Bella Thorne's DIY Skincare Routine Reviewed by Expert

Welcome to your skin check-in with Life & Style’s resident health and beauty expert, Dr. Will Kirby, a celebrity dermatologist and Chief Medical Officer of LaserAway. Every week, he’ll be spilling his candid thoughts and professional advice on all things skin, beauty and wellness as it relates to you — and your favorite stars.

I just watched this Bella Thorne video and, um, is this real life? This video is just so different from any other celebrity skin tutorial videos out there … so, let’s dissect it!

First off, I can’t help but notice that Bella is wearing two glamorous watches … on the same wrist. And when I zoom in, they appear to have the same time set on them. Maybe she is just an extremely prepared person and is ready just in case one of them breaks. Either way, we get it, Bella, you own two diamond-encrusted watches!

Dr. Will Reviews Bella Thorne's DIY Skincare Routine — Youtube; Inset: Dr. Will Kirby/Instagram

So, Bella says, “My skin type is very oily underneath and dry on top.” And I’m a little unclear what she means here. See, it’s very normal to have combination skin, meaning that some areas of the face are more oily, while other areas of the face are drier. And maybe she means that? It seems a bit unclear.

She then displays a dish of lemon juice, sugar, and olive oil. She informs the viewers that she tests it on her newest assistant and — wait, what happened to her old assistant?!? I digress. Back to the dish. She uses it on her face and also eats a little bit. She says it smells like if you go to a “weird hotel” or a “plane when they give you hand towels.” So just imagine a weird hotel, and I guess that’s what it smells like.

Bella occasionally uses the word “mask” interchangeably with the word “scrub.” A mask is a uniform product either in one piece or in the form of cream/suspension that lays uniformly on the face and then is left in place for a set amount of time so the ingredients have time to offer a benefit. A scrub is actually an abrasive product that, as the name suggests, scrubs the outermost skin with the intention of purposely removing dead layers of surface skin in hopes of revealing softer skin underneath. So her instincts are correct in that scrubs can help temporarily improve the appearance of the surface of the skin. But no scrub in the world is going to improve scars, indentations, concavities, or textural abnormalities.

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I’m very concerned about the way Bella uses the phrases “all-natural route” and “going all-natural,” because her implication is that if something is natural, then it’s safe. Let’s be real clear: Just because something is natural doesn’t mean that it’s safe or prudent. That said, it’s refreshing to see a celebrity who is letting her guard down, offering true insight into her skincare routine, and eschewing overpriced potions and lotions.

Moving forward, in all medical fields, the focus is on the mechanism of action. This means that we want to know how and why something works. In Bella’s second concoction, she mixes coconut oil, honey, and cherries. It’s fun to watch. And all the products are delicious. But there is no mechanism of action to believe that this amalgamation can improve the quality of the skin. And it certainly won’t help treat acne, if that is what she is implying.

Is Ashton Kutcher about to jump out of a box? Am I being punked? I almost feel like this is satire. Anyway, as a board-certified dermatologist, I, of course, can’t endorse Bella’s personal skincare routine. Instead of a harsh scrub made from grocery store ingredients, I’d politely suggest you try a gentle exfoliating cleanser like Neo Cleanse or SkinMedica AHA/BHA instead. And in conclusion, I do applaud Bella for her vulnerability, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to her for providing such a unique and entertaining take on a beauty routine.

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Bella Thorne