The Rise of Dermorexia

As a culture, we have always been obsessed with beauty. Throughout history, people have been pursuing that flawless look: Ancient Egyptians used crocodile dung as a facial mask to tighten the skin and reduce wrinkles Ancient Greeks applied a mixture of gold and honey to their faces, to create a radiant glow. In Renaissance Europe, women applied Venetian ceruse, a skin-whitening treatment made from white lead, despite its toxic effects.

And beauty culture is evolving. Ellen Atlanta investigated this in her book Pixel Flesh, where she holds a magnifying glass to toxic beauty standards and the industries who push them for profit. One on hand, the “undetectable beauty” trend has seen celebrities like Demi Moore and Christina Aguilera appearing ageless, yet without obvious signs of cosmetic work. On the other hand, reports of "filler fatigue" are growing, as consumers become more aware of how hyaluronic acid fillers can linger in the skin longer than expected. If you cannot afford high-end aesthetic treatments, skincare has become the next best thing.

The beauty industry has long thrived on aspiration, selling products that promise perfection. While beauty standards have always placed pressure on women, the pandemic kicked this into overdrive. With more time spent at home, many people adopted increasingly elaborate skincare routines. Social media trends like "11-step routings for glass skin" and AI-generated beauty filters have only amplified the desire for an unattainable ideal, shaping how people perceive and critique their own reflections.

In recent years, a new phenomenon has emerged that takes the pursuit of flawless skin to an extreme. Beauty journalist Jessica DeFino has coined the term dermorexia: a fixation on skincare and aesthetic perfection that ultimately harms both skin health and mental well-being. People who deal with this might spend hours obsessing over every tiny pore or wrinkle, letting it affect their whole day.

Photo by Fleur Kaan on Unsplash

The beauty industry thrives on insecurity, often inventing problems to sell solutions. As dermorexia grows, brands have a financial incentive to subtly encourage overuse - marketing multi-step routines as essential, despite the potential harm. Meanwhile, the rise of AI beauty filters distorts perceptions of what real skin looks like, setting consumers up for dissatisfaction.

Skincare is marketed as self-care, so obsessive behaviours with multi-step beauty treatments are rarely recognised as problematic. However, this skincare addiction is more than just over-the-top self-care: it functions as a coping mechanism, masking deeper anxieties. The ritual of applying products provides a sense of control in a chaotic world.

Ironically, excessive skincare can have the opposite of its intended effect. Overuse of active ingredients can damage the skin barrier, results in irritation, inflammation, and increased sensitivity. Instead of promoting healthy skin, this obsessive pursuit of flawlessness creates a cycle where more and more products are used to fix problems that overused skincare caused in the first place.

As a result for those experiencing dermorexia, skincare becomes a source of stress. The constant need to achieve perfect skin can impact self-esteem and social interactions. It even impacts financial wellbeing, as people prioritise beauty spending over other essentials. The question becomes: at what point does self-care stop being care?

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko

Dermorexia in men is often overlooked. While women are the primary target of skincare marketing, a growing number of men are also falling into these skincare traps. The rise of "bro beauty" influencers suggests that dermorexia is not a gender-specific issue.

Social media plays a significant role in fuelling this obsession. According to the Vogue Business Beauty Index, 39% of consumers discover beauty products through social platforms, surpassing traditional methods like word-of-mouth or department stores. Gen Z and Gen Alpha, in particular, turn to TikTok and Instagram for skincare advice, often prioritizing influencer recommendations over expert guidance from board-certified dermatologists. The sheer volume of content creates a noisy, crowded space where misinformation spreads as quickly as trends.

If you are not a beauty aficionado, this obsession with skincare looks strange. Why invest so much time and money into perfecting something as natural as skin? Those that value minimalism over product-heavy routines view dermorexia as driven by capitalism rather than self-care.

While dermorexia fixates on over-treating the skin, a countermovement of “skinimalism” is emerging, where consumers strip back routines to fewer, high-quality products. Some dermatologists even argue that simply using sunscreen and a gentle cleanser might be the best choice for long-term skin health.

If the current trajectory continues, we could see an entire generation with weakened skin barriers and increased dermatological issues. On a cultural level, what happens when younger generations grow up believing that natural, unfiltered skin is a flaw that needs to be fixed?

This growing preoccupation with skincare is not just a matter of vanity and overcoming dermorexia requires a shift in mindset: one that moves away from unattainable ideals and embraces a more balanced approach. Whether that means reducing screen time or de-cluttering bathroom shelves, when it comes to skincare, sometimes less is more.