If you’ve been browsing through beauty trends on social media, it can be easy to believe that looks are more important than ever in today’s society. The truth is that people throughout history have been obsessed with appearance and have used strange and sometimes harmful methods to achieve beauty.

She’s effortlessly chic. Fresh from her Pilates class, sporting perfectly coordinated pink fitness gear, and clutching an iced matcha latte in her flawlessly manicured hands. Her hair is slicked back into a neat ponytail, and delicate gold hoops dangle from her dainty earlobes. She is the glass-skinned, glossy-lipped, vanilla-scented entity known as the “clean girl.”

If you’re a skincare enthusiast like me, you’re probably aware of the many pitfalls peppering the beauty industry. Given the immense pressure to meet certain standards, it can be easy to find ourselves falling down a rabbit hole into unfamiliar and possibly dangerous territory.