Is It Skincare or Skin Care? How to Spell Skincare

Away from skincare routines and tips, let’s get into this technicality so that you will use the appropriate terminology alongside caring for your skin.

Skincare vs Skin Care, Which is Correct?

Both skincare and skin care are correct. However, context and preference determine when it is more appropriate to use either.

1. Skincare (One Word)

Skincare is the most common use of this term.

As an adjective, it is used to modify nouns and describe products, services, or brands in these phrases - skincare products, skincare brand, skincare services.

As a noun:

It directly refers to every product and service used to care for the skin. Such products include soaps, serums, cleansers, toners, moisturizers, and sunscreen.
It is more commonly used and is widely adopted in informal contexts, marketing, and branding strategies. It takes precedence in marketing due to its SEO-friendly form and keyword ranking potential.

2. Skin Care (Two Words)

Skin care as a compound word is less frequently used but still just as prevalent.

It is used to describe the actual process of caring for the skin. i.e. My skin care routine involves moisturizing, cleansing and exfoliation.
It is also commonly used in formal contexts like academics and professional settings. For instance, the American Academy of Dermatology Association, research journals and other fields of academics have been recorded to use it as two words. Citing that Traditional Grammarians prescribed that it be used as two words rather than one.

3. Skin-Care (Hyphenated)

This is the third term that has been relegated to the background, rarely ever used. Autocorrection in different devices marks it as an error. It was used to bridge the gap between one-word and two-word forms but has become obsolete.

Final Take

While both forms are generally used interchangeably in different contexts, skincare in marketing and informal usage, and skin care in formal and professional contexts. Ultimately, usage comes down to choice or brand preference as modern language depends on description (how people use it) rather than prescription (use of it as two words).

Additionally, while skincare is generally adopted in marketing for its SEO friendliness, some brands may still use skin care because it aligns with their brand ideology, tone, or target audience. These are brands that prioritize tradition or a distinct approach irrespective of market trends.