skin Centre