Four women share skin care spreadsheet

Alli Reed @stratiaskin (opens in new tab)Jude Chao @fiddysnails (opens in new tab)Alyssa Coscarelli @alyssainthecity (opens in new tab)Sophia Roe @ sophia_roe (opens in new tab)

The Quantified Self movement is no longer just for Silicon Valley bros trying to hack their way to a low BMI: Beauty obsessives are the latest group to seek "self-awareness through self-tracking (opens in new tab) The latest group to seek it out, and they're doing it with databases like skincare spreadsheets and diaries that track the complexion products they've purchased and tried.

Others keep it simple with basic Google Docs of top products that can be easily shared with friends. Others use a Microsoft Excel file or Google Sheet to list all the serums, moisturizers, peels, masks, etc. they have tried, along with the dates they used them, side effects, results, etc.

This trend seems to have started around 2015, when the K-beauty phenomenon took off in the United States. It makes sense since the Korean beauty movement has brought us many new products to try, including CC creams, sheet masks, essences, etc.

Blogger Jude Chao of Fifty Shades of Snail (opens in new tab) was quick to embrace the trend, surprising everyone with her elaborate Korean beauty routine. I first saw the skincare spreadsheet on my friend Kat Cactus' blog, Snow White and the Asian Pear (opens in new tab)," says Chao. 'In the beginning, I used to do this for Korean sheet masks. We needed a way to keep track of all the products, how often we were using them, and what results we were getting."

Another longtime spreadsheeter, Ali Reed (opens in new tab), aka "Acid Queen (opens in new tab)," elaborates further with a hyper-analytical document that tracks products down to price per ounce. She explains, "There's a reason I got so specialized: calculating price per ounce in a spreadsheet allowed me to uncover the true cost of things."

"By calculating the price per ounce in a spreadsheet, I was able to uncover the true cost of things," she explains.

Today, the best place to find spreadsheets like Chao's and Reed's is a favorite Internet resource for data-loving beauty junkies: Reddit. social sharing like YouTube and Instagram Before the platform transformed the entire beauty world, there were endless Reddit threads dedicated to skin care to dissect. There, skincare enthusiasts interested in ingredients, trying new products, and researching results began recording their skincare discoveries in spreadsheets and sharing them with users.

This may sound like a high-tech Internet extravaganza. However, using a skin care spreadsheet can be beneficial. Whether it's an inventory record to keep your medicine cabinet clutter-free, a way to track your skin's progress as you incorporate new products into your regimen, or a way to budget as you try to limit impulsive trips to Sephora, it's a (free) tool that can help improve the look of your skin.

To help you get inspired, we asked two of our favorite skin-obsessed influencers, veteran spreadsheeters and us, to share their documentation, favorite products, and advice. Frankly, this information is fascinating, even if you don't intend to create your own spreadsheet. The spreadsheet is like a public skincare diary, giving you access to the skincare secrets of women with seriously gorgeous skin. No more wondering where their glow comes from, because you can step into their skincare wardrobes.

"My skincare addiction started on Reddit and creating this spreadsheet was something I decided to do on my own time to track the products I use and make sure I am being as accurate and thorough as possible. In the beauty world, I feel like beautiful, elegant, minimalist people have a lot of carefully curated shelfies. But I'm more often found on my laptop with Google Sheets open. So I found a way to turn skin care into a thesis. My blog, The Acid Queen (opens in new tab), is the intersection of skincare and science."

"For me, it's important to be really precise about how I document my products to make sure I'm using them consistently. Skin care results can be subtle, so it was important to be quantitative and specific. Around the time I published my skin care spreadsheet, I started my own company, Stratia Skin (opens in new tab). I am obsessed with product chemistry and how formulations interact with the biology of the skin. With the help of spreadsheets, I found a routine that worked for me and haven't deviated from it in the last few years."

"I find my skin care spreadsheet (opens in new tab) most useful for tracking inventory and keeping a close eye on what I add to my skin care routine and how much I am using it. I have layers and layers of routines, so it is important for me to keep track of what is doing what to my skin. I make notes on a spreadsheet several times a week, and when I add new skin care products, I try to document them in more detail. The more new skin care products I add, the more detailed I become. This is also a way to force myself to pay attention to the ingredients. When my memory fails me, I can look back on it if I have solid evidence in my spreadsheet. It keeps me from having to guess at everything."

"I'm almost 40, but when I was growing up and in my 20s, there wasn't a community of regular people talking about skin care, much less digging deep into ingredients and focusing on what they were actually doing to our skin, Reddit, blogs, YouTube, and Instagram made me more aware of the scientific side of skincare and less responsive to marketing speak. Hardcore skincare enthusiasts like myself want data and metrics. Spreadsheets are a way for me to be in control. Once you start keeping track, it really becomes empowering. Over time, it helps me figure out what works and what doesn't, saves me money, and helps me get real results."

While the chances of playing dress-up in former fashion editor-turned-influencer Alyssa Coscarelli's closet are slim, trying every beauty product in her bathroom is fair game. Especially since she showcases so many products in her IG stories. We asked her to give us a step-by-step rundown of the products she uses in this spreadsheet (opens in new tab).

"I have combination skin and breakouts from time to time. I used to suffer from really bad cystic acne, which improved when I took Accutane a few years ago. Now I breakout from time to time, but I travel a lot and it's hard on my skin. There was a time when I used to be inundated with products. I tried too many different things and it backfired and gave me the opposite of the results I was looking for. The key for my skin is to stay consistent, find what works, and keep using it. That's not to say I don't try new products, but I'm cautious about trying too many things at once. If you look at my bathroom, there has been an explosion of products. But right now I'm in recovery mode."

Sophia Lo, chef, writer, and "food and emotional advocate," has a healthy lifestyle that everyone should emulate. Her Instagram videos make you want to take note. This wellness multi-hyphenate keeps it simple when it comes to skin, as you can see from the "Less-is-More" routine detailed in her spreadsheet. (Open in new tab)

"I am definitely a skincare minimalist. I like to keep skincare simple. I like to let my skin do the work. I don't like to complicate things. For my reactive, sensitive, acne-prone skin, keeping my routine to five products or less is the sweet spot. My skin is very sensitive and clogs my pores. My skin doesn't react well to the essential oils found in many "clean" beauty products. Also, I used to have dermatitis, so I tend to stay away from ingredients like silicone, vitamin C, and retinol because they are a little too irritating."

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