Every company touts its entire line of skin care products to work better than the others and work best when used as a complete set. So… is it a marketing ploy or the simple truth?

What do Skin Care Routines Really Do?

Most skin care lines are based on the five fundamental steps to healthy skin: cleanse, exfoliate, freshen/tone, moisturize and protect. The premise is that daily use of products designed to address each of these steps will result in healthier, younger looking skin. In order to accomplish this, most companies begin with a common base to their products and that becomes a major selling point for their particular line. This is helpful information when choosing your skin care because it tells not only the ingredients and the express purpose of each product, but the method of processing. For example, one line may boast an herbal complex containing rosemary and watercress to soften the roughest skin, arnica flower to soothe itchy, irritated skin; chamomile to reduce puffiness around the eyes and botanical extracts of aloe, sage and calendula to freshen the skin. Knowing this, you would not choose this skin care line if your goal is to deep clean to reduce severe acne. You would, perhaps, be interested in these products for allergy affected skin.

Tip: Water- and oil-based products tend to coat the skin while natural and herbal based products are apt to penetrate the skin. If you are interested in a natural-based line, look for products with raw ingredients such as cranberries that contain no stretchers, buffers, fillers, preservatives, chemicals or carcinogens.

Pros to Using an Entire Line

·    When you choose to use an entire line of skin care you know you’ll address each of the five fundamental steps to healthy skin.

·    You can choose the line that best cares for you skin’s needs – whether you are concerned with fighting or delaying the effects of aging, combating breakouts or protecting your skin from the elements of nature, you can find a complete line to treat your need.

·    Each product will build on the next to provide the deepest penetration into the skin and achieve maximum results. If your cleanser lathers and deep cleans and the exfoliant is more abrasive to further the deep clean, the toner may be less astringent and the moisturizer more lightweight so it doesn’t clog pores.

·    You can customize the line to your skin type – dry, oily, combination.

·    Packaging is often more easily identifiable and clearly marked so you know which product works best with others in the same line.

Cons to Using an Entire Line

·    Because base ingredients are often the same, if you are allergic or sensitive to even one ingredient the entire line will affect your skin.

·    Because each product compliments the other, you need many products to do what one or two combination products not sold as part of a set could do.

·    It becomes expensive to purchase multiple products.

·    Constantly changing lines can leave you without a favorite product or change a key ingredient that may affect your skin.

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