Dr. Shereene Idriss Has Some Thoughts On Today’s Skin Care Trends

Dr. Shereene Idriss is no stranger to skin care education. The New York-based dermatologist has been sharing her tips on Instagram since 2017, establishing her as one of the industry’s first dermfluencers and amassing a following of over 3 million “skin nerds” in the process. In 2022, she translated her know-how into a namesake skin care brand — and now, she’s reaching an entirely new audience by bringing it to Sephora shelves.

“The week we launched, people were asking about whether we’d be in a brick-and-mortar so they could come in and test the products, and were waiting for us to be in Sephora,” she tells Bustle. “So this felt like a natural next step that was very in line with what the community wanted.”

But even as the line continues to grow, education is still at the core of Idriss’ mission. “You can do so much with skin care when it’s done right — it should really be a counterbalance to makeup and all the other cosmetic stuff — and education is a big part of that,” she says.

All of this feels critically important at a time when #skinformation is everywhere, and sussing out what’s legit can feel like tricky territory. According to Idriss, though, consumers are starting to smarten up about why it may not be the best idea to try everything they see on TikTok.

“When TikTok blew up in 2020, everybody became a skin expert and everyone was doing wild things to their skin — but people are now understanding that it’s more about looking at your routine with a long-term view instead of focusing on instant gratification,” she says, noting that when it comes to skin, “nothing good comes fast.”

While the internet still has plenty of wacky tips to offer (people are apparently using potatoes as pimple patches), this shift in focus toward skin health becomes glaringly obvious when you look at the biggest beauty trends for the year ahead — all of which feel in lockstep with what Idriss and her fellow derms have been preaching all along.

The throughline to their advice is simple: Be kind to your skin. Keep reading to find out what that looks like in 2024, and why it’s worth taking as gospel.

It’s All About Skin Minimalism

The past few years have seen beauty lovers slowly moving away from 12-step, barrier-stripping skin care routines in favor of fewer, better products — which Idriss confirms is ideal for the overall health of your skin.

“People have realized they should be paring it back,” she says, pointing to the mass skin sensitization that came from everyone doing too much. “Now, they’re actually listening to experts like me who have been saying ‘You may want to be using something less harsh on your skin’ all along, because they’ve lived through the negative consequences.”

Generally speaking, most pros will tell you that all you really need for a solid routine is a cleanser, a moisturizer, an SPF, an antioxidant serum, and a retinoid — that’s it. Anything else is a “nice to have,” but certainly not a “must have,” and additional products should only be added with the understanding that if you’re not careful (or educated about how to use them), you may wind up doing more harm than good.

Gentle Retinol For The Win

Using fewer products may make you think they all need to be super strong to work, but according to Idriss, that’s not the case. “I always say that it’s consistency over intensity,” she says.

With that in mind, she has been thrilled to see the rise of gentler retinol formulations, which deliver the same glass skin results sans irritation. “I would much rather you be consistent every two days with a retinol at a less aggressive percentage that doesn’t make your skin inflamed or angry versus getting the strongest thing out there, annihilating your face, and inflaming your skin in the process, and then needing weeks to repair your skin barrier before you can start again.”

Look for formulas that use encapsulated retinol, which releases the active over time instead of all at once to minimize irritation, or bakuchiol, a plant-derived alternative that offers similar skin-regenerating benefits as the real thing.

Enzyme Exfoliants Have Entered The Chat

The “be gentle on your skin” edict has extended into the exfoliation category, where enzyme-based products have been popping up everywhere. These formulas use fruit-derived enzymes to melt away dead skin cells in a way that’s far less aggressive than your typical physical scrubs or exfoliating acids, but still effective.

“I love enzyme cleansers and exfoliants because they help scratch that scrubbing itch without being abrasive, so you can get that out of your system without ruining your skin in the process,” says Idriss.

To get the best of what any enzyme-infused product has to offer, however, you need to use it the right way. “Most people put them on their skin and then wash them off right away, so they aren’t getting enough face time with the active ingredients,” she says. “So if you’re not seeing results, it may just be because you aren’t letting them sit for long enough on your skin.”

SPF Is Making Its Way Into *Everything*

As any dermatologist will tell you, wearing sunscreen every day is the single most important thing you can do for your skin's health. That's why it’s been so exciting to see a slew of new, multipurpose SPF products on the market that make it easier than ever to add to your routine.

While this SPF boom is overwhelmingly a positive thing, Idriss warns that it’s not without its issues. “There’s more visibility around sunscreen and more people are at least trying to protect their skin,” she says. “But people are potentially being misled to believe they have enough protection when they don’t. Something is better than nothing, but if someone is just putting an [SPF foundation] on their face and spending the day in the sun, they’re not doing anything that’s benefitting their skin.”

Derms recommend using at least an SPF 30 every day (and reapplying every two hours when you’re in the sun), which means that a single layer of SPF 15 foundation on your face in the morning isn’t going to cut it. Be sure to look for products with high enough protection, and know that if you’re using anything lower than SPF 30, you’re going to want to layer up.