Right now, the internet is convinced that 2026 is the new 2016. Everyone’s posting side-by-side photos—who they were then vs. who they are now—rehashing King Kylie lips, champagne highlighter, and charcoal masks in all their glory. The trend is equal parts cringe and nostalgic, but it taps into something else: back then, glam was extreme, sure, but everything else felt simpler. For better or for worse, our skincare routines were a little more basic.
In the 10 years between then and now, we’ve dabbled in more buzzy ingredients than I can even wrap my mind around. Today, we inject salmon sperm and slather on ingredients that mimic our cells' DNA-repair process—we’ve zapped, poked, peeled, and prodded our faces in the name of beauty. So when this trend popped up, it unlocked something far more specific than my bad ombré hair job. It reminded me of the brand that quite literally held my skin together back then: First Aid Beauty. And frankly, reminded me that exactly what my skin actually needs is to calm the heck down. That’s where First Aid Beauty has always lived: in the lane of sensitive skin, barrier repair, and soothing relief.
