I’d make a terrible beauty influencer. That's the point of skin longevity.
On anti-aging, capitalism, and the pursuit of beauty
Hi, we’re back with another issue of our inside-out skin health series - where we bring in diverse voices to talk about skin health, formulation science, nutrition, hormonal health, longevity, and everything in between that concerns your skin.
This time, we’re joined by Aroona Chawla.
Aroona investigates how the beauty industry sells us products as bandaids by never addressing the root. She takes on the beauty-industrial complex, the anti-aging myth (sorry, Bryan Johnson), and why skin health and longevity are actually a much deeper game, shaped by diet, habits, lifestyle, supplementation, and stress. In this piece, she shares how she’s thinking about her own skin longevity and a playbook that she’s developed over the years, even when the answer is boring routines.
Aroona read law, built consumer health startups, and now leads business building at a top b-school in India. She’s an active longevity optimizer herself.
I don’t care about making you or myself look “pretty.”
That’s a strange way to open an article about skincare, especially as someone who has studied and practised functional nutrition and longevity coaching. Guilty as charged.
But the beauty industry has spent decades conflating two very different things, aesthetics and function, and that conflation is costing you money, sanity, and skin health.
What matters is skin that works. Skin that’s resilient, adaptive, and biologically healthy as you age. That’s a completely different goal from skin that passes an Instagram filter, and the difference matters more than most people realize.
So before we get into the science and the framework, let’s call out the elephant in the room.
And before you come at me for having great genes, let me remind/tell you that I’ve not had the best luck by default with skin growing up (pcos, law school, yada yada):
The business model you’re being sold
Every time you open Instagram, you’re seeing an algorithmically curated, manufactured, and impossible beauty standard. That’s not just a side effect or drawback of social media. That is the core product they spend millions of dollars every year to perfect with their team of the world’s best engineers. The cycle is intentional: make you feel inadequate, sell you a solution that won’t work, repeat until you die.
The beauty-industrial complex runs on a shame-and-fear loop. Anti-aging messaging is the clearest example. Think about what “anti-aging” actually implies. That aging is something wrong with you; that it needs to be fought; that you’re losing.
Biologically, and it doesn’t matter what Bryan Johnson says, it’s factually incorrect.
It’s a race designed to be unwinnable.
If you ever felt like you’d won, you’d stop buying.
And it goes deeper than that. Many of the “beauty standards” we’ve internalized (hairless, small, perpetually young-looking) aren’t neutral preferences. They’re constructed ideals that center on youth and powerlessness. Understanding why these standards exist, who they serve, and how they were built has genuinely freed me from chasing an aesthetic designed to keep me small, busy, and powerless. I didn’t expect that kind of intellectual clarity to change how I feel about my own face. But it did.
I don’t hate the beauty industry wholesale. Sure, some products are genuinely useful and make my life easier + better, but I do deserve to be a discerning consumer. I’m not okay with being shamed into consumption.
If you’re okay with it, you can go do something else right away.
If you’re willing to look yourself in the eye and reject the narrative that is being shoved down your throat, keep reading.
The reframe
Here’s the shift I want you to make: from anti-aging to skin longevity.
These sound similar, but they’re not.
Anti-aging asks: How do I look younger? It’s a futile question with no finish line. Skin longevity asks: How do I stay resilient? That’s measurable, achievable, and entirely within your control.
Think about how you approach fitness. You don’t go to the gym trying to look 20 again. Maybe you weren’t that fit or good-looking at 20 as you are at 40, to be fair. You go to stay strong, mobile, and functional as you get older. Your skin deserves the same framework. Skin longevity is about maintaining the biological machinery, not reversing the clock.
The mindset shift, practically speaking:
Not vanity → vitality
Not anti-aging → skin function optimization
Not “I’m broken” → “I’m adapting, and I can influence how.”
Essentially, your skin is a direct readout of how your cells are working. Breakouts, dullness, and dehydration aren’t cosmetic problems in isolation. They’re signals of mitochondrial health from your body. This reframe gives you agency instead of anxiety.
The science (the actually useful part)
85% of what we call “visible aging”, fine lines, hyperpigmentation, loss of elasticity, and dullness, is the result of environmental exposure, not biological aging. Genetics accounts for only about 15%.
I told you not to come @ me.
Your DNA is not your destiny. It loads the gun. The environment you choose and give yourself pulls the trigger.
This is genuinely good news. It means most of what concerns and worries you is manageable. The four main environmental aggressors are
→ pollution (particulate matter, exhaust, smog) - nothing we can do about this one other than pack up and move to a remote, untouched corner of the world.
→ light exposure (UV, blue light, HEV)
→ climate stress (humidity extremes, temperature swings)
→ chemical irritants
To understand how these cause damage, you need to know four biological systems on which skin longevity is built:
#1 Collagen integrity — The scaffolding. It keeps skin elastic, durable, and flexible. Collagen isn’t just in your face; it’s in your bones, tendons, and organs.
