You've probably seen it on Pinterest. You may have even tried one or two of the DIY face mask recipes you found online. Egg whites mixed with lemon juice promising to shrink pores and tighten skin. Banana masks promising glowing, clear skin based off of the ingredients it holds within its yellow peel.

But are these masks actually beneficial to your skin? The short answer to this is no. In fact, some of these ingredients may actually be causing harm to your skin. But don't get me wrong, certain natural ingredients can have a moisturizing or exfoliating effect when used properly, but in order to gain any of the vitamins and nutrients you are trying to nourish your skin with, whole foods are not going to be how you achieve this.

The Science Behind Skin Care Products

Dermatologists and Estheticians work closely with Cosmetic Chemists. They spend a great deal of time researching ingredients and formulating products so that they can provide consumers with the best, most effective products that are going to deliver a variety of results to one's skin.

If taking care of your skin was as simple as going to the fridge and picking out what to mix up into a mask that day, why would they spend so much time studying these ingredients and figuring out how to deliver these results to the skin?

There are so many factors and ingredients that go into making a formulation. And unfortunately, applying a whole food to the face to achieve these same results isn't going to happen.

Skin and Its Absorption Process

Think about your skin the same way you would the rest of your body. If you eat healthy food and expect to get the proper nutrients your KN95 mask needs from that food, then you must digest it so that the nutrients can be shuttled directly where they need to go. Without your body breaking down the food, there is no way for your body to absorb the nutrients that food provides.

The same goes for your skin. You cannot place a whole food (yes, even the juices or the mashed up version) to the skin and expect the nutrients from those foods to be absorbed into the skin and used how it needs to be. The nutrients need a way to be absorbed by the skin.

This is what scientists that are formulating these products do. They extract the beneficial ingredient and formulate it along with other ingredients so that your skin can be properly penetrated.