TikTok is a continuous generator of beauty trends and Reverse Skincare is no exception: depopulated on the platform with the video of the beauty influencer and content creator Ava Lee (@ Glowwithava) , this routine is suggested as a hack to combat dry and dehydrated skin, especially in the colder seasons of the year.

What is Reverse Skincare?

Basically, as the name suggests, Reverse Skincare indicates an inversion of our usual beauty routine. We are normally used to skincare which, after cleansing, involves a succession of steps from the lightest and most fluid product, such as tonic, to more full-bodied ones, such as face cream. In this case, however, the trend is to swap the order of the steps and start, always after washing the face, with a layer of nourishing cream to leave on like a real mask for 5-10 minutes, depending on the type and quantity of product used. Once the product has been completely absorbed, proceed with the face tonic - strictly without alcohol and fragrances - and with a soothing and calming function: you need to soak two cotton disks with the product and leave them on for 10 to 15 minutes. Finally, proceed by applying the cream again which, in addition to hydrating and nourishing the skin, will immediately give the face a fresher and more glowing appearance.

Treatment benefits

Reverse Skincare cannot replace a normal skincare routine, especially if it is rather articulated, but it can be a one-shot treatment to be performed when the skin needs a flash of hydration boost.

The application of the cream as a first step, however, does not allow the penetration of active ingredients and functional substances useful for the skin being a product by its nature occlusive, but leaves the products applied above, "on the surface". It is precisely for this overlay that the skin appears immediately luminous and plumped.

Therefore, if your skin appears dry and dehydrated, it can be a good treatment to hydrate the skin and prepare it for an important event, as long as it is performed well in advance. The full-bodied nature of the treatment, in fact, does not allow for a perfect application of foundation or bb cream and could risk having you scrubbed using powders afterwards. So, if you want to try the treatment, make sure you do it at least a day in advance and preferably in the evening.

Who is reverse skincare suitable for?

As always happens with these trends, not all dermatologists have enthusiastically welcomed Reverse Skincare: if dry and dehydrated skin can benefit from it, combination and acneic skin could incur inflammation and skin rashes.

In fact, even if the products to be used are specified, we cannot know how our skin will react.

Generally speaking, Reverse Skincare can prove to be a valuable technique for immediately showing off a radiant and fresh complexion but, as we have said, in the long term it does not have great advantages.

Reverse Skincare: the trick not to forget

A skincare routine performed consistently, with the right products, is certainly more effective in obtaining the desired results, but this does not mean that you cannot learn something from Reverse Skincare.

In fact, the face tonic is essential in the Korean skincare routine and, thanks to its full-bodied and extremely moisturizing consistency, it can also be used as a face mask. Just the cotton pads soaked in the product, as in the TikTok trend, are perfect for making a quick face mask when you don't have the right product. After application, the skin will immediately appear soft and soothed.