#2 Antioxidant balance — Your body’s cleanup crew. Free radicals are produced constantly; antioxidants neutralize them before they damage healthy cells.
#3 Lipid barrier health — The raincoat. Non-negotiable. A compromised barrier is the root cause of most sensitivity, dehydration, and irritation. Most people are unknowingly destroying their skin with over-exfoliation and harsh actives.
#4 Mitochondrial function — The power plants. Mitochondria produce ATP (cellular energy). When they’re impaired, cell turnover slows, repair stalls, and everything starts looking flat and tired.
One more, final concept worth knowing, and I promise science class ends here: senescent cells, or what researchers sometimes call “zombie cells.” These are cells that have stopped dividing but haven’t cleared out. They just accumulate, create chronic inflammation, and damage their healthy neighbors. Minimizing zombie cell accumulation is essentially what skin longevity is about at the cellular level.
Similarly, acne, like skin aging is severely misunderstood. Your acne can be addressed by treating the ‘surface’ is one of the most common and harmful misconceptions. Your skin is essentially a system, and like aging - your acne can be traced to an interplay of multiple factors like gut health, diet, hormones, medication, lifestyle and habits.
Your skincare might be a combination of the most highly recommended term-approved products but your acne just won’t clear out unless you address the root and continue treating your skin in isolation.
Radhika Agarwal talks about this at length on her Substack: 1amskincareclub - as someone who’s tackled stubborn acne, she now writes about skin health with an acne focus.
The 7-step framework: protect → maintain → regenerate
This is where theory becomes practice. Seven steps, ordered by their impact and my preference. I’ve been following them for a few years now. Results for you to decide.
Step 1: understand your baseline (blood work first)
Before you buy a single serum, supplement, or treatment, get your blood tested.
I know, it’s less exciting than shopping for skincare. But without knowing what your body actually needs, you’re guessing. And expensive guessing at that. Micronutrient testing at least twice a year tells you what deficiencies you’re actually working with, which turns Step 4 (supplementation) from “throwing things at the wall” into a targeted intervention.
This is your personalized starting point. Don’t skip it.
Step 2: nutrition — the inside-out foundation
Your skin is made from what you eat. All the serums in the world cannot fix a consistently poor diet. Most people I speak to about skin longevity need to fix this.
Build your nutrition around:
Protein: 1.2–1.6g per kg of ideal body weight daily. If you weigh 60kg, that’s 72–96g. Most people are under.
Hydration: 3L of water plus fruits and vegetables for fiber
Good fats: ghee, wood-pressed oils (I use sesame, groundnut, mustard, olive, and coconut only; nothing refind in my kitchen), and omega-rich foods
Warm, cooked foods over cold and raw (helps with digestion efficiency)
Blood sugar management — a CGM (continuous glucose monitor) is genuinely useful, especially if you have PCOS, diabetes, heart issues, or any other cardio-metabolic tendencies or aggravating lifestyles. Your family might hate the outcomes of this but your skin, and your health in general, will love it.
Minimize:
Anything inflammation-supporting: sugar, lactose, deep-fried foods, alcohol (especially cocktails—my vice of choice is a simple tequila with room temperature water; no gluten, sugar, or calorie), cold foods that stress digestion, stringent intermittent fasting, HIIT without HRV management
Practical ways to follow these recommendations:
Stop at 80% full
Eat the rainbow
Calorie restriction overall
One carb per meal, ideally
10–15 minute walk after each meal
Experiment with 12:12 or 14:10 intermittent fasting (at max! Anything more does harm your fertility, so be cautious, especially if you’re of reproductive age)
One detail people overlook: your cookware matters. Make life easy with simple, one-time swaps: glass storage, high-quality cookware, and utensils.
Step 3: daily habits
This is the step the beauty industry hates most.
No random facials. Yes, really.
Get an expert to do targeted facials and therapies for your skin type and requirements. Remember to ensure that these treatments don’t optimize for the short term.
Barrier protection is the priority. Most people are exfoliating far more than their skin needs, especially if they’re using actives like tretinoin.
e.g., Tretinoin is great for specific outcomes, but essentially a chemical irritant that hampers skin longevity in the long run.
Non-negotiables:
Quality sunscreen (more on criteria below)
Quality moisturizer
Sleep — cellular repair happens during recovery
Hormone health awareness — often the missing variable in persistent skin issues
Gentle tools only: face massage, face razor (if used), kept minimal
No smoking or vaping, obviously.
The goal is a tight, boring, consistent routine that is not Instagrammable. Remember, you’re not getting paid to recommend random products left, right, and center.
Step 4: smart supplementation
The keyword is smart, based on your blood work from Step 1.
If you’re not deficient in something, you don’t need to supplement it. More is not better. Targeted is better.
Evidence-backed options worth considering, especially as you age:
Collagen — both food sources (bone broth, paya, gurde kapure) and supplement form
Vitamin D — most people are deficient, especially in urban environments
Omega-3 fatty acids — anti-inflammatory, foundational
CoQ10, NAD+, Creatine — antioxidation and ATP production support
Protein powder — when whole-food consistency is a challenge
Reference your blood work and speak to your health provider. Don’t reference influencers.
