June 2021

June 25, 2021

Skincare for the Ages: All About the 20’s

Welcome to the roaring 20’s. Whether you’ve just entered the decade or are about to pass through, it’s clear that our twenties are a time for new beginnings, self-discovery and… youthful-looking skin.

Sure, adolescent acne might get traded in for career goals and relationships during this eventful decade, but that doesn’t mean you get to skimp on your complexion. In fact, your 20’s are some of the most impactful years when it comes to the future health of skin—even if you can’t see it quite yet.

So, if you’re feeling a little lost in the 20’s skin department, we want to help! Follow along to learn all you need to know about a foolproof young adult skincare routine, plus the products we recommend:

What to Focus on in Your 20’s?

Gentle Prevention: Did you know collagen production starts to decrease as early as 27? Yikes. That’s why prevention is THE key when talking about skincare in your 20s. You don’t want to overwhelm the skin with intense ingredients (we aren’t there yet), but you do want to start incorporating key ingredients that will help keep skin looking firm, even and plump. Think: low-dose retinol, hydrating eye cream and always, always an SPF.

Protection: Prevention and protection often go hand-in-hand. Environmental stressors are one of the top culprits when it comes to the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles and dark spots. By helping to protect the complexion from these stressors using antioxidant-rich formulas and daily sun protection, you can help stop them before they begin.

Hydration: Sure, you skin might bounce back now, but over the years skin naturally loses its pep. Help lock in moisture and keep the skin barrier intact by quenching it with hydrating ingredients. Hyaluronic Acid, Coconut Oil and Ceramides will help add a daily dose of moisture to the skin, while pre and probiotics can help balance the skin’s moisture barrier.

What Does a 20’s Skincare Routine Look Like?

Cleanser: Mild Cleanser

Kick off your skincare routine with a mild cleanser to help remove dirt, makeup and impurities—without stripping the skin of natural oils. Benefit Clean Gentle Cleanser is specially formulated with a blend of Sandalwood and antioxidants to help dissolve impurities and leave behind a soft, balanced complexion. You can also look for invigorating ingredients like Grapefruit and Eucalyptus to help refresh the complexion for an extra pick-me-up.

AM Serum: Antioxidant Boost

Add a dose of antioxidants to your morning skincare routine to help protect the skin from age-accelerating environmental stressors. Affirm Antioxidant Firming Serum combines Spin Trap, Vitamin E and Resveratrol (all high in antioxidants) to help shield the skin and prevent the appearance of dark spots and wrinkles. Age-defying biopeptides also help to keep the complexion looking smooth and firm.

PM Serum: Low Dose Retinol

If you are looking to keep wrinkles at bay, then try your face at a low percentage Retinol. Retinol works below the surface to help prevent fine lines and uneven skin tone by promoting healthy skin renewal. The COSMEDIX Serum 16 Rapid Renewal Serum is our starter Retinol, featuring the innovative LG-Retinex to help improve the look of fine lines and texture. It’s so good, it even earned the Kim Kardashian seal of approval. Start by using it 2-3x a week to see how your skin reacts before up-ing to nightly use.

Moisturizer: SPF Hydration

Get your moisture boost AND sun protection all in one! A multi-tasking moisturizer that features SPF is the perfect last step to a 20’s skincare routine. For daily use, make sure that you apply a moisturizer that includes lightweight, hydrating ingredients and contains an SPF of 15 or higher. Hydrate + is a 2-in-1 hydrator and sunscreen that features Broad Spectrum SPF 17 to help prevent sun damage while replenishing the skin with essential moisture for dewy-looking skin that is soft and supple.

June 17, 2021

Men Care: 4 Reasons Why He (or You) Need an Upgraded Skincare Routine

Skin care has never been just a woman thing. Skin is skin, and men’s skin care is just as important.

Whether you flaunt high heels or a three-piece suit, your complexion needs love and attention—and we don’t just mean a splash of water or a bar of soap. As the body’s largest organ, skin does a lot to keep us in check. It helps protect us from outside stressors. Acts as a shield for our body. Let’s us feel the world around us. Yep, it’s pretty complex… and amazing.

So, if you know a man who takes pride in skimping on his skin care routine—or you ARE that man—COSMEDIX is here to set the record straight. Keep in scrolling to discover 4 reasons why the boys need a skin care routine ASAP, and which products are our personal go-to recommendations:

1. Men’s Skin Is Thicker Than Women’s

Don’t get carried away with that statement—we mean it literally not figuratively. Science shows that the structure of a man’s skin is up to 25% thicker compared to a woman. So, what does that mean for him? While it might serve him well for bumps and bruises, thick skin can often lead to tougher texture, clogged pores and fine lines. Using a chemical or physical exfoliant 2-3x a week helps slough away dead skin cells while promoting a more even skin tone and texture.

Give Him: an exfoliant with Salicylic Acid

Best-selling Purity Detox Multi-Layer Detoxification System features Salicylic Acid, Jojoba and Poppy Seeds to help gently polish away oil, grime and dead skin while helping refine the look of pores for a smoother, softer appearance.

2. Hormones Mean More Oil Production

We might not be in the business of hormones, but we are in the business of how your body effects your skin. Hormones play an important role in many skin-related functions, specifically sebum (oil) production. And the special blend of chemicals that make the gents well … gents, are known to cause excess oil on the skin. While this can lead to visible shine, it can also result in skin care concerns within the skin like larger pores, blackheads and blemishes. Helping to balance oil production with a daily serum is a simple, yet effective, way to help improve this skin concern overtime.

