Skincare is Now More Popular than Makeup Thanks to the Pandemic

A lot of areas were affected by the pandemic, from financial security to supply and demand, and it turns out beauty trends were not immune to change. Civic Science released a study that showed a huge decline in daily makeup use and a boom in skincare products since 2020.

As women seem to be less likely to reach for the mascara, is this a sign of new confidence blossoming in the makeup-wearing population? I’d like to think so.

According to Civic Science findings, daily makeup users have been steadily declining for the past two years. Let’s face it, we weren’t leaving our homes, so who is there to impress?

Before the pandemic, I was that person who put on foundation and mascara before going to the grocery store. Nowadays, I wouldn’t even consider grabbing my makeup bag before running an errand.

And I would never even think about skipping out on my nightly skincare routine. In the past two years, I've gone from makeup wipes to a full four-step system, and I have no regrets.

“Nearly half of respondents to a new survey proclaim their loyalty to cleansers, serums and moisturizers in the form of a daily skincare practice,” said Savannah Sprowls of Civic Science.

But why this shift from daily makeup use to daily skincare use? Life has seemingly arrived at its new normal, we are seeing friends and family again, and still, skincare is projected to outweigh makeup in the near future.

This may be a positive effect of the pandemic. It may be an oxymoron to put “positive” and “pandemic” in the same sentence, but hear me out.

The pandemic was a time for self-reflection. It was a period of our lives where the outside world slowed down, and all we had to pass the time was Netflix, self-reflection and TikTok.

I think this slow period in life allowed women to get more comfortable with the skin they are in. Instead of masking their features, women are moving toward loving the skin they are in and preserving it as much as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I still love a solid contour moment, but I don’t feel as pressured to leave my house with a full face on anymore.

I can just be myself, and that’s a trend I can stand behind.