LOST IN translation

We enlist a dermatologist to decode the viral skincare trends and - more importantly - determine what your skin actually needs

- CASSIE STEER

Bumbling around on #skintok - otherwise known as skincare TikTok, if you only encounter that site secondhand on Instagram or Facebook - can feel like joining a conversation in which everyone speaks a language that feels familiar and yet you have no idea what they're talking about.

Gen Z is well versed in skincare. This is the generation that rhapsodises a ten-step routine and elevates lip balm (stored, of course, in a Rhode Beauty silicone phone case) to cult-like status.

But they have also grown up in a culture where skincare advice is bandied about without any medical grounding, and many so-called trends are simply repackaged routines we've been doing for years.

Whether or not you pay attention to TikTok is almost irrelevant. The real question is whether you should be adding any of these trends to your skincare routine.

Dr Shereene Idriss, board-certified dermatologist, founder of Dr Idriss Skincare and social media whiz, sorts out the facial facts from fiction.

LADDERING