Skincare is a Scam

The global skincare industry, particularly the segment focused on creams and lotions, continues to thrive as a multi-billion-dollar market, with overall skincare valued at around $198 billion in 2026 and projected to reach 260 billion by 2033.

Creams and lotions, especially moisturizers and hydrators, remain dominant essentials, often capturing the largest share around 35–42% of the market. But why? Did anyone stop to ask why? Why do women need all these creams and lotions?

Creams and lotions are driven by their role in daily hydration, barrier support, and promise of nourishment, protection, and repair. are they?

A growing collections of evidence from PubMed-reviewed studies on the gut-skin axis invites skepticism about whether topical creams and lotions truly address root causes of poor skin health.

or are these creams and lotions largely superficial fixes for issues tied to internal factors like bad diet, poor gut health, and microbiome dysbiosis?

New Research has consistently linked gut microbiome imbalances (dysbiosis) to inflammatory skin conditions such as acne, dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, altered immune responses, increased systemic inflammation, reduced short-chain fatty acid production, and leaky gut allowing microbial byproducts to trigger skin issues. Still want to add some lotion onto your skin? Can you see the bigger picture? New studies have linked toxic foods and eating diets to skin health. But it seems Americans just want to add more lotion onto their skin anyways.

For instance, studies show lower beneficial bacteria Bifidobacterium, Lactobacillus shifts toward pro-inflammatory profiles in affected individuals, while interventions like probiotics, prebiotics, or dietary changes often improve symptoms by restoring balance—suggesting that suboptimal gut health from processed foods, antibiotics, or poor lifestyle may underlie many common skin problems rather than external factors alone.

This raises valid questions. Like, Is much of the skincare industry’s emphasis on creams and lotions a scam, or at least overhyped? when addressing diet and gut microbiome, could other natural remedies offer more fundamental, long-term benefits for skin health? Like Elderberries or black seed oil? Or a healthy diet with no processed foods?

While topical products provide immediate hydration and protection, emerging evidence implies they may mask rather than resolve deeper, diet- and microbiome-driven problems in many cases.

New Pub med studies show that, Your skin and your gut, that’s your stomach and intestines, are connected in a cool way called the gut-skin axis. This means what’s happening inside your belly affects how your skin looks, and feels. Better skin health starts with inside the stomach! Your gut health! Scientists have found that when the tiny living things (called bacteria or microbiome) in your gut get out of balance—this is called dysbiosis—it can cause skin problems like pimples (acne), red scaly patches (psoriasis), itchy dry rashes (atopic dermatitis or eczema), and even other issues like rosacea or hair loss spots.

What Goes Wrong with Bad Gut Bacteria?

Your gut has trillions of good and bad bacteria that help control your immune system (your body’s defense team). When things are balanced, they make helpful stuff like short-chain fatty acids that calm down swelling (inflammation) and keep your gut wall strong. But if the balance breaks (dysbiosis), bad things happen:

• Your gut gets “leaky” — tiny holes let junk slip into your blood.
• This junk triggers your whole body to get inflamed.
• Inflammation shows up on your skin as redness, bumps, itchiness, or thick patches.

For acne: Bad gut bacteria can make your body produce more oil in your skin and cause pimples. Eating lots of sugary or greasy fast food makes it worse because it messes with hormones and grows more bad bacteria. For psoriasis: People with this often have more harmful bacteria and fewer good ones. This fires up a part of your immune system (called Th17) that attacks your skin, making red, scaly spots.

For eczema, atopic dermatitis, Kids and adults with eczema usually have less variety in gut bacteria, especially fewer ones that make calming chemicals. This makes the immune system overreact to normal stuff, causing super itchy skin. But have no fear! We have a solution to try!

This is why you should check out DYMA elderberry gummies with black seed oil. Our DYMA Elderberry vitamin gummies (with black seed oil in some formulas) offer a natural, tasty way to support this gut-skin connection and help ease related skin issues. Elderberry is rich in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that calm systemic inflammation, strengthen your immune response, and indirectly promote a healthier gut environment by reducing oxidative stress that can disrupt microbiome balance—helping prevent leaky gut from fueling skin flares like acne or eczema. Black seed oil adds extra benefits with its thymoquinone, which has shown in studies to support gut barrier integrity, fight harmful bacteria overgrowth, and lower inflammation markers that travel to the skin. By taking these gummies daily, you’re giving your body easy-to-absorb vitamin C, zinc, and herbal power to boost overall gut health, reduce that whole-body swelling linked to skin conditions, and promote clearer, calmer skin from the inside out—especially when paired with better eating habits. It’s not a cure-all, but a chill, natural boost—always check with a doctor before starting supplements!

Back to gut issues causing skin problems. Other skin issues like rosacea (red face with bumps) or hidradenitis (painful lumps) can link back to unhealthy gut problems too.

Why Food and Gut Health Matter Way More Than Creams and lotions.

What you eat changes your gut bacteria super fast. Junk food (high sugar, lots of fat, processed stuff) lowers good bacteria and raises inflammation—making skin worse. A healthy diet like lots of fruits, veggies, whole grains, and fiber (think Mediterranean food with olive oil, fish, branzino for the Greeks! They know! And nuts, grows good bacteria, this makes those helpful fatty acids, lowers swelling, and helps clear up skin.

Probiotics (good bacteria in yogurt or supplements) and prebiotics (food for good bacteria, like in bananas or onions) can fix the balance and improve acne counts, eczema itch scores, or psoriasis redness—often better than just putting stuff on your skin.

Many creams and face washes only fix the outside a little then wash off. They might moisturize or kill some bacteria on top, but they don’t fix the inside problem causing the inflammation.

