In the past, taking care of your skin was as easy as washing your face with soap and water and then putting on a little bit of your mother’s cold cream. But over the years, skincare has changed a lot. Today, skin care includes a lot of things, like cleansers, toners, serums, acids, oils, retinols, sunscreen, and more.
Taking care of your skin is no longer just about basic hygiene. For a lot of women, it has become a way of life, a way to make a statement, and a way to take care of themselves. Millions of people around the world do what used to be a luxury every day. People of all ages are obsessed with skin care, from teens looking for products that make their skin glow to adults spending money on products that keep their skin looking young.
From the classic glow to the Gen Z glass skin
We talked to mothers and daughters about what skincare meant to them in the past and what it means to them now to get a better idea of how people’s views on skincare have changed.
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Aasia Aslam, who is 57, said, “I’ve never really put anything on my skin.” We only washed our faces with soap once in a while. We just didn’t think about taking care of our skin.
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Her 27-year-old daughter, Atiqa Aslam, does things very differently.
“I wash my face every morning and never go outside without sunscreen.” She said, “I wash my face well at night and usually put on a niacinamide serum.”
She also said that she is thinking about getting laser treatments for facial hair.
The Rise of Cosmetic Procedures: Beyond Products
Skincare today includes a lot more than just creams and serums. Laser therapy, hydra facials, carbon peels, microneedling, Botox, fillers, and other cosmetic procedures are now widely available.
Hormonal imbalances have made it more common for women to grow facial hair, according to 26-year-old Masooma Bashir.
“I didn’t have a lot of facial hair, but I chose laser removal because I could afford it at the time. “Later, I got hyperpigmentation and tried a carbon peel,” she said.
The treatments didn’t seem to work for her, but she still uses brightening serums, hyaluronic acid, sunscreen, moisturizer, and niacinamide, which she had used before and had good results with.
“We were beautiful by nature. “She remembered that we played in the dirt all day and our skin was fine.”
She talked about easy routines that included Multani Mitti, Tibet Snow cream, Nivea cream, and old-fashioned treatments like putting raw milk or tomatoes on your skin.
Daily Commitment to Skincare
For a lot of women today, taking care of their skin takes time and effort. 31-year-old Samra Khalid sticks to a strict schedule and doesn’t leave anything to chance.
She said, “In the morning, I put on a 20% vitamin C serum and then sunscreen.” She also mentioned that she switched from local sunscreen to Korean sunscreen.
She used to mix 0.5% retinol with shea butter before using it at night.
“Retinol works differently for each person. She said that beginners should start with 0.2% and that she plans to move up to 1% after she finishes her current product.
An oil-to-milk cleanser, a cleansing gel, and retinol are all part of her nighttime routine.
Her mother, Yasmeen Khalid, 59, on the other hand, never felt the need to care about her skin.
How Social Media Changed the Game
Social media has turned a simple skin care routine into a complicated seven- to ten-step process. These routines often cost a lot of money, which makes it hard to keep up with them.
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At the same time, a lot of local skincare brands are quickly entering the market, and many of them market themselves as organic solutions. There used to be only a few brands that said they could fix every skin problem. Now there are hundreds.
Statista’s data for 2025 says that the global skincare market will make $198.35 billion in sales and grow by 3.53% every year from 2025 to 2030.
It’s getting harder and harder to resist clicking “buy now” because of persuasive marketing, discount codes from influencers, flash sales, and brands owned by celebrities. Seeing perfect celebrities share their routines makes people want to look just as good.
The Korean Skincare Trend
You can’t talk about skincare without bringing up Korean beauty and the glass skin trend. Korean brands have quickly become popular in Pakistan, especially with young people who watch K-dramas and read beauty reviews.
Influencers have made the trend even bigger by talking about new formulas, pretty packaging, and routines that take several steps.
In a culture where fair skin is still quietly seen as beautiful, Korean skin care is often seen as a miracle cure that promises perfect, glass-like skin.
Korean skincare used to be a luxury that people only bought once in a while, but now it’s a must-have on many vanities thanks to online shopping.
The Quiet Pressure to Look Perfect
Women feel unspoken pressure to always look polished and on-trend because of the skincare boom, especially if they can’t afford expensive routines.
Rabia Anum, a journalist and salon owner who runs her own business, thought back on the past.
“Women used what they had at home. She said, “I’ve seen my grandma use beetroot on her lips and cheeks.”
She said that women didn’t always have to look perfect.
She said, “There’s an unspoken belief that women have to look a certain way to be accepted.”
Some women now focus on drinking enough water, walking, and exercising as part of their skincare routine, while others do full ten-step routines both morning and night.
This pressure also affects men, as they are often expected to look “perfect” as well.
Rabia told us about something that worried her.
She said, “A young girl once told me she was one of the smartest kids in her class, but no one talked to her because of her skin color.”
Picking What Really Works for You
There is nothing wrong with following a 12-step skincare routine if it makes you happy and confident. But if it makes you stressed, anxious, or financially stressed, it’s just as okay to stay natural.
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You don’t have to take part in a never-ending race for beauty. Taking care of your skin should help you feel better, not worse.
