Skin care can be complicated, there’s no doubt. But there are some basics almost everyone knows to do—at least, we thought so. You should wash your face before bed. Everyone knows that, right?
The Problem Is Bigger Than We Think
After CeraVe released their most recent skin care survey, which shows that one in three men do not have a skin-care routine, we looked back at the stats to get an idea of how bad the problem really is.
It turns out, CeraVe’s previous surveys on skin-care habits and knowledge demonstrate an even bigger gap in knowledge. It’s true that one in three men don’t have a skin-care routine, but their 2017 survey shows that 60% of men don’t wash their faces at all.
Most men, along with 48% of women, admitted to often skipping facial cleansing before bed. Even when they do get around to actually doing it, a whopping 55% of men revealed they just use hand soap to cleanse their faces.
The skin of your face is fragile, and hand soap can be damaging and strip your skin of what it needs, resulting in irritation and even breakouts.
Skin Care Education Is Critical
Perhaps most revealing though, is that the 2017 survey shows 65% of all consumers do not know what ingredients to look for in a facial cleanser, with a 63% saying they don’t understand how ingredients in skin care work.
This kind of gap in knowledge is what contributes to some of the shocking facts about male skin-care habits revealed in the most recent CeraVe survey. When so many do not understand the purpose of skin care, how can we be surprised to learn that only 19% of men use moisturizer daily?
We are making skin-care mistakes or shirking a routine altogether at least partially due to just not knowing any better. But even if you’re not going to invest in a twenty-step skin-care routine, you can take steps to learn more about what kind of care your face needs. At least enough to know to wash your face nightly with a gentle cleanser, anyway.
