Why We Started a Skincare Company That Tells You NOT to Buy More Skincare

The Wake-Up Moment

We were in our early 50s when it hit us: our skin had never looked worse.

Not because we'd neglected it. Not because we'd been careless with sun exposure or skipped the basics. Our skin was destroyed because we'd done everything the beauty industry told us to do.

We'd followed the 12-step Korean routines. We'd tried every "miracle" serum that promised to turn back time. We'd rotated acids and retinols and vitamin C like we were conducting chemistry experiments on our faces. We bought the expensive eye creams, the separate neck creams, the morning formulas that were supposedly different from the night formulas. We did everything right according to the magazines, the influencers, the dermatology blogs.

And our skin barriers were obliterated. Redness. Sensitivity. Reactions to products we'd used for years. That tight, uncomfortable feeling that never quite went away. The irony was suffocating: we'd spent thousands of dollars and countless hours trying to improve our skin, and we'd made it exponentially worse.

That's when the realization hit like a cold slap: the beauty industry isn't broken. It's working exactly as designed—to keep you buying.

The Industry's Playbook Exposed

Once you see it, you can't unsee it. The beauty industry has perfected a system that ensures you never stop buying. Here's how it works:

Complexity creates revenue. Why sell you one moisturizer when they can convince you that your face, eyes, neck, and hands all require separate products? Why offer a simple routine when a 12-step process sells twelve products instead of three? The rise of "layering" and elaborate routines isn't about efficacy—it's about multiplying your shopping cart. Every additional step is another SKU, another margin, another reason to keep you coming back.

Retinol side effects aren't a bug—they're a feature. Ever notice how the products that cause the most irritation are also the most heavily marketed? Retinol is the perfect example. Yes, it works. But it also causes redness, peeling, sensitivity, and damaged barriers for most people. And what do you buy to fix that? More products. Barrier repair creams. Soothing serums. Gentle cleansers for compromised skin. The very products that damage your skin create a demand for products to repair it. It's a self-perpetuating cycle, and it's brilliant—if you're selling skincare.

The "innovation" treadmill keeps you anxious. Notice how your favorite product gets "reformulated" every year? Or how there's always a new ingredient you must try? Bakuchiol. Niacinamide. Peptides. Snail mucin. Centella. Next year it'll be something else. This isn't innovation—it's planned obsolescence. If your routine actually worked and stayed consistent, you'd stop shopping. So brands create urgency: new formulas, limited editions, "improved" versions of products that were working fine. FOMO sells.

Gender marketing is a profit multiplier. Here's a secret: "men's" skincare is almost identical to women's skincare, just in darker packaging and marked up. Skin biology doesn't care about gender. Collagen production, moisture barriers, and aging processes work the same way regardless of what's between your legs. But selling separate products to men and women means you can charge both demographics instead of one. It's the same formula in two bottles. Twice the revenue.

What We Do Differently

When we started Schaf, we decided to build a company based on the opposite principles.

We use clinical concentrations that actually work. Most skincare products contain 1-2% active ingredients—just enough to put it on the label, not enough to make a real difference. Our moisturizer contains 10% hyaluronic acid, 10% niacinamide, and 10% peptide blends. Our serum has 15% vitamin C in stable form. These are the concentrations you'd find in a dermatologist's office, not a department store. Why? Because we'd rather make a product that works than one that requires you to buy six others to "boost" its effects.

We create true multitasking products—not marketing BS. Our moisturizer works for your face, eyes, neck, hands, and body. Not because we slapped "multitasking" on the label, but because we formulated it to actually deliver what four separate products would. Most eye creams are just face creams in smaller jars at triple the price. We refuse to insult your intelligence that way. One product, multiple uses, real results.

We don't reformulate, we don't do limited editions, and we don't create FOMO. Our products are the same today as they were years ago because they work. We're not going to "improve" them to get you to rebuy something you already own. We don't do seasonal collections or limited-edition packaging. We don't manufacture urgency to manipulate you into purchasing. If you need more product, we'll be here. If you don't, we'll still be here. We're not going anywhere.

We don't gender our products because skin biology doesn't care about gender. Our formulas work for everyone. Men, women, non-binary folks—your skin responds to ingredients the same way. We're not going to sell you two versions of the same thing in different packaging. It's one less thing to think about, one less marketing tactic designed to separate you from your money.

The Uncomfortable Truth

Here's what makes us different—and why we'll never be a billion-dollar brand:

If our products actually work, you won't need to buy from us as often. A bottle of our moisturizer lasts 3-4 months with daily use. If it's doing its job, you shouldn't need six other products to supplement it. That's bad for our bottom line but good for your skin and your wallet.

We'd rather you buy 3 products that work than 12 that don't. Most brands maximize customer lifetime value by selling you as many products as possible. We're trying to minimize the number of products you need. It's a terrible business strategy. It's also the right thing to do.

This is why we'll never be as big as L'Oréal—and we're fine with that. We're not trying to capture every customer or dominate every shelf. We're not backed by venture capital demanding exponential growth. We're a husband-and-wife team in our 50s who started this because we couldn't find what we needed. We'd rather stay small and stay honest than scale up and start playing the same games that frustrated us in the first place.

A Question for You

Are you tired of being marketed to like you're an idiot?

Are you exhausted by the 12-step routines, the constant "innovations," the separate products for every square inch of your body?

Do you want skincare that respects your intelligence, your time, and your money?

We're not for everyone. If you love the ritual of elaborate routines, if you enjoy hunting for the latest trending ingredient, if you find joy in the endless variety—there are plenty of brands that will serve you well.

But if you're tired of the bullshit, tired of products that don't work, tired of an industry that treats you like a walking wallet—we built Schaf for you.

Leave a comment below or email us directly at info@schafskincare.com—we read every single one. Tell us your worst beauty industry frustration. Tell us what you wish existed. Tell us we're full of it. We're listening.

Because unlike most brands, we actually want to know what you think.