If I had no other skincare, I would be fine. I do have more, of course. =)
If your aim is simply to take good care of your skin, then finding a core routine of reliable products is all that's required. If you enjoy experimentation, you still need neutral products to fall back on, as a point of comparison for your skin's preferences. My 'neutral' cleanser is not my Tata Harper Refreshing Cleanser, and I know this, in spite of its heavenly fragrance of grapefruit and neroli, the creamy warm pink hue, the gentle purification from pink clay and willow bark, the bottle like summer sunshine filtered by a tree spreading its green branches above you; it's my Bioderma Atoderm Ultra-Nourishing Shower Oil, which you can buy in a colossal 1L size and offers little in the way of romance. It's a cleanser, in sum. A very good, simple formula, and an economical option for dry, sensitive skin. This isn't to claim that one is superior to the other—in fact both feature coco-glucoside as their main detergent—there's room in our skincare routines, surely, for both frivolous luxuries as well as boring, utilitarian products. However, for a routine to work, it does need to be built on a foundation of neutral products. The option to experiment is always there; it's harder to find the basics.
Some signs that a product is a neutral product:
- FORMULA Typically (but not always) a simple, minimalist formula designed for most skin types including sensitive. Or, a product that you know well, and can be sure of how your skin reacts.
- PERFORMANCE Reliable to the point it no longer requires much thought to use. It's always in the background, performing faithfully. Ingredients lists are a start, but they don't necessarily determine how they perform on the skin, so this differs somewhat from formula.
- LIFESTYLE Integrates well into your routine and plays well with other products. Often this is where texture comes into play.
- ACCESSIBILITY Skincare, unlike eyeshadow palettes, are high-turnover products and require frequent repurchases. Personally, I love the thrill of the hunt when it comes to experimenting, but strangely loathe the hassle when making repurchases. As such, I prefer to buy within the domestic market (currently South Korea). The beauty industry is rife with copycats, so you can often find products that are similar to each other; for example I don't necessarily consider Heimish All Clean Balm the best makeup-removing initial cleanse on the market, but it is a good product that I can find easily without too much expense.
- PRICE POINT Again, because skincare tends to be high turnover, the pricing becomes a factor when it comes time to repurchase. For me, that's between ₩10,000–₩50,000, depending on its kind.
- CONSUMER HABITS If you've repurchased it or have a stockpile of backups, that's an obvious sign. It's not always possible to avoid ordering online; something critical like sunscreen or a specialized treatment may prove more elusive when it comes to finding the right formula.
- COMPETITION It becomes a standard by which you measure other products. If you enjoy experimenting with skincare, that core routine gives you clarity: drop after drop, Product X was enjoyable, but at the end of the bottle (or jar), you think, "Well, it's not quite as nice as old faithful Product Y." This makes dabbling in luxury products less burdensome, in my opinion, since you are not looking for commitment.