What is Skin Texture and What Causes It? | Benefit Cosmetics

By Jared Bailey, Benefit Global Brow and Beauty Authority and Licensed Esthetician

Feb 1, 2023

Picture this: You wake up on a typical morning, head to the bathroom to get ready for the day, look at your face in the mirror, and BOOM: there's hardly a bump, rough patch, or uneven textured area in sight. Armed with silky-smooth, even-textured skin, you might feel ready to take over the dang world because it feels that good, right?

But if those smooth days are far and few in between (or only take place in your daydreams), we’ve been there, too. After all, who doesn’t fantasize about having skin as smooth as a baby’s derriere? Well, guess what: with a little help from our Pore Experts, we can help you learn how to visibly smooth textured skin. And if you feel like taking over the world afterward? Well, that’s all you.

Smooth Skin Basics: What Causes Uneven Skin?

Before we dive into our favorite pore-smoothing tips & tricks, it can help to learn what causes uneven skin texture. Uneven skin texture can be caused by a variety of different things, including:

• A build-up of dead skin cells, which can make skin feel rough and look dull
• Damage from the sun, which can hinder your skin cells’ ability to support smooth skin
• Aging, which can lead to a loss of moisture and skin smoothness over time
• Dryness, which can result in excess dead skin cells (see above) and skin that feels coarse to the touch

The good news? There are shortcuts to smooth skin and we’re here to spill ‘em! With a few of our favorite Pore Care practices, you can make your way to smoother, healthier-looking skin.

7 Tips for Smooth Skin

#1 Cleanse (Make Yours a Double)

It’s a classic for a reason. Washing your face helps to clear away gunk and excess dead skin cells which can lead to uneven-looking skin. But what’s better than a little good clean fun? Doubling it, of course, with a double cleanse!

Double cleansing removes dirt, oil, makeup, and debris—the kinds of stuff that can lead to clogged pores and imperfections and may make the road to your smooth skin goals a little bumpy (pun intended). Yup, double cleansing can help you kick dirt, oil, makeup, and other impurities to the curb. But the trick to double cleansing is to use the right products that work well together to clean your pores without stripping your skin of moisture.

Our Double Cleanser Besties

If double cleanser duos were superhero team-ups, The POREfessional Get Unblocked cleansing oil and The POREfessional Good Cleanup foaming cleanser would start a cinematic cleansing franchise:

• The POREfessional Get Unblocked cleansing oil visibly melts away dirt, oil, and makeup. The formula’s ceramide NP helps maintain your skin’s moisture balance.
• The POREfessional Good Cleanup visibly removes dirt, oil and impurities AND, helps skin feel smoother over time. In fact, in one study, 99% of product users said that their skin looked clearer and felt smoother over time*
• * self-evaluation by 116 participants after 1 month

#2 No to Texting Exes, YES to EXfoliating Your Pores

You’ve cleansed. You’ve cleansed again (you go, Benebabe). Now it’s time to exfoliate those pores with a toning foam! Exfoliation can be key to helping smooth away uneven texture caused by dead skin cells, helping you reveal smoother, more even-looking skin.

One of our favorite power-hitter ingredients in the toner world? AHAs—alpha hydroxy acids—and PHAs—polyhydroxy acids. AHAs and PHAs are acids that can help exfoliate skin.

Pssst: We don’t mean to brag but...The POREfessional Tight ’n Toned has got AHAs AND PHAs which help exfoliate pores. Plus, unlike some other toners, you don’t need a cotton pad to apply it to your smooth-seeking skin. Just apply 1-2 pumps to a clean face and neck with your hands. And what will you see when you do?

• 95% said skin is smoother after just 1 use**
• 97% said skin is smoother after 1 month***
• 94% said it visibly improved skin texture after 1 month***

**Self-evaluation by 115 participants after 1 use

***Self-evaluation by 115 participants after 1 month

We recommend you use it after double cleansing AM & PM!

#3 “Moisturize Me, Baby" -- Your Pores, (Probably)

Skin with uneven texture may benefit from a smooth drink of water—that’s right, we're talking about moisturizer. Dry skin can lead to a rough, uneven texture as well as unwanted bumps. Moisturizing daily (right after you tone) can help skin look and feel smoother over time. But not all moisturizers are created equal. Some have a few power ingredients that can help support your smooth skin goals.

When looking for a moisturizer, keep an eye out for these ingredients:

• Niacinamide can help smooth the look of pores.
• Celery & flaxseed extract can help visibly improve skin texture and refine the look of pores.
• Squalane can help maintain your skin’s hydration.

Yeah, these ingredients are pretty special—that's why we put them ALL into The POREfessional Smooth Sip lightweight moisturizer. And look, we can’t argue with the skin-smoothing results of these product users:

• 99% said skin is smooth over time ****
• 96% said skin texture looks more even over time ****
• 97% said skin texture looks smoother over time ****

Talk about a tall drink of water for your pores (sip sip)!

****self-evaluation by 115 participants after 1 month

#4 Take Off Your Makeup Before You Head to Bed PLZ

When you close your eyes and drift off to dreamland, your skin gets to WERK, turning over dead skin cells to help support a smoother-looking skin texture. But that WERK gets a lot harder when you’ve got makeup on. By washing off your makeup (double-cleansing, toning, moisturizing, you know the drill), you’re helping your skin naturally keep itself smooth.

TL:DR? We LOVE your gorgeous makeup looks, but they’re kinda wasted on your pillow (and your pores). Take a few minutes to clean up before your next trip to Snooze City.

#5 Mask It Up

Not all heroes wear masks...but if you want to be a hero for your pores, you might want to consider it! Applying a smoothing mask a few times a week can give you a skin-smoothing boost and a much-deserved dose of self-care.

OH did you want a mask recommendation to help promote smoother skin? We got you.

The POREfessional Speedy Smooth mask works FAST to help your pores reach that good, good smooth. Don’t take our word for it—ask these Benebabes who’ve tried it!

• 96% said their skin is ultra-smooth*****
• 94% said it feels like an instant facial*****
• 96% said their skin is smoother over time******

*****self-evaluation by 104 participants after 1 use

******self-evaluation by 104 participants after 1 month

Schedule your next smooth skin self-care night, lovely. The POREfessional Speedy Smooth will be the first to RSVP.

#6 Listen to Your Skin

Okay, we know, your skin doesn’t actually talk—listening to your skin is all about paying attention to what works and what doesn’t. That means tuning in to what feels good and what gets you closer to your pore care goals. Here's how that looks in your everyday Pore Care practice:

• Patch-testing any new product to ensure it and your pores get along
• Paying attention to a product's ingredients list and making note of ingredients that your pores like...and ones they would rather leave on Read.
• Being aware of how your skin feels when you use a product!

When you’re aiming for pores that feel like smooth criminals (in a good way), it’s smart to keep the communication lines open.

#7 Do 1-6 Consistently!

Consistency is key to achieving your pore goals, so keep up the good work and let your pores soak up the benefits of your smoothing Pore Care practice.

Smoothing the Path to Smoother Skin

Smooth skin can definitely be the stuff of dreams. But with a little know-how and consistency, you can bring your smooth-skin dreams a little closer to reality. Plus, you’ve got Benefit’s 5,000+ global Pore Experts in your corner! Explore MORE about pores, and get excited to start your Pore Care journey with your pore-obsessed pals (that would be us).

ALL ABOUT PORES

Sources

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