You might’ve heard of the term ’quiet quitting’ in relation to your job or your workout routine – but now people are quiet quitting their skincare routines, and we won’t lie… it’s not a bad idea. 

While the term quiet quitting itself might be a bit of an internet phenomenon, what it stands for isn’t that bad. When it relates to skincare, quiet quitting is simply the act of stripping back your routine to the bare minimum and only using those products that your skin needs. 

Now don’t get us wrong, we love a hardworking skincare routine as much as the next beauty addict, but there’s no denying that our skincare routines have become excessive over the last few years. During lockdown, we all became our very own at-home facialists, spending our days investing in self-care and multi-masking to the extreme. 

“We have seen a huge increase in inflammatory conditions, especially contact dermatitis, since the pandemic,” says Megan Felton, skincare expert and co-founder of skin mentorship service Lionne. “I would attribute this to using too many products, being inconsistent with routine, and over-cleansing.”

While savvy serums and glow-boosting acids can be great, there’s no denying that when we overuse certain ingredients, we can accidentally wreak havoc with our skin barrier, leading to sensitised, reactive skin that’s in need of a reset. Which is exactly where quiet quitting comes in.

Taking things back to basics can be a good way of helping your skin strengthen and repair itself. Plus, it’s kinder to our bank balance. By stripping our routines back to basics, we’re able to figure out what really works for our skin – before (if you choose to do so) reintroducing some of the more potent actives into our routine to bolster the overall effectiveness.

“A focus on the skin barrier is more critical now than ever and will also help your bank balance,” says Felton. “You do not need to be spending money on 10+ products, but rather three or four products that each work a little bit harder and focus on the fundamentals: protection in the morning and nourishment at night.”

So, which skincare steps do you really need? Felton, who offers unbiased skincare advice via her one-on-one bespoke service Lionne recommends the following. “A cleanser that suits your skin, a treatment serum – this will be the step that works toward the skin goal you want to address – and an SPF. This could double as a moisturiser as there are so many smart SPFs out there at the moment.”

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