Is the Traditional Skincare System Dead?

The Rise of Mix-and-Match Skincare Routines

For years, skincare brands pushed the idea of the “system.” The matching cleanser, toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream… all designed to work together in one perfectly coordinated routine.

But recently, we have started to see a shift.

Instead of rigid regimens, we have started to see more modular skincare routines where consumers could build their own lineup from individual products.

Think brands like Youth to the People. Who off a handful of products where none of them fit into a pre-defined collection or system.

Ultimately, I think people wanted more flexibility. They wanted to be able to mix and match products based on their goals, texture preferences, budget and lifestyle.

I think also a lot of brands that sell “systems” or “sets” often market it in a way that makes the consumer feel like they won’t see results unless they use all the products in that system. Which I totally get not wanting to have to buy three products just to see results.

So, rather than forcing consumers into a full system, products were positioned as interchangeable building blocks that could fit into almost anyone’s regimen.

And honestly, I do see a lot of benefits to this approach.

From a customer perspective, this type of mix and match system allows one to feel less confined to a box when choosing the products they want to use. From a brand perspective, it may mean less products they have to launch and manage.

But there’s another side to this conversation that I don’t think gets discussed enough.

The success of a mix-and-match routine is somewhat dependent on the consumer understanding what ingredients and product types they need to adequately address a skin concern.

Because randomly choosing a collection of individual products does not automatically create a cohesive treatment strategy or that they’re working together toward the same objective.

As a brand, let’s pretend you’ve launched a brightening serum with Vitamin C and you are just waiting for a consumer to say “hey, I am starting to see some dark spots, maybe I will go out and buy a vitamin C serum since I know vitamin C helps with brightening.”

So, they buy your product.

But maybe they were also missing consistent UV protection, increased cell turnover, or support for inflammatory pathways contributing to pigmentation in the first place. The serum only addressed one small piece of the problem, so they never really saw meaningful results… and they never repurchased.

And this is the potential downside to brands that sell fragmented skincare products that nobody really talks about… and that is that biological problems usually require coordinated intervention.

Skin Concerns Are More Complex Than You Think

Let’s continue with this hyperpigmentation example.

Dark spots are not just random discoloration sitting on the surface of the skin. They are the downstream result of biological processes that involve multiple receptors, signaling cascades, gene regulation, enzyme activation, and molecular transformations that are often triggered by UV, inflammation and hormones.

Which means effectively improving discoloration often requires intervention at multiple points throughout that process while also understanding what is triggering excess melanin production in that specific consumer.

Image source: (PDF) Mechanisms regulating melanogenesis*

You may need to:

• reduce UV-induced triggers

• calm inflammatory signaling

• inhibit tyrosinase activity

• neutralize other triggers such as Nitric Oxide

• target the chemical intermediates involved in the tyrosine conversion process

• increase cell turnover

• support the skin’s antioxidant capacity

And while one standalone serum may partially address one aspect of the dysfunction, a thoughtfully designed system can approach the same concern from multiple complementary angles.

That’s where I think creating a system or set of products can really thrive.

Not because consumers need rigid 10-step routines or because brands should force people into buying entire collections, but because coordinated products can be intentionally designed to better support any given skin concern.

For example, in our hyperpigmentation-focused system:

• A cleanser could focus on increasing cell turnover which can help fade existing dark spots

• A daytime lotion could reduce exposure to UV and provide antioxidant support

• A treatment serum could intervene in various spots along the melanin production pathway

Now every product in a consumer’s routine is contributing to the same overarching objective leaving little gaps in the treatment plan.

Systems help brands…

• Narrow the focus

• Have a specific point of view

• Reduce the “guessing game” consumers often face when building routines on their own

It allows you to scream out and say…

“If you are experiencing post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation related to acne, here is a routine specifically designed to address that concern.”

And I think there will always be value in routines designed with that level of intention.

The best skincare systems should not exist just to maximize basket size or create unnecessary steps. They should exist because skin concerns are complex, interconnected problems that often need to be approached from multiple angles.

I think brands like Murad, Paula’s Choice and Briogeo have done really well with their system-based product offerings.

So, while I think there has been a recent shift away from launching systems… I wonder if that is the best strategy for actually trying to solve a consumer concern.