The 10-step routine
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.
what the evidence says
Pediatrics (2025) analysis of 100 TikTok routines: high cost, high irritant load, little sun protection, and little to no benefit for minors.
stage a kind intervention
Got a friend who swears by this? Send them the receipts. The message is pre-written to be kind, because the product is the problem, not your friend.
“Saw this and thought of you. No judgment, just receipts on the 10-step routine: https://skinformed-gamma.vercel.app/ingredient/ten-step-routine/”
sources
note:Skinformed is general education, not medical advice. It doesn't know your skin, can't diagnose anything, and is no substitute for a clinician. If something on your skin hurts, spreads, or worries you, that's a doctor visit, not a product search.