5 Facts That Changed the Way We Think About Skin
October 2 | 4 minute read
Words by Christie Sinclair
Most of us left school knowing how to calculate the circumference of a circle, how to make sense of Shakespeare and how to play the recorder (very badly). Yet no-one thought to mention how to care for our skin – our largest organ and the barrier between us and the outside world.
These days, with unlimited skincare content at our fingertips, we’re spoilt for choice when it comes to skincare advice; the challenge is knowing who to listen to.
Over the years, we’ve spent countless hours in rooms with the world’s best dermatologists, brand founders, chemists and medical researchers, listening, testing, filming and scribbling down pages of notes – and some of their insights (which you’ll find below) have completely changed the way we think about skincare.
These are the lessons we’ll never forget. And now, neither will you!
Nothing works without SPF
The New York dermatologist behind the cult-favourite Alpha Beta® Universal Daily Peel, Dr Dennis Gross, reminds us that if you’re skipping one very important step, the rest of your skincare routine doesn’t count for much: “Every day you don’t wear sunscreen, you’re ageing your skin,” he says. We already knew SPF was important, but this really drove home that it’s the smartest step in any routine. He also says that you “can’t change your genes, but you can change how they behave by what you do for your skin.” In other words: what you do now (especially wearing your SPF!) really does show up later.
Focus on the barrier
Noella Gabriel, co-founder and global president of ELEMIS, has dedicated decades to teaching us that the basic steps often deliver best results – and that starts with your barrier. “Always bring the skin back to balance before you try to treat it. If the barrier is compromised, nothing will work properly,” she explains.
Consistency beats intensity
Dr Lara Devgan, a top New York plastic surgeon and founder of her own cutting-edge skincare line, believes in consistency over clutter. “A skincare product is only as effective as your willingness to use it. So, if you get a bunch of stuff and it’s not usable for you and it ends up in the back of your drawer, you might as well have not gotten it,” she explains. Her advice? Stop buying into every skincare trend and instead build a considered wardrobe of clinically proven staples. "If you’re a minimalist, start with a couple of products you know you can integrate, and commit to using them for a minimum of three to four weeks in order to see a full improvement in your skin routine.”
You don’t have to limit yourself to one brand
Gerard Camme, CEO of Element Eight, knows that most people’s skincare collection consists of multiple brands and multiple products, and points out that you don’t need to throw out your favourites to amplify results. “If your favourite moisturiser is The Rich Cream from Augustinus Bader, I’m not going to try and convince you to not use it... but I can make that product work better if you just use our serum underneath it.” When choosing which products to mix and match, look at ingredients that amplify each other. Element Eight’s serum is based on the principle of oxygen-infused skincare – skin needs oxygen to function at an optimal level, and as we age, oxygen levels in the skin naturally decline, leading to dullness, fine lines and slower rate of repair. By delivering liquid oxygen back to the skin, the serum creates an ideal environment for other skincare actives to work (aka, better results!).
Help your skin help itself
The French pharmacologist behind Cosmetics 27, Michèle Evrard, built her cult-loved brand on the idea of regeneration. For her, the best results come from helping your skin do what it already knows how to do: “It’s not about putting collagen that is not yours on your skin, it’s about... stimulating the repair of your own collagen,” she shares. Her early research on Centella asiatica, the key ingredient in her iconic Baume 27, focused on proving this theory: that by creating the right environment, the skin can maintain its ability to restore itself.
