While each product featured is independently selected by our editors, we may include paid promotion. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission. Read more about our Product Review Guidelines here.

In case you missed it, online retailer Dermstore is hosting its Anniversary Sale on skin care, makeup, and more. From now until August 18, you can use code “CHEERS” at checkout and get up to 25 percent off on select brands. Plus, you can get double points on purchases made from specific brands if you’re a rewards member (you can sign up for free here), which can be converted into 10 percent back on future purchases. Whether you want to change your routine and try something new or stock up on your favorite items, this is the best time to shop on a budget.

You can score discounts on medical-grade skin care from Elta MD and Skin Medica, body care, and top-selling favorites from brands like Elemis, Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, Cosrx, and so much more. With more than 7,000 products on sale, we made life a little easier for you and rounded up the best beauty deals during Dermstore’s Anniversary Sale.

Stocking up on sunscreen? Try out our editor favorites that leave no white cast and feel weightless and hydrating on the skin. While you’re at it, pick up an editor-backed vitamin C serum. If you have acne-prone skin, now’s your chance to try out the bestselling Skin Perfecting 2% BHA Liquid Exfoliant from Paula’s Choice or stock up on pimple patches. Try the bestselling long-wearing Double Wear Stay-in-Place Foundation from Estée Lauder for the summer or a clean conditioning mascara formula from RMS Beauty.

Keep reading for all our picks ahead.

If you’ve spent any amount of time on TikTok lately, you’re probably familiar with the fact that tinned fish are having a moment. (Seriously, I want whoever is running the PR for tinned fish to run my entire life.) People on the app can’t get enough of anchovies, smoked oysters, and the girly-pop-crowned “most popular tinned fish out there”: sardines.

For the unfamiliar, sardines are small fish that live in the ocean. They are often grilled or eaten straight out of a can, where they are typically packed in oil, water, or other various liquids like tomato juice. When eaten, the heads are typically removed, but the bones and the skin are generally ingested. They have a mild-to-strong salty, fishy taste that differs depending on what they’re cooked with. A simple Google search will tell you that sardines are packed with vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids, including magnesium, iron, calcium, vitamin D, zinc, and potassium, just to name a few. It’s also easy to learn that they are considered part of a healthy diet. But if you eat enough of them, will they actually make your skin glow? Many people on TikTok believe the answer to be yes.

Users have been sharing their “skin-care routines,” and by that, we mean their diets, which consist heavily of sardines. We’re a little wary when it comes to trusting TikTok trends, so we decided to tap our experts and have them do a little myth-busting for us.

Ahead, two experts break down everything to know about how sardines can affect your skin. Keep scrolling to learn more.

Experts Featured in This Article

Katya Khayutin is a master aesthetician and owner of BelVer Studio.
Brianna Diorio has her PhD in integrative medicine and MS as a clinical nutritionist as well as the director of product education at Nutrafol.

Can Eating Sardines Improve Your Skin’s Appearance?

The short answer? It might. Sardines have a high content of omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and vitamins, which are all things that help support glowing skin. “Omega-3 fatty acids are known for their role in modulating and supporting healthy inflammatory responses, which can play a role in acne and can help maintain the integrity of the skin barrier, which helps to retain moisture,” Dr. Diorio tells PS. “These fatty acids can also play a role in supporting the production of ceramides, and free fatty acids in the skin, which are important for a healthy stratum corneum—the outermost layer of the skin.”

What Are the Other Skin-Care Benefits of Eating Sardines?

So, what skin-related concerns can eating sardines help with? As previously mentioned, sardines are a nutrient-dense food, and eating them provides several different vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. “Eating sardines can help address skin-related issues such as acne, aging, and inflammation from conditions like eczema and psoriasis,” Khayutin says. “The omega-3 fatty acids in sardines reduce acne severity and skin inflammation, while the protein and nutrients support collagen production, diminishing wrinkles and fine lines.”

Want to dig even deeper? “Omega-3s are found in the phospholipid bilayer of skin cells, which means they can influence membrane fluidity and function, which is important for maintaining cell structure and promoting healthy skin,” Dr. Diorio says. “The antioxidants and vitamins found in in sardines, like selenium, B12 and even zinc, can also protect skin against oxidative damage and support skin repair, while vitamins vitamin D play a multifaceted role in skin health by regulating cellular processes, supporting the skin barrier, modulating immune responses, and promoting overall skin health.”

