ATB Beauty Reads: Old is Gold?

I have encountered this myth a number of times. From my husband's colleagues who sought me out for advice right before their wedding (that one is an interesting story, I'll narrate it at the end of this post) to queries that I get from readers. It seems to be highly prevalent in India, moreso because we look at our past  with rose tinted glasses.

This is an excerpt from the Book "The Original Beauty Bible" By Paula Begoun.


Myth: My grandmother or mother had (has) beautiful skin so I just use what they've always used.





Fact: While your lineage may include naturally perfect skin, using skin-care products formulated even more than ten years ago would be a mistake. It would be similar to saying, my grandmother was a great writer or researcher so I’m going to use the same typewriter or computer they used. No one is going to use a computer for more than five years anymore than they would use a typewriter and still be as productive as they would be using a current state-of-the-art computer. The same is true for skin-care products. What we know nowadays about formulations, ingredients, how skin functions at its best, sun damage, exfoliation, healing, and on and on is rarely addressed in products developed before the millennium.


The brilliant advances in cosmetic chemistry, dermatology, and ingredient technology now allow for the creation of all types of products that have elegant textures, silky applications, superb finishes, and truly effective ingredients that can make a difference in every aspect of your skin-care needs. There are many excellent things to emulate about your grandmother or mother, but the skin-care products they used in the past shouldn't be one of them.


Coming back to my husband's colleague. She sought a meeting with me, her wedding was scheduled for after a month and she wanted some advice on skincare & makeup.

So I called her over, and we started to talk. I soon discovered that her dictionary of skincare included using a lip balm and a face wash. That was it. She said she didn't like using a moisturizer because it made her skin more dry by interfering with its natural hydration. She did feel some tightness soon after washing, but in about 30 minutes her skin felt okay. She didn't use a sunscreen too much as she was unsure of what it was supposed to do.

She never used makeup, ever. For her engagement, she used a black kajal pencil and some of the same vaseline lip balm.

I told her that I understand if you don't want to use moisturiser, but you must use a sunscreen to prevent damage to the skin, and I suggested using a simple homemade curd mask once every 3 days till the wedding.

As for makeup, she was a complete newbie, so I suggested a powder compact, a mascara, some colored pencil eyeliners and couple of nice lipsticks to start off with as they would be easy to use.

So she listens to me silently, and after I was done says "But my mom has never used anything but vaseline lip balm & talcum powder, and she is the most beautiful person I have seen. Her skin just glows and her lips are very naturally rosy - so she doesn't need any makeup at all. She's never used any sunscreen and her skin is so awesome, so why should I use one? In fact I went through my wedding pictures, and I felt I was looking amazing in them all with just my kajal & lip balm!"

I had seen those pictures, she looked far from awesome. Some of her cousins looked far more dressed up than her and if she weren't sitting next to the dhoti wearing boy, one would have thought she was a far off relative attending someone else's wedding.

I realized it wasn't of much use trying to convince her to change, she clearly didn't want to do it herself. So then I asked her "Well, then I guess maybe your mom would be the best person to ask for some skincare advice since she has good skin. I'm just curious, if you feel your current routine is suiting you, and you are happy with your makeup, why did you seek my advice?"

Pat comes her reply, "I thought I'd do something nice for my to-be-husband."

I told her, "You know what, he probably prefers you without makeup too, and since you don't like it as well, why complicate things and spend money?"

Have you encountered this myth?