Stop overthinking skin care. What's essential and what's hype

when a high school student disappears from a small Nevada town,

a story of betrayal and shocking confessions emerges, hosted by "Dateline's Keith Morrison" search "Five Miles From Home" to follow now. You're listening to LifeKit from NPR. Brands create a lot of noise in the skincare space.

Like, you can't just go to the store and buy a simple moisturizer. There's a dozen different choices it seems from every single brand. And just to figure out what you need for your skin, you have to wait through it all. It's super confusing and complicated.

Hey, it's Mario Sagarra. And today we're talking about skincare. And how it's actually not as complicated as many brands make it seem. Kelly Walsh is a health journalist who also reports on wellness and lifestyle topics. And she has been deep in the weeds reporting

a special newsletter series for LifeKit about skincare. Kelly, welcome to the show. Hey, thanks for having me. What was your relationship to skincare before you started reporting on this? I used a gentle cleanser because my skin can be sensitive,

a moisturizer, and then sun protection in the form of sunscreen, so ridiculously big hats and scarves and sometimes long sleeves. And then a few years ago, I started using a vitamin C serum because I'd heard it was good for brightening skin and mine was starting to look dull.

And I think it helped, but it's expensive.

“The truth is, I didn't feel very savvy about skincare.”

And I actually had some foam around it. Like, I'd see these other women in their 50s and they would have this bright, do-ey shiny buoyant skin and I'd be like, what do they know that I don't? What are they using?

So everyone's in a while, I'd go down the rabbit hole and I'd buy some new product and usually I'd stop using it after a few weeks because either I didn't like the way it felt or I didn't think it was making a difference. When I started the series, I discovered I had 10 different skincare products

and only used four of them. Wow. Okay, yeah, the rest were just sitting there on the shelf. Yep, the skincare graveyard. So for the newsletter, you talk to a bunch of skincare experts,

dermatologist researchers, and it sounds like you've got a lot more confident in your skincare routine. You know, it turns out I was doing pretty well by my skin. Who knew, right? I still using those core products

and I'm keeping the pricey vitamin C serum. And I recently started using a Lactic Acid Serum for a gentle exfoliation, but the jury's still out on that one. So the main takeaway from me from reporting the series is that I know what my skin needs now and what it doesn't.

And I think a lot of other people might learn the same. On this episode of Life Kit, Kelly's going to share with us what she's learned about skincare. So to start off, it sounds like there are two major claims that skincare products make.

And one is that they'll improve the health of your skin. And the other is that they'll improve the appearance of your skin. Let's start with health. What does it actually mean to have healthy skin? You know, we've been convinced that we need to do a lot more

for skin than we really do. It's not that difficult to keep your skin healthy and functioning throughout our lives. But along with the rest of our body, skin still ages and that's the catch.

Now to be clear, there are products and treatments that will combat the signs of aging.

“And I do think that's what many of us are after,”

but they aren't necessarily or only about having healthier skin.

Here's what New York dermatologist Michelle Henry has to say about this.

I think we are getting to a place where our aesthetic goals are kind of beyond what healthy skin is. It's just because you don't have glass skin, doesn't mean your skin's unhealthy. Just because you don't have wrinkle free rosy skin,

does not mean it's not healthy, right? Just because you have large pores, does not mean it's unhealthy. So it is important to categorize what is aesthetic and what is truly the health of your skin. And healthy skin is comfortable, functional skin.

Yeah, I've noticed it actually improves my life significantly when I just put moisturizer on. Because I feel like I can move my body a little better. You know, that feels like it falls into the category of healthy skin. Yes, everybody I spoke with talked about moisturizer

being one of the most effective products you can use on your skin. Just moisturizer alone without all the extras. Yeah, what are the main pieces of advice that the experts gave for how to have healthy skin, particularly? So it's easy to forget that skin is an organ, right?