A typical serving size of sardines is roughly three to four ounces, and if you’re looking to add them to your diet to support skin health, try eating one serving two to three times a week. One thing to note, however, is that both Dr. Diorio and Khayutin caution against adding anything to your diet without first consulting with a physician. “I frequently advise my clients to consult with a nutritionist to ensure their diet supplies essential nutrients that can significantly enhance their skin’s health,” Khayutin says. “However, it’s crucial to adopt a holistic approach: integrate a balanced diet with a comprehensive skin-care regimen, effective sun protection, and other healthy lifestyle practices for optimal results.”

Renee Rodriguez is a staff writer and social producer for PS. She writes across all verticals, but her main areas of expertise focus on fashion and beauty content with an emphasis on reviews and editor experiments. She also produces social content for the PS TikTok and Instagram accounts.

While each product featured is independently selected by our editors, we may include paid promotion. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission. Read more about our Product Review Guidelines here.

The world of skin care is a lot to take in. There are so many options and factors to be educated on to make sure you are choosing the right products for you. The amount of research that goes into creating a skin-care product and testing its efficacy takes years. Most of the progress and discovery in skin-care science, such as ingredient discovery, is thanks to medical-grade skin-care companies like the notable SkinCeuticals, the dermatologist favorite EltaMD, and Obagi Medical. The formulations are potent — usually a step below, if not comparable to, prescription products, and they are backed by testing and clinical trials. This type of skin-care is usually sold exclusively in dermatologists’ offices, medical spas and clinics, and at Dermstore.

This retailer houses brands at the forefront of research and innovation, and that’s often reflected in the price. However, your whole routine doesn’t have to be medical-grade to reap the benefits. We highly suggest having one to three medical-grade products maximum in your routine — the rest can be affordable finds from the drugstore or department stores. Luckily, from now until August 18, Dermstore is hosting its Anniversary Sale and it’s loaded with discounts on our favorite medical-grade products. Use code “CHEERS” at checkout and get up to 25 percent off on select brands.

We curated the best-of-the-best skin-care products from Dermstore that are worth the splurge and dermatologist-recommended. Looking to invest in a quality vitamin C serum? The Obagi Professional-C 20% is a potent option and is currently on sale. If you’re on the hunt for a serum that can do it all, the pricey SkinMedica TNS Advanced+ Serum is marked down, and perfect for anti-aging, acne control, and brightening.

Ahead, we rounded up our top medical-grade favorites and the ones to snag during Dermstore’s Anniversary Sale. Jump to the products on sale here:

While each product featured is independently selected by our editors, we may include paid promotion. If you buy something through our links, we may earn commission. Read more about our Product Review Guidelines here.

Not to get all Coach Carr from “Mean Girls” on you, but the general consensus of skin experts on at-home pore extractions, much like popping a pimple, is akin to passing out condoms to high schoolers: “We’re not encouraging it, but if they’re going to do it, let’s make it safe,” aesthetician Candace Marino tells PS.

In all their gooey glory, excavating a blackhead can be wildly satisfying — a top guilty beauty indulgence, to be sure — but, like many tricky-to-do services, is often best left to the pros. Still, if you can’t peel yourself away from the 10x magnifying mirror any time you step into the bathroom, Marino has some best practices to DIY facial extractions safely.

The first (and oddly, the trickiest) step is to identify the type of acne you have, as those little black dots on your nose may be blackheads or something else entirely. You might be mistaking them for sebaceous filaments. “Blackheads will be raised, textured, truly black, thick and waxy,” she says. “The skin oils solidify, forming plugs which can dilate the pore further, leading to enlarged pores. Sebaceous filaments are the normal function of the follicle. Narrow, lighter in color under the skin — they do not fully obstruct the pore and are not meant for extractions.”

For more tips, you can find Marino’s full step-by-step guide ahead. As for that black extraction tool you’ve heard all about? In the words of Coach Carr: just don’t do it, OK? Promise?

Experts Featured in This Article

Candace Marino is an aesthetician located in Los Angeles.