From chasing 10% actives to layering niacinamide, salicylic acid and azelaic acid, our obsession with “better” skincare may be creating a problem of its own. Kass Beauty founder Deepti Kulkarni explains why understanding your skin could matter more than adding another serum.

There is a particular moment that happens somewhere between discovering skincare and becoming too interested in skincare.

First, you buy a cleanser.

Then comes a moisturiser. Then vitamin C because someone on Instagram said it will brighten your face. Then niacinamide because apparently your pores need help. Then salicylic acid for the occasional breakout. Then a retinoid because ageing is now something we apparently need to prevent at 25.

And suddenly, your bathroom shelf looks like a chemistry laboratory.

The strange thing is that we’re doing all of this because we want healthier skin.

But could our obsession with fixing every individual concern actually be making our skin more confused, irritated or sensitised?

According to Deepti Kulkarni, Founder of Kass Beauty, this is exactly the conversation we need to be having.

So, what happens when you put too many actives on your face?

The modern skincare consumer has become remarkably ingredient-literate.

We know percentages. We compare formulations. We know which acid exfoliates and which peptide supposedly supports collagen. We save videos explaining which ingredients can and cannot be mixed.

But Kulkarni believes there is a fundamental problem with the way we have started thinking about skincare: we’re treating ingredients as individual solutions to problems that are far more complex.

Take acne.

It isn’t necessarily caused by one thing.

Oil production, congested pores, slower skin turnover, inflammation and bacterial activity can all play a role.

So what happens when you simply pick one ingredient for each concern and layer them all together?

Kulkarni describes it as a “tug of war” on the skin, with different products trying to perform different functions at the same time.

And that may help explain why so many young consumers are now complaining about sensitised skin.

We wanted better skin.

We may have simply given it too much to deal with.

The hero-ingredient culture might be missing the point

The beauty industry loves a hero.

One ingredient becomes the star of the moment, and suddenly every problem seems to have a corresponding active.

Vitamin C. Retinol. Hyaluronic acid. Niacinamide. Peptides.

But Kulkarni asks a fairly obvious question: if the skin is such a complex organ, can one ingredient really solve a complex biological problem?

Her answer is no.

The issue isn’t necessarily that these ingredients don’t work. It is that the ingredient-first approach can make us forget the bigger picture: what is actually happening inside the skin?

That distinction is at the centre of Kass Beauty’s idea of “bio-intelligent” skincare.

What does bio-intelligent skincare actually mean?

The phrase sounds like something designed for the next decade of beauty, but Kulkarni’s explanation starts with something much more fundamental: biology.

“Bio” refers to the skin’s biology.

“Intelligent” refers to creating formulations that work with that biology rather than attempting to overpower it.

According to Kulkarni, the skin is an intelligent system in itself. It has its own way of functioning, responding and repairing.

The objective, therefore, isn’t to force it into behaving differently simply because a particular ingredient is trending.

It is to understand the function first.

Then formulate around it.

And no, your skin probably isn’t going to transform in seven days

This might be the skincare promise we’re most accustomed to seeing.

Seven days.

Fourteen days.

Twenty-one days.

Instant glow.

Visible transformation.

But according to Kulkarni, our expectations don’t always match the biology of skin.

Skin-cell turnover typically takes around 21 to 28 days in younger skin, and the process can become slower with age.

That means there is an important distinction between something making your skin look temporarily better and actually changing the underlying condition.

A peel can give you an immediate glow.

Exfoliation can make the surface appear smoother.

But neither necessarily means the root cause of a concern has been addressed.

“Skin does not understand seven days,” Kulkarni says.

And honestly, neither should we.

What about Indian skin?

The conversation becomes even more interesting when it comes to Indian skin.

Kulkarni explains that while the fundamental functioning of human skin remains consistent, pigmentation and melanin influence how certain concerns appear.

Indian skin can be particularly prone to concerns such as pigmentation and stubborn post-acne marks.

Melanin also provides a degree of natural protection from sunlight, making the relationship between skin colour, sun exposure and pigmentation more complicated than simply labelling one skin type as “better” or “worse.”

For brands formulating specifically for Indian consumers, the challenge is therefore not just to create products that sound scientifically advanced.

It is to understand the structure of the skin and the concerns that consumers are actually experiencing.

Maybe social media has given us too much information

Skincare has never been easier to research.

You can learn about an ingredient in thirty seconds.

You can watch someone explain their entire routine before your coffee gets cold.

You can find hundreds of Reddit threads discussing the same breakout.

But there is a catch.

Information isn’t necessarily personalised advice.

A product can work beautifully for one person and be completely unsuitable for another.

Kulkarni isn’t dismissive of beauty creators either. She acknowledges that most creators are sharing something because it genuinely worked for them.

But your skin isn’t their skin.

And that is perhaps the most important thing to remember before copying someone’s routine.

So, what should we actually be doing?

According to Kulkarni, the first step isn’t necessarily buying another product.

It’s understanding your skin.

Why are you experiencing pigmentation?

Why has your skin suddenly become sensitive?

Why are you breaking out?

Why are you using three different exfoliating ingredients?

And, perhaps most importantly, do you actually understand the brand and formulation you’re trusting with your skin?

Her advice is refreshingly simple: invest in knowledge.

For significant or complicated skin concerns, professional advice can be more useful than following a viral routine. And before adding another active, it is worth asking whether your skin actually needs it.

The future of skincare might be less about doing more

Beauty has spent years teaching us to add.

Add an active.

Add a serum.

Add an exfoliant.

Add another step.

Add another percentage.

But perhaps the next evolution of skincare will be about doing something much less exciting — understanding.

Kulkarni believes consumers are becoming increasingly intelligent about beauty and will eventually start looking beyond marketing claims and individual ingredients.

The future, she believes, belongs to smarter choices, more informed consumers and brands willing to explain the science behind what they do.

And maybe the most luxurious thing you can give your skin isn’t another expensive serum.

It is time.

Because skin doesn’t work according to your FYP.

It doesn’t care about a seven-day promise.

And it certainly doesn’t need to win a tug-of-war between five different actives.

Sometimes, better skin starts with understanding what your skin was trying to tell you all along.