Recently, I joined Reddit (I know, late to the party) and saw there were a ton of subreddits devoted to beauty-related topics. I joined a ton of them, plus a few about my favorite shows and books. How else am I supposed to marinate myself in unhinged Onyx Storm theories? But, back to skin…

One thing I consistently saw asked on various skincare subreddits was people talking about glass skin. I would not be surprised if “how to get glass skin?” was in the top five things people asked about skincare on Reddit. There were tons of people asking how to achieve a perfectly scrubbed and poreless complexion, and just as many talking about what they have tried and want to try. I scrolled through hundreds of comments filled with product recommendations, debates over those products, where to buy the best stuff, and even which countries have the best stuff. But, you know what I never saw? I didn’t see anyone talk about having actually achieved glass skin. Sure, they had products they liked and helped their skin look better, but not one had cracked the code.

Being a cosmetologist, skincare junkie, and avid watcher of dermatology videos on YouTube, I have an idea of why that is. Brace yourselves, you’re not going to like it…glass skin is not possible for 99.999999% of the world. I know, it’s a bummer. Who doesn’t want perfect, poreless skin that’s impossibly plump, glowy, and clear as glass? No one! Everyone wants that. But, does anyone have it? Not without winning the genetic lottery, using a filter, and/or having great lighting. It’s just not really a thing. Texture is a natural part of skin. Pores are a natural part of skin. Some people do have smaller pores, but everyone has them. In fact, pores are necessary to transport the oils we need to help our skin become plump and glowy, naturally! Even this stock photography skincare model has visible pores!

There are great products out there that will give you the glassiest version of your skin. I could talk about things to try all day and not get tired. Skincare is so fun! But I don’t like knowing that so many people are out there hating on themselves and their skin because no matter what they do, it never looks like glass. It won’t, my friends. At least not in the way you imagine it. They never put regular people with real lighting in ads, commercials, or influencer reels for products. They never say “results not typical”. They never show skin without makeup. Zoom in to take a closer look if you need to, and please don’t hold your skin to a standard that isn’t real.