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Some of the best skincare advice for the new year often involves getting back to the basics.
Is your skincare regimen ready for a new decade? We’ve assembled a list of five new year’s resolutions that promote healthy, radiant skin in 2020 (or any year, for that matter). The best part? They’re so easy to follow you’ll actually stick to them.
As Dr. S. Tyler Hollmig, the director of dermatologic surgery at the Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin told us, “It’s the time of year where we are bombarded with ‘new year, new you’ messaging from the beauty industry.” (We’re aware that the entire premise of this story makes us a little guilty, but just stick with us!)
We don’t think you need a “new you” – we think you’re wonderful as you are – but we do think the new year is a perfect time to set intentions and make sustainable changes for a healthier, happier life (and healthier, happier skin, too). Here’s how to adjust your skincare regimen for more radiant skin in 2020.
1. Don’t forget to wash your face each night.
This may sound obvious, but Dr. Hollmig says neglecting this crucial step is more common than one might think.
“Some of the best skincare advice for the new year often involves getting back to the basics. It always surprises me how many patients with acne-prone skin forget to cleanse and remove all of their makeup at the end of the day,” Dr. Hollmig told us. “This is a great resolution – use a gentle cleanser to remove all makeup, grime, and pollution every night to achieve healthier, more radiant skin.”
2. Marie Kondo your medicine cabinet.
New year, new shelf space. You know all those products jamming up your medicine cabinet? It’s time to get rid of what isn’t working for you. If anything is expired, toss it in the recycling bin. If something is still good but never made it into your daily regimen, try donating to an organization that gives lightly used beauty and skincare products to women who will love them. A few to try are Beauty Bus, Share Your Beauty, and your local women’s shelter.
3. Get serious about the skin barrier.
If you’re a loyal reader of The Lab, you know that healthy skin requires a healthy skin barrier. Unfortunately, it’s easy to harm our skin barrier when we’re trying to help. How? Think over-exfoliation, long, hot showers, and upsetting your pH balance with too many skincare products. (Dive deep into the skin barrier here.)
As Lindsay Wray, our Chief Science Officer, told The Zoe Report, “In our research, it became clear that one of the most disruptive things we do to our skin’s natural barrier is to cleanse and exfoliate. Cleansing is essential to healthy skin, of course, to remove dirt and make up. In the process, however, cleansers strip the barrier function of some important natural moisturizing factors.”
That’s where a b-silk™ protein skincare regimen comes in. Our Firm + Replenish Serum was designed to replenish the natural skin barrier after cleaning and exfoliating. After sliding on some serum, use an Eighteen B moisturizer for a boost of hydration and added barrier protection. Dr. Joshua Zeichner, director of cosmetic and clinical research in dermatology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York told Who What Wear that a product to consider is our Hydrate + Restore Rich Cream. “It contains a specially formulated silk protein that acts both as a barrier and a carrier – it forms a protective but breathable barrier over the skin and carries hydrating ingredients like ceramides to fill in cracks in the outer skin layer.”
4. Double down on the sunscreen.
Wearing sunscreen daily is a popular new year’s resolution (and rightfully so!) but Dr. Hollmig has one better: He recommends reapplying sunscreen midday.
“UVA light penetrates office window glass and can cause wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and even certain skin cancers, so even indoor workers benefit from a mid-day application of sun protection. Many of my patients have found using powder-based sunscreens is the way to go, since there is no need to remove one’s makeup before use. Just keep an SPF powder in your purse and apply over your lunch break.”
5. Shop sustainably.
Keeping the environment in mind is always something we can always get behind. In 2020, we encourage making our beauty and skincare routines more sustainable.
Here’s a great place to start. Our proprietary ingredient, b-silk™ protein is made through a sustainable fermentation process where the inputs are yeast, water, sugar, and salt.
As our Chief Science Officer, Lindsay Wray, told Cosmetics Business: “The ability to make naturally inspired materials using microbes overcomes many of the drawbacks of synthesised materials and materials extracted from nature.”
“Biotechnology processes are scalable, repeatable, and sustainable. For me, the most exciting aspect of biotechnology is that it offers the ability to make a vast variety of materials that we could not make any way else, for example spider silk. It is an incredibly versatile technology that can target so many functionalities that the beauty industry is looking for.” For more sustainable products we love, check out our gift guide here.
Happy 2020! Here’s to a year of health, happiness, and glowing skin.
Do you have questions? Comments? Topics you’d like us to cover? We’d love to hear from you. Reach out at thelab@eighteenb.com.
