The case for less: When more products, more actives, and more treatments start working against your skin—it may be time to simplify
A simple scroll through social feeds is proof, as ads for products from masks to mists pop up like so many (sometimes imagined) blemishes and wrinkles. In fact, according to recent findings by the market research company, Circana, in the first half of 2026 in the U.S., prestige retail beauty sales increased by 7% to $17.1 billion and mass retail sales rose 7% to $39.2 billion. But how much is too much of a good thing?
Faced with unachievable beauty standards, people have begun using too many, often harsh lotions and potions at once—thereby creating, instead of mitigating, problem skin. A recent study conducted by beauty brand Aveeno found that 71%of people consider their skin sensitive today—arise of 55% over the last two decades! And, according to industry insiders from dermatologists to facialists to beauty line creators themselves, one of the main drivers of that staggering statistic is harsh product overuse.
“Years ago, people tended to have simpler routines,” says Sydnii Pennell, licensed aesthetician and owner of AfterGlo Facial Studio in Brooklyn. “Now, there are endless recommendations online, and it’s easy to think that if one active ingredient is good, three must be better. People are trying really hard to take care of their skin, but they’re actually making it more confused.”
Fortunately, there are straightforward ways to recognize and mitigate the harsh product overuse epidemic, so that we can reap the benefits of strengthening ingredients instead, supporting—as opposed to wearing down—our skin.
Identifying the Issue
As is often the case, the first step in recovery is recognizing that there’s a problem. And that begins with understanding why using too many diverse products with active ingredients backfires. “A huge percentage of people who come into my office say they have sensitive skin,” says Dr. Elizabeth K. Hale, cofounder of CompleteSkinMD in New York City.
“Some of them actually have conditions like rosacea or eczema…but most people are unintentionally doing it to themselves. They’re combining a lot of products and procedures and impairing the skin barrier, which is very important to keep intact.”
The skin barrier—or the outer layer of our skin—exists, in effect, to keep the bad stuff like dirt and pollution out, so we can remain well hydrated and protected. So, when that line of defense gets weakened, it’s as if our natural shield has been lifted.
It’s not that using active products is inherently bad, at all. It’s just that using too many of them (especially with chemicals)back-to-back doesn’t give the skin barrier a chance to recuperate. “Less is really more in a lot of these cases,” Dr. Hale confirms—and that goes for at-home devices and in clinic treatments, as well.
Irene Forte, founder and CEO of IreneForte Skincare, agrees. After all, Forte’s natural line was founded on the principle of being gentle enough for reactive skin. “Skin needs time to recover between any kind of treatment, professional or topical, and a lot of what we’re seeing is skin that’s simply never been given that window,”says the creator.
“Add to that the pace of modern life—stress, poor sleep, pollution, more time spent in front of blue light, and heated or air-conditioned indoor air—and skin simply has fewer resources to defend itself. It’s…about cumulative overload. Once that barrier is compromised, skin becomes reactive to almost everything.”
This is why finding the right products to soothe your particular skin becomes so essential. “A lot of people come in using six, eight, sometimes 10 products because they saw them on TikTok or someone with completely different skin recommended them,” laments Pennell, who struggled with breakouts herself as a kid. “Skincare isn’t one-size-fits-all.”
So, what can you use to bring balance back to your complexion? Fortunately, if you’re noticing redness, burning when products are applied, dryness, flaky patches, breakouts, oiliness, or just that nothing seems to be working anymore, there are certain more gentle ingredients that tend to help.
“There are endless recommendations online, and it’s easy to think that if one active ingredient is good, three must be better.”
— Sydnii Pennell, licensed aesthetician and owner, AfterGlo Facial Studio
The Best Defense
As a skin cancer expert, Dr. Hale ranks sunscreen as the most important element in a productive skincare regimen—along with, ideally, an antioxidant serum every morning. But the first step to healing compromised skin is to stop using any potentially irritating products. “Go off tretinoin, any sort of glycolic, alpha hydroxy acid, any at-home exfoliating procedures,” she recommends.
“So gentle cleanser, a good thick moisturizer that repairs the barrier that contains something like ceramide or niacinamide (good for healing skin).” She recommends avoiding cortisone as it can thin the skin and cause rebound redness.
Forte—who herself suffered from rosacea and whose resident scientific director has a research background in psoriasis, eczema, and dermatitis—agrees, adding high-dose vitamin C to the list of ingredients to avoid layering with too many other actives. Her line is reflective of that ethos.
“We have always been about promoting longterm skin health with barrier-boosting formulas and fighting inflammaging,” she explains. “We look for ingredients that calm and rebuild rather than strip.”
That means favoring ceramides and hyaluronic acid to support and hydrate the barrier, niacinamide (vitamin B3) and panthenol (vitamin B5) to soothe, allantoin and aloe leaf juice for their anti-inflammatory and hydrating properties, gentler exfoliants like azelaic acid—which it includes in products such as its Lavender Tetra-Acid Mask—and calming botanicals from chamomile to calendula. For initial recovery, Forte recommends a protocol including Almond Cleansing Milk, Hibiscus Revitalising Serum, and Hibiscus Rejuvenating Night Cream, among others.
As an aesthetician who leans toward natural products, Carrie Lindsey—founder of two “wholistic” skincare studios in Manhattan and Brooklyn—has also found herself looking for ways to mitigate the rise in compromised skin barriers. From the growing list of strengthening and calming options, she’s found some favorites: One go-to—especially for normal to oily, congested skin—is Sweet Chemistry’s Barrier Repairing Hydra-Serum, packed with ceramides and niacinamide. She swears by Epicuren Discovery’s shea butter infused Soothe Dermal Repair Balm for dry and highly sensitive skin, which she says, “allows the skin to breathe and heal,” especially during winter months.
Other brands are launching new strengthening products that support rather than inflame the skin, as well. Vintner’sDaughter, a deeply curated line that has always prioritized bolstering all types of skin, recently launched a reimagined Active Renewal Cleanser with barrier-supporting lipids from sunflower seed, mango seed, and grape-seed oil. An inaugural product from CuralysMD seeks to protect the skin with colloidal oatmeal, among other things. Auro Skincare’s recently released and already beloved Copper Tripeptide Serum harnesses glutathione to defend against environmental stress and squalane to combat moisture loss.
According to Pennell, no matter what the product, it’s also important to slowdown the skincare application process itself, washing the face gently, taking time to massage in moisturizer, and giving products real time to work before switching them out. But most of all, she believes in simplifying:
“I always tell clients that consistency beats complexity. A [stripped down] routine you follow will almost always outperform an elaborate routine…that’s irritating your skin. The truth is, your skin doesn’t need perfection. It needs consistency, patience, and products that make sense for you. Sometimes the biggest transformation happens when you simply give your skin what it actually needs.”
“Skin needs time to recover between any kind of treatment, professional or topical.”
—Irene Forte, founder and CEO,Irene Forte Skincare
