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Skinformed

for ages 13-17 · no account · nothing tracked

Your skin needs three steps.
Not twenty-one.

The most-viewed teen skincare routines online layer up to 21 potentially irritating ingredients.† Skinformed goes the other way: four questions, a simple routine backed by dermatology guidelines, and an honest list of what to skip at your age, with receipts.

Take the 60-second quizPlay Hype Check

† Pediatrics (2025), “Pediatric Skin Care Regimens on TikTok.” See all 76 sources.

Three ways in

60 secondsGet my routineFour questions, then a plan that fits your skin, your age, and what you already own.Open →round of 5Hype CheckFive claims from the internet. You judge, the evidence stamps the verdict. How good is your radar?Open →2 minutesShelf CheckTap what you own, get an honest keep / depends / skip on every single thing.Open →pick any twoMix Check“Can I use these together?” Pick two things, get the cited verdict on the combo.Open →

Claim of the week

claim of the week · you've probably heard:“Coconut oil is the all-natural face moisturizer your skin craves.”
Legit or hype? →

how it works

  1. 01

    Answer four questions

    Age, skin type, concern, and what you already use. Multiple choice only. Nothing typed, nothing sent anywhere.

  2. 02

    Get a routine that fits

    Gentle cleanser, moisturizer, daily SPF, plus one evidence-backed treatment step, only when it earns its place.

  3. 03

    See your skip list

    The trends worth skipping at your age, each with the mechanism why and a citation you can check.

The Skip List

All 53 entries

Not fear-mongering, just what the evidence says isn't worth your money or your skin barrier yet.

Retinol (anti-aging), on the skip list

Skip: Skip

Made for skin you don't have yet

Retinol products are built to treat wrinkles and sun damage, which teen skin doesn't have. Your skin is thinner and more reactive than adult skin, so what you actually get is the side-effect list: redness, peeling, stinging, and extra sun sensitivity, in exchange for basically nothing. If you have acne, adapalene is the retinoid with real evidence for you. Wrinkle products can wait a decade or two. They'll still be there.

evidence: strongAAD 2025Full entry & sources

The 10-step routine, on the skip list

Skip: Skip

More steps, more problems

Researchers actually studied the skincare routines young creators post on TikTok. The average routine had 6 products costing about $168 (some over $500), the most-viewed ones layered up to 21 potentially irritating active ingredients, and only about a quarter included sunscreen. Every extra product is another chance at irritation or a new allergy, all stacked on the same face at once. Three boring steps beat ten exciting ones. It's not even close.

evidence: strongAAP 2025Full entry & sources

the receipts

Every routine step and every skip verdict cites the American Academy of Dermatology's 2024 acne guidelines, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the FDA, or peer-reviewed research. If we can't cite it, we don't say it, and each entry shows when a human last reviewed it.

AAD 2024AAP 2011FDA 2024AAP 2025

privacy, by architecture

Your answers never leave this device

The quiz and the rules engine run entirely in your browser. No account, no email, no cookies that need a banner, no analytics, no trackers. There is no server to send your answers to.

Leave whenever you like

No streaks, no notifications, no guilt. Get your routine, screenshot the skip list, and go live your life. “Clear my data” in the footer wipes the little this site remembers.