Your skin has a tough outer layer, so not much from creams gets deep anyway. If your gut is unhealthy from bad eating, the problem keeps coming back—no matter how many fancy products you use.

The Skincare Industry Is not Legit like you think.

The huge beauty industry sells tons of creams, serums, and masks promising perfect skin. But for ongoing issues like acne, eczema, or psoriasis, lots of these products don’t solve the real cause—they just cover it up temporarily. People keep buying more because the skin flares up again.

Why?

Because the root is often inside: poor diet, messed-up gut bacteria, and constant inflammation from what we eat. Bad nutrition (too much junk, not enough real food) is a big reason for bad skin—not just dirty pores or genes. Fixing your gut with better food often works better and lasts longer than relying only on topical stuff. Studies show diet changes and gut fixes improve skin more holistically than many surface treatments alone.

What we really like about our elderberry gummies is how they stand out as a premium natural herbal supplement—they go way beyond basic immune support to help with staying balanced, reducing everyday inflammation, and feeling great all year long. We reach for them especially during cold season or when life gets busy, and they help us stay strong and energized. As a convenient, enjoyable part of our routine, these gummies make it so easy to bring nature’s goodness into our day without any artificial junk. We always suggest checking with a doctor before starting any new supplement, but for us, our vitamin gummies are a delicious, science-backed way to take care of our health naturally!

Gut Bacteria Health Examples

Think of your gut bacteria like a garden. Good bacteria keep everything calm and healthy. They make helpful stuff like short-chain fatty acids S,C,F,A, that fight swelling (inflammation) and help your immune system chill out. Bad bacteria or too few good ones make your gut “leaky” — tiny holes let junk (like toxins or bits of food) sneak into your blood. This starts body-wide inflammation that shows up on your skin as breakouts, redness, or dry itchy spots. For acne (those annoying pimples): Bad gut bacteria can crank up hormones like IGF-1, make your skin produce too much oil, and cause clogged pores plus extra inflammation. Eating lots of sugary junk food or greasy fast food messes up your gut bacteria even more, making acne worse.

For psoriasis: Your gut might have fewer helpful bacteria, like ones that make S,C,F,A. and more troublemakers.

This fires up your immune system in the wrong way (like over-activating Th17 cells), leading to fast skin cell growth and those thick red plaques. For atopic dermatitis (eczema): Low levels weaken your skin’s natural barrier, so it gets super dry and lets allergens in easier.

Your immune system goes into overdrive with allergy-type reactions (Th2 stuff), causing intense itching and rashes. This can start early in life if antibiotics, C-sections, or poor diet mess with baby gut bacteria. Other skin issues like rosacea (red face with visible blood vessels) or hidradenitis suppurativa (painful lumps) also link to gut imbalance and extra inflammation.

What really helps? Diet and fixing your gut — way more than just slapping on creams. Lots of studies show that what you eat changes your gut bacteria super fast. A junk-food diet (high sugar, processed stuff, low fiber) kills good bacteria and boosts inflammation. But eating fiber-rich foods (veggies, fruits, whole grains, beans), fermented stuff (yogurt, kefir, kimchi), and healthy fats (like from fish or nuts) feeds good bacteria, and makes more S,C,F,A, which lowers inflammation, and often clears skin better. Probiotics (good bacteria pills) or prebiotics (food for good bacteria) help some people with eczema, psoriasis, or acne — trials show reduced redness, fewer flares, and calmer skin.

Topical Skin Care Products & Creams

Topical skin products (creams, serums, spot treatments) can help a bit on the surface — like drying out pimples or soothing redness temporarily. But they don’t fix the inside problem. If your gut is messed up from bad eating or stress, inflammation keeps coming back no matter how many fancy creams you use. Many big skin care brands push “miracle” products that give quick glow or cover-up, but they ignore the root cause for real chronic issues. It’s like putting a band-aid on a leaky pipe instead of fixing the pipe.

Elderberry gummies by DYMA can help fix this naturally in a chill way for an 18-year-old dealing with breakouts or irritated skin. Elderberries are loaded with antioxidants and natural compounds that fight inflammation and support your immune system, which helps calm the overreactions that make acne, eczema, or rosacea worse when your gut is off. By popping these tasty gummies daily, you’re giving your body extra vitamin C, zinc, and other goodies that boost good bacteria growth indirectly (through better overall health and less stress on your system), strengthen your gut barrier to stop “leaky gut” junk from causing skin flares, and reduce that systemic swelling without harsh meds or creams. It’s not a magic fix, but combined with eating more fruits, veggies, and less junk, our elderberry gummies make it easy and fun to support your gut-skin connection from the inside, to the outside! helping your natural immune system to clear up your skin more naturally over time. Always chat with a doc first, though!

Bad skin often comes more from poor diet and gut health than just dirty skin or hormones alone. Processed foods, too much sugar, dairy, fast foods, fried foods, seed oil foods, no veggies or fruits — these throw off your gut bacteria, spike inflammation, and mess with hormones.

Fix the inside (eat real food, maybe add probiotics), and your skin usually improves way more than endless topical routines. Thank you for watching another awesome DYMA health video! We hope to see you again on the next one.

Sources:

• PMC9311318: Impact of gut microbiome on skin health: gut-skin axis observed through the lenses of therapeutics and skin diseases.
• PMC6920876: The Skin and Gut Microbiome and Its Role in Common Dermatologic Conditions.
• PMID 41041846 (gut-skin axis review), PMID 37816413 (dysbiosis in psoriasis/eczema), and more on diet/probiotics helping skin.
• PMC7916842: Gut–Skin Axis: Current Knowledge of the Interrelationship between Microbial Dysbiosis and Skin Conditions.