Of 15 votes cast so far, The explosion in routine length tracks suspiciously well with the explosion in skincare creators who get paid per product they feature — [color=purple]dermatologists didn't start recommending 8-step routines around the same time "shelfie" culture did by coincidence[/color]. **The clearest evidence this is a status game, not a health one, is that it's trickled down to nine-year-olds** — the "Sephora kids" phenomenon got bad enough to trigger real warnings from doctors and a peer-reviewed study. *That's not self-care. That's marketing that found an audience too young to know better.* leads with 80%.

Multi-step routines exist because skin isn't one-size-fits-all — **a retinol at night, a vitamin C in the morning, and SPF year-round are each backed by real clinical research**, and layering them correctly is standard dermatological advice, not a marketing trick. The "10 steps" number gets mocked, but most of those steps take 30 seconds each. *A dermatologist-guided routine is protective, not harmful* — the real problem isn't multi-step skincare, it's kids copying adult routines with zero guidance. See [how dermatologists are actually responding to the "Sephora kids" trend](https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/12/business/sephora-kid-tweens-skincare-obsession). is second on 20%, 60 points behind.

Votes have come in from 3 countries, most of them from China.

The most recent vote came in 3 days ago.