It's a living dynamic part of your body. And everything that you do to support your overall health is going to support the health of your skin. The nutrition, getting enough sleep, exercising, not smoking. All those things.

Beyond that, it doesn't require much.

Here's what Mayo Clinic dermatologist and researcher Serena Wiles has to say.

From a skin health standpoint, it's really two key ingredients. You just have to keep your skin moisturized.

“And you have to keep your skin protected from UV with sunscreen.”

Now, of course, sunscreen is just one part of the equation when we talk about some protection.

are strongest or equally important.

“But those two products, I mean, moisturizer and sunscreen,”

they're supporting skin's primary function, which is to serve as a barrier that protects us from the outside world. And dry skin, which is more common as we age, threatens that barrier, so does UV radiation. Take away one.

If your primary concern is healthy, comfortable, functional skin. You don't need much. Use a gentle cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen, along with other sun protection. Like covering up with hats, scarves, and sunglasses.

Those are the basics. But a lot of us are also looking for aesthetic benefits. We want to reduce our fine lines and wrinkles or deal with acne, so we'll talk about all that after the break. This message comes from lies.

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Listen now, wherever you get your podcasts. What if people are concerned about the aesthetics? What can they do beyond those few steps? So there are a few ingredients that do support with some of the size of aging, anti-oxidants,

which can help protect against free radical damage, while also helping to brighten skin. Those can be in the form of a vitamin C serum. For example, exfoliants, and there are a bunch of different kinds in different strengths.

And those will help support skin cell turnover. And that's a natural process that slows down as we age. And possibly retinoids, which in over the counter form are called either retinal or retinal.

And they're less powerful than the prescription retinae,

but they still support skin rejuvenation. It is worth noting that retinoids are pretty harsh, and many people can't use them, and they can also increase sun sensitivity. One thing that I feel I can fall into the category

of healthy skin and skin appearance is acne. We tend to think of that as something that teenagers struggle with, and that's true, but it's also a problem for a lot of adults, especially when you're going through hormonal shifts.

I've noticed. I'm curious what you learned about that, and what ingredients or what treatments are most effective. Yeah, absolutely. I don't acne is really common,

especially in women during those perimenopausal to menopausal years. And it's confusing, right? Amy Wexler, a dermatologist who launched spotless acne clinics

and men had in last year said this. What happens is a woman will come to see me in a women between 35 and 55 with pimples and wrinkles, and they'll say, like, I feel too old for my pimples and too young for my wrinkles,

and they are like, what is that?

But there are treatments, and it's always treatable.

So from milder adult acne, I'm told that over the counter products with things like benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, or azaleic acid may help.

But for persistent or that hormoneally-driven acne, you might want to see a dermatologist, and they may prescribe topical retinoids or other topicals that actually can influence oil production of skin.

And for some women, they may recommend oral hormonal treatments. Take away two. Let's talk about aesthetics.

“If you want to limit some of the signs of aging,”

again, sunscreen and moisturizer are the place to start. But there are some other topical ingredients that work well too. For brighter, smoother looking skin,

look for products with antioxidants. Also look for exfoliants, which can be physical or chemical, lactic acid and glycolic acid, or some examples of chemical exfoliants.

And for fewer fine lines, look for products with retinoids.

You can get the less powerful version over the counter,

and the more powerful, but also potentially more irritating version by prescription. If you have mild acne, look for over-the-counter topicals, but if it's more severe,

see a dermatologist. They can help you figure out what's causing the acne and treated accordingly. Let's talk about the cost of skin care products. You could spend a lot of money on all these things together.

Is expensive skin care better? No. My sources said that there's no correlation between cost and efficacy when it comes to skin care products.

Here's dermatologist, Fain Fry, who tests skin care products and posts results to her consumer guide called friface.com. There is no correlation, not one bit, between how much you spend on a product.

And how well it works. And all of my sources said is that you can get really good quality products at fair prices, wherever skin care products are sold, like Walgreens Target, even at the grocery store.

