Last Updated June 12, 2025

Key Takeaways

• Less really is more—a stripped-down skincare routine can support your skin barrier, reduce irritation and honestly, simplify your life.

• With a minimalist approach to skincare, every single ingredient should earn its place (and multitaskers get bonus points!).

• Shimmer Chef’s multitasking, multifunctional formulas are minimalist by definition, designed to nourish and  support natural skin function.

Forget the 10-step skincare routine. It’s wasteful in more ways than one, and your skin honestly deserves better. Minimalist skincare is a refreshing alternative that gives your skin—not to mention your skincare shelf—some much-needed breathing room. And the best part? Doing less really can lead to better skin. Keep reading for minimalist skincare principles you should totally embrace.

What makes skincare minimalist?

The simple definition of minimalist skincare is the use of fewer, more purpose-driven products that meet your skin’s needs. In a time when influencers, brands and social media push more, more, more, minimalist skincare is all about less. But don’t assume this philosophy is solely limited to the number of products in your routine. It’s not just about fewer products. It’s about being really mindful about what you’re using and why—a quality over quantity thing, with products that are designed to work with your skin, not against it.

Benefits of minimalist skincare

Here’s how adopting a minimalist approach pays off:

• A stronger skin barrier. At Shimmer Chef, we’re big fans of supporting the skin barrier, which is essentially the first line of defense against the big bad world. Combining multiple actives across a range of products can be really overwhelming to the skin, and many common ingredients actually strip away its natural defenses. In a pretty vicious cycle, it sets you up for the kind of skincare problems that have you running back to the beauty counter to fix. Minimalist skincare, on the other hand, emphasizes products that nourish and protect your skin barrier, which helps it stay balanced and resilient.

• Fewer skin problems. What do sensitivity, irritation, redness, oil slicks and breakouts have in common? They’re often signs of a compromised skin barrier, disrupted acid mantle and freaked out microbiome. A minimalist skincare routine that emphasizes barrier repair with pH-balanced products and microbiome-friendly ingredients can help bring everything back to square one. And that means healthier, happier skin.

• Less waste. Fewer products means less waste, which is one reason minimalist skincare often aligns with sustainability. But besides using fewer resources and producing less packaging waste, many minimalist skincare brands prioritize eco-friendliness (yay, Mother Earth!).

• Faster and easier. A simpler routine is just easier to stick to, and we all know that consistency is one of the best-kept secrets to healthy skin. Luckily, a minimalist approach makes that doable.

Minimalist skincare principles to adopt

If you’re on board with the idea of bringing a minimalist ethos to your skincare routine, step two is executing it. Get started with these four principles.

• Understand what your skin actually needs. It’s easy to assume that you need the latest, greatest skincare tool or product—but do you really? Before you dive face first into the latest skincare trend, ask yourself whether it’ll actually benefit your skin. If you don’t already know your skin type, find an online quiz that’ll walk you through the basics. Knowing what your skin needs is the best way of making sure it gets exactly that.

• Stick to the basics. In a minimalist skincare routine, the essentials are pretty limited. You want a gentle cleanser, some kind of barrier-boosting moisturizer and a good SPF sunscreen. Work in a treatment product for an extra boost of nutrients now and then too, but overall, keep it simple.

• Simplify the ingredient list. Always, always read the label. It helps you avoid ingredient duplication, and it makes you more aware of what exactly you’re smearing all over yourself. Plus, when you use fewer ingredients—and more recognizable ones at that—you’re less likely to experience irritation or a bad reaction. Most conventional skincare products have lengthy lists of multisyllabic ingredients, and good luck if you can identify half of them. Again, less can be so much more. Case in point? The average Shimmer Chef product has seven ingredients, and most of them come from the kitchen.

• Choose your products with purpose. Be intentional about what you put on your skin. Read the ingredients and be sure that you understand what it’s supposed to do. 

What did we tell you? So easy!

Getting started with minimalist skincare

While the philosophy itself might be straightforward enough, where on earth should you begin? As it happens, Shimmer Chef makes it pretty darn simple. Our multitasking plasters and balms are a nutrient-rich swap for cleansers, toners, serums, moisturizers and spot treatments, making them minimalist by design. Our proprietary fermenting process turns fresh, organic superfoods and botanicals into raw, living formulas that are rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, probiotics and prebiotics, which makes them seriously multifunctional. They’re hydrating, soothing and deeply nourishing all at once, flooding your barrier and microbiome with beneficial compounds and keeping your pH happy too. It really is an effective, intuitive way to support your skin, keeping it balanced and functional so you feel and look your best.

Bonus points: All Shimmer Chef products have earned the stamp of approval from the Environmental Working Group. The Made Safe certification speaks to their safety, quality and sustainability, so you can feel good about what you’re using.

Ready for a minimalist routine, Shimmer Chef style? Start with a few swipes of our Apple Cider Mignonette Vitamin C Accelerator, a multi-tasking formula that balances, exfoliates, clarifies and calms. It’s what we recommend in place of a traditional cleanser, which can be really drying and affect the skin’s pH balance. Use it on a cotton pad to remove makeup and SPF, then re-soak a fresh cotton pad and press gently into the skin to fortify and load up with nutrients. Follow it up with our Grapefruit Glacé Morning Face & Body Balm to lock in all of those nutrients, promote collagen growth and feed your skin barrier (this stuff works head to toe, by the way), and go seize the day! Then, treat your skin to the occasional plaster, like our Honey Lime Polenta Face and Neck Plaster, that works to exfoliate, purify and repair. It’s a game changing way to care for your skin, and seeing (and feeling) is believing!

The Bottom Line

Minimalist skincare isn’t about doing, well, the bare minimum. It’s about focusing on what matters most. And for your skin, that’s products designed to nourish and support its natural function. With Shimmer Chef, minimalist doesn’t mean compromising on results, either. Our nutrient-dense, multitasking formulas do more with less—so you can too. Your skin barrier, microbiome, and morning routine will all be better for it!

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the most minimal skincare routine?

A gentle cleanser and a barrier-friendly moisturizer is as simple as it gets. Shimmer Chef’s multitasking, multifunctional products can pare your routine down to two or three products—with serious benefits. Just don’t forget the SPF!

What is a minimalist skincare routine?

A minimalist skincare routine focuses on the essentials, emphasizing limited products that work to support your skin barrier, acid mantle, microbiome and pH level. It’s a less-is-more approach for healthier, more balanced skin.