About Skinformed
Skinformed exists because teen skincare advice online mostly runs on hype: ten-step routines, harsh actives, and products built for skin decades older than yours. Dermatologists keep saying the same quiet thing: most teens need three steps. This site says the quiet thing, with citations.
who makes this
Skinformed is built by a 16-year-old student who wants to become a dermatologist, so this project is both a public resource and a portfolio. That's worth being upfront about: it's not written by a doctor. Which is exactly why nothing here relies on the author's opinion. Every verdict traces to the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the FDA, or peer-reviewed research you can click and read yourself.
A review pass by a practicing dermatologist is planned before the next content expansion; every entry displays the date a human last reviewed it, so you can see how fresh anything is.
methodology
Sources have a hierarchy
Clinical guidelines (like the AAD's 2024 acne guidelines) outrank organization statements, which outrank single studies. Currently 76 sources back 53 entries. A claim with no source doesn't ship. An automated check blocks it.
Evidence grades are honest
Every entry is graded strong, moderate, or weak/contested. When the honest answer is "probably useless but harmless" (hello, peptides), the entry says that instead of pretending certainty in either direction.
Caution isn't fear
Nothing here is called toxic or scary. A skip verdict explains the mechanism (irritation, barrier disruption, or no benefit at your age), because you deserve reasons, not vibes.
No brands, no money
Product categories only: never brand names, affiliate links, sponsorships, or ads. Nobody pays to be recommended or to be skipped.
The engine is boring on purpose
Your four answers select from a fixed, human-written set of rules, the same simple table a person could read on paper. No AI generates your advice, and the matching runs entirely on your device.
The games can't lie
Hype Check verdicts map one-to-one from the library's flags, so the game can never disagree with the evidence pages. Mix Check only shows combinations we can cite; anything else says so honestly. And scores are never stored: no streaks, no history, no pressure. That's a principle, not a missing feature.
honest limitations
Skinformed covers everyday skin care for generally healthy teen skin. It can't see your skin, doesn't diagnose anything, and doesn't cover skin conditions. If something hurts, spreads, scars, or worries you, that's a clinician conversation. The sources page lists everything we rely on, so you can check our work. Please do.
Spotted something wrong, outdated, or unfair? Email a correction. Getting told we're wrong is how this stays right; corrections get a fresh review and an updated “last reviewed” date.