A Wren Says

You’re getting ready for the day. You’ve applied your favorite skincare product and move on to the next. And oh no, it’s rolling up into little balls and coming off in a very unattractive manner. You have got some product pilling.

With the number of products I try out, I have had my own experiences with this issue. These are the main reasons why pilling happens:

• Product didn’t penetrate the skin
• Issues with product absorption (Products aren’t penetrating the skin.)
• The two products don’t mix well. A silicone base + water or oil based = pilling or sometimes, powder + liquid = pilling. (This is why the beauty gurus often tell you to apply your liquid and cream products first.)
• You need to exfoliate your skin (i.e. the pilling is actually your dead skin cells)

I will say, sometimes it can feel like a money grab, but this is one of the reason why I like the idea of using products from the same brand that were formulated to work together. It takes the trial and error piece of trying to figure out if they will give this issue.

If I were to experience this issue again, maybe it’s time to check the ingredients lists and check for incompatible elements. When I’m shopping, I might need to test out new products against my holy grail products to see how they behave together. Or maybe it’s a sign I need to exfoliate on a more regular basis.

Previously, if I experienced pilling, my thought was the product was bad. But now it is more a matter of thinking about it like a scientist. What were the conditions I used it under? What do I need to tweak to make it work best for my skin?