5 YouTube skincare influencers to help you better understand your skin, from product reviews to routines for people with rosacea

Dermatologists guest star on Susan Yara’s channel, which is full of products, ingredients and routine breakdowns to help people learn about skin health
Dr Davin Lim demystifies skincare with videos that cover everything from the use of contraceptive pills to treat acne to what to do if you have sensitive skin

Beauty

Heidi Yeung

Published: 2:30am, 29 Apr 2021

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Even before the pandemic, content creators who shared their skincare knowledge were gaining popularity on social media. But when the world went under varying degrees of isolation and we all stayed at home, “skinfluencers”, or skin influencers, really started to have their moment.

From how to battle “maskne” (acne caused by wearing masks) to understanding different ingredients and how best to use them, skinfluencers suddenly found themselves in high demand.

Of the plethora of fun and informative content creators out there, here are five influencers to follow so you can up your skincare know-how, from how to choose the right products to what marketing lies to look out for.

Susan Yara

Susan Yara draws upon her connections and the information she’s acquired from a career in broadcast journalism and her experience as a beauty editor to create in-depth videos on what’s good for skin health.

Yara’s channel, Mixed Makeup, is full of breakdowns of products, ingredients and routines to help her audience understand what’s best for their needs.

From how to read ingredients lists to reacting to celebs’ skincare routines, Yara’s channel is educational, fun and backed by thorough research. There’s even a playlist called Derm Chats, where guest dermatologists discuss various skin concerns.

Hyram

You’ll be hard-pressed to find someone better than Hyram, a Hawaii-based skinfluencer, for no-fuss, honest opinions on different brands, ingredients and products.

His energetic videos are a great way to pass an afternoon and, while he has clear preferences for the products he uses on his own skin, his explanations of the pros and cons of skincare items are informative, objective and logical.

Hyram has a great way of dissecting what brands succeed in, as well as their problem areas – whether that’s their ethics or their formulations. He has a useful Skin Care 101 playlist which is perfect for newbies, and a regular series dedicated to answering his subscribers’ questions.

James Welsh

English influencer James Welsh’s channel is full of informative videos to help his viewers better understand skincare. His content includes reviewing the best and worst of ingredients and looking at product types and brands, explaining the mistakes we may be making with our routines and more.

He does an amazing job of breaking down TikTok viral trends and explaining why they do (or do not) work, and he admits when he has been wrong in a previous review or when initially judging a brand or product.

He also has an important series on social media/marketing/filters vs reality, and how they harm your perspective on what’s healthy and feasible. If you ever see him doing make-up videos, though, that isn’t him – that’s his twin brother, Robert.

Dr Davin Lim

A board-certified dermatologist in Brisbane, Australia, Dr Davin Lim operates a channel that aims to demystify and cut through the hype surrounding skincare.

This smiley, bubbly doctor puts out videos that look at some of the issues people tend to go to his office for, such as using the contraceptive pill to treat acne, the best routines for common skin problems like rosacea and hyperpigmentation, and explaining what to do if you have sensitive skin.

Lim has one playlist dedicated to helping people understand acne and another to medical dermatology. His videos are backed by years of education and professional experience, but they’re easy to understand and helpful.

Dr Alexis Stephens

This American doctor – like Lim, also a board-certified dermatologist – tries to help viewers reach their skin health goals. It’s not all skincare content here, either – Stephens has videos focused on things like scalp health and, as she is a woman of colour, common skincare concerns for people with deeper skin tones.

Her channel is full of “how to” videos supported by her medical knowledge, from how to correctly combine active ingredients to treating specific skin problems. Oh, and she also has one of the most soothing voices on YouTube.

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