P.S. These supplements are generally great for overall longevity as well.
Step 5: movement and stress management
Stress without recovery ages you faster than sun exposure. Cortisol breaks down collagen, to put it ultra-simply, and obviously, science is more complicated than that. So movement isn’t just a fitness goal; it’s a direct skin and general longevity intervention.
Move for endorphins and wellbeing. 150–300+ minutes per week of Zone 2 training (moderate, conversational pace) and 1–2 sessions of Zone 5 training (maximal effort). Build muscle at any and all ages, please!!!!
Sauna 2–3x weekly, if you can: improves circulation, reduces cortisol, soothes muscle tension
Steam 2–3x weekly, if you can: opens pores, supports respiratory health, promotes deep relaxation
The stress-skin connection is underrated in most skincare conversations. Chronic stress shows up as breakouts, dullness, and accelerated collagen loss. Managing it is non-optional if you truly care about skin longevity.
Step 6: protective and regenerative products
What works for my skin may not work for yours, or your lifestyle, or your sun exposure, or your age, or your climate. Instead, understand the categories and look for ingredients that match the science.
Protective layer: foundational antioxidant protection against environmental aggressors
Regenerative layer: stimulates collagen production, structural support, cellular repair
Barrier maintenance:
My product list (only for illustration):
Morning: D’you Hustle → La Roche Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ Repair Moisturizer Balm → any pharmaceutical grade sunscreen <50 SPF
Night: Alternate between Beauty by Bie’s Superpower + Halo Oil and DND (both recommended by my dermatologist)
That’s literally it. The results (without filters or foundation, obviously) —
On sunscreen: The conversation is polarized. One camp says never be in the sun. The other says all sunscreen is toxic. I think both are wrong. You need sun exposure for Vitamin D and circadian regulation. You also need protection from excessive UV damage. The key is timing and ingredient quality.
What to avoid in sunscreen: denatured alcohol, fragrance, and excessive chemical load. Watch for photosensitivity if you’re using tretinoin or other similar actives. It significantly increases sun sensitivity, and this is especially relevant in high-UV climates like India.
One more thing on Botox: Science suggests that, used strategically, for specific scars, elasticity issues, or targeted therapeutic purposes, it has a place. Up to you to do the research.
Step 7: inflammation management for internal radiance
Inflammation is the root of almost every skin and general health issue. Acne: inflammation. Rosacea: inflammation. Accelerated aging: inflammation.
Some additional recommendations for managing it from the inside:
Mushroom varieties — support cellular regeneration
Glutathione — neutralizes free radicals, prevents cellular damage, supports detoxification; lots of whole foods that are rich in glutathione
Antioxidant-rich fruits and bitters in moderation. We’re increasingly becoming a society that’s indexing more on ‘sweeter’ foods rather than ‘bitters’. This is a challenge to our longevity.
Reduce inflammatory inputs (from Step 2) and add anti-inflammatory support here. The result is what people describe as “glowing skin”.
It’s not a product. It’s cellular wellness.
I know this is a lot, but you don’t need to do everything at once.
If you start with Steps 1 and 2, blood work and nutrition, you’ve addressed 80% of the problem. Everything else you can layer in over time, as your system settles and your baseline becomes clearer.
Track signals your body is already sending you:
Dullness → often dehydration
Breakouts → often exhaustion or blood sugar spikes
Wearables (for sleep, HRV, resting heart rate, stress) are useful here, not because you need to optimize obsessively, but because they help you catch patterns before they become visible problems.
Experts I trust
If you want to go deeper, these are the people I trust →
Jessica DeFino - beauty culture critic
Dr Michelle Wong (Lab Muffin Beauty) - cosmetic chemist
Charlotte Palermino - dermatology-informed content
Dr. Angelo Landriscina - Board-certified dermatologist who is all about zero BS skincare + skin health
Ava Perkins - Cosmetic chemist who cuts through fear-based marketing and talks real science
Dr. Shereene Idris - Board-certified dermatologist, and Founder + CEO
Komal Basith - Your one-stop for no-nonsense beauty + skincare content
Dr. Garekar’s Clinic (Dr Gurveen Waraich and Dr Siddharth Gareka) - One of the best dermatologists in Delhi / Gurgaon
Dr. Rickson - Board-certified dermatologist and one of the best in Mumbai
The only thing I want you to remember
You’re not failing at beauty. The beauty industry is failing you.
You’re not broken. You’re not “aging badly.” You’re a human being operating in an environment that stresses your skin constantly, and you have more control over that than you’ve been told.
Your skin is an organ. It’s a direct window into how your cells are functioning. It deserves the same evidence-based, biology-first thinking you’d apply to anything else in your body.
Take back your agency. Focus on function. The aesthetics will follow anyway.
Your skin, and I hope your sanity, will thank you.
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