There are certainly some brands that create high quality,

effective skin care. It's just that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get perfectly good products that will support the health of your skin, and also offer some of those extra benefits that we seek. All right, take away three.

When it comes to skin care, more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective. You can get products that work in your price range. But Kelly says, you also want to keep your expectations realistic. Over the counter skin products are really only going to do

so much to improve the appearance of your skin. All right, they're going to moisturize it, which is super important for both the health and the appearance of your skin. And some of the ingredients, like antioxidants, exfoliants, retinols,

they can provide some visible improvements over time. But the changes won't be dramatic, and you're also going to need to keep using these products to maintain those results indefinitely. So you may notice that your skin looks the big brighter,

a big fresher, and that's not nothing, right?

“I mean, that may be all you need to feel better”

about the way you look. But it is important to know that these over-the-counter products are not designed to erase yours from your face.

Here's what Michelle Henry says.

When we're just starting to see lines, they truly are fine lines. We can get some improvement of the topicals, or we can delay the need for more aggressive treatments, with things like your retinoid, your vitamin C.

Since it's much deeper than fine, then you're probably going to need something a little more aggressive. You might need some injectables, both oxa, or philler, or lasers, things that can stimulate collagen in a more robust manner.

Take away four. There's only so much that over-the-counter topicals can do to change how your face looks. And while we think you look beautiful just as you are, this is about how you feel.

If you're looking for more results, see your dermatologist.

“So that's where things stand for skin care here in 2026.”

Now, there is a lot of research happening in the skin care space, and specifically on how to maintain skin health at the molecular level. And I'm told that over the next decade, there will be advances in ingredients and products to slow skin cell aging.

And that will trickle down to cosmetic skin care. But when it comes to what we know works well right now, it's not complicated. And for me, that was just really helpful to learn. Okay, Kelly Walsh.

Thank you so much for doing this. Are you welcome, Mary, I was a pleasure. Now, before I get into a recap about that newsletter series, it is four parts, and it goes way more in depth on this topic. For instance, you'll learn about what ingredients

are effective for different skin concerns. Like, if you want brighter looking skin, use these topicals. If you want plump or skin, use these. Kelly also talks more about medical interventions and what specifically a dermatologist can do for you on that front.

And much more. You can sign up at npr.org/skincare. And the link is also in our episode description. All right, now it's time for a recap. Take away one.

If your primary concern is healthy, comfortable, functional skin, you don't need much. Use a gentle cleanser, a moisturizer, and sunscreen along with other sun protection, like hats, scarves, sunglasses. Those are the basics.

Take away two aesthetics.

“If you want to limit some signs of aging,”

sunscreen and moisturizer, great place to start, but there are other topical ingredients too, like for brighter, smoother looking skin. Look for products with antioxidants and exfoliants. For fewer fine lines, look for products with retinoids.

You can get the less powerful version over the counter.

And the more powerful, that also potentially more irritating version by prescription. If you have mild acne, you can use over the counter topicals. But if it's more severe, see a dermatologist. Take away three.

When it comes to skin care, more expensive does not necessarily mean more effective. You can get products that work in your price range. And take away four. There's only so much that over the counter topicals

can do to change your face. And while we think you're beautiful, just as you are, this is about what you want and what you're comfortable with. So, if you're looking for more results again, see your dermatologist.

This episode of LifeKit was produced by Clamory Schneider. It was edited by Rebecca Ramirez, and our digital editor is Monica Greb. Our visual editor is CJ Rekalan. Megan Kane is our senior supervising editor

and Lauren Gonzalez is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Tagle, Margaret Serena, and Sylvie Douglas. Engineering support comes from Tiffany Veda Castro, fact checking by Cecil Davis-Fascas.

I'm Mary El Sagarra. Thanks for listening. This message comes from Fixable, a podcast from Ted, here on Filtered Advice that will help you solve your work issues fast. Everything from finding a career path that can give you purpose

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