Vitamin A (Retinol) is known for helping reduce the look of wrinkles, but it is also great for helping to balance oil production in the skin. Adding a Refinishing Treatment that is formulated with Retinol into a PM skin care routine can help clarify the look of pores, balance the appearance of shine and even the look of skin.

3. Two Words: Facial Hair

One of the most distinctive differences when it comes to the look of men and women’s skin is hair—specifically facial hair. A close shave is a skill that many men learn right out of the adolescent gates, though knicks and ingrown hairs can still make a regular appearance when the razor meets the skin. Of course, patience and tact play a part, but lack of moisture in the skin is another culprit when it comes to shaving hiccups. Ensuring that the complexion is hydrated and smooth with a moisturizer will help minimize razor bumps and other skin care mishaps.

Hydrate both morning and night with COSMEDIX NEW! Skin Thirst Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer as seen in Alltrue’s exclusive, socially-conscious summer box!. Made for all skin types, this ultimate, limited-edition moisturizer helps quench the skin while mattifying the complexion for a shine-free finish. Infused with moisture-locking Hyaluronic Acid and conditioning Witch Hazel, the skin instantly reaps the benefits of moisture balance as Skin Thirst helps protect skin from environmental stressors.

4. Men Have an Age-Defying Secret

Collagen. The age-defying benefit that women chase, yet men may not even know they have—usually. Men’s skin naturally produces more collagen, and while the boys may think this gives them a get-out-of-skincare free card, that’s not necessarily true. Constant exposure to environmental stressors (i.e., the sun) can cause collagen to break down at a faster pace, which is why it is so important that your man makes broad spectrum SPF his next BFF. Using proper sun protection is key to the health of skin and can help reduce the appearance of wrinkles, dark spots and sun damage overtime.

Spray your way to protected skin with an on-the-go Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Moisturizing Spray. Powered by Niacinamide and Green Tea Extract, Protect UV sunscreen features an easy-to-blend formula that conditions the skin and help protect skin from environmental stressors.

June 9, 2021

Skincare for the Ages: A Guide to Teenage Skin

Skincare is eternal, but the ingredients you use in your routine should change with time.

To cut the confusion, COSMEDIX decided to put together a little guide to help get you through your skincare routine at every age—starting with the teens.

What Should Teen Skincare Focus On?

Gentle Products: When it feels like a new blemish pops up daily, it can be tempting to run to your skincare collection and scrub away. But for the sake of your skin (and your hands), please don’t. Harsh ingredients and scrubs might make you feel “accomplished”, but in the long run, it can strip the skin of natural oils causing more confusion than clarity.

Refining Ingredients: If large pores and oil is your biggest skin blunder, then refining ingredients should be your new go-to. Potent ingredients are best used in the form of a toner, serum or treatment to help target skincare concerns that may lead to acne.

Consistency: A cliché as old as time, but true none the less. Patience and consistency is the secret sauce to any skincare routine—especially teens. With hormones and stress soaring, achieving a clearer complexion will definitely take time, so stick with it!

A Skincare Routine for Teens

Cleanser: Exfoliating Cleanser

Use a gentle daily cleanser with a chemical exfoliant to help wash away dirt, oil and pore-clogging impurities. Purity Clean is formulated with L-Lactic Acid, Tea Tree and Peppermint Oil to instantly refresh the look of skin while exfoliating for a more even tone and texture.

Toner: BHA Essence or Toner

Salicylic Acid is the most popular type of BHA for acne-prone skin. The ingredient helps dive deep into the pore to help clean out dead skin or oil that might cause congestion. Applying an essence or toner (we love Purity Balance) after you cleanse the skin is an excellent way restore balance and help refine the look of pores.

Serum: Clarifying Serum

Serums come in all shapes and sizes, but a serum with clarifying ingredients is ideal for blemishes. Keep and eye out for ingredients like Salicylic Acid, Retinol, Tea Tree Oil and Willowherb to help clarify clogged pores while soothing the look redness.

Treatments: Clay Mask and Spot Treatment

Applying a clay mask 1-2x a week is the perfect pick-me-up for skin with blemishes. Clay is known for its exfoliating properties that help trap excess oil, especially when combined with chemical exfoliants. COSMEDIX Clear Deep Cleansing Mask is formulated with these very ingredients, plus Niacinamide to help improve the look of texture and hydrate the skin. And if you are experiencing stubborn spots, apply a Rapid Relief Acne Spot Treatment to help target pesky pimples with Aloe Vera and Salicylic Acid.

Moisturizer: Oil-Free Moisturizer

Using a lightweight moisturizer that is formulated free of oil is your best beat when it comes to hydrating acne-prone skin. Because sebum production is a big player when it comes to teenage blemishes, applying a moisturizer that helps balance the complexion—instead of oil it up—is key. COSMEDIX uses Lilac Stem Cells in our popular Shineless Oil-Free Moisturizer to help cut shine and reduce the look of redness for healthier, clearer-looking skin.

June 3, 2021

Got Breakouts? Face Mapping is About to Become Your New BFF

Ever wonder why your breakouts seem to pop up in the same place over and over again? If only you had a road map that would give you the backroads to a clearer, healthier-looking complexion.

Well, we have news for you. There is! Rooted in ancient Chinese medicine, face mapping is a popular skin care practice as old as time. In its true form, this art links different areas of the face to certain organs in the body, but the modern version of the acne face map takes a more general approach.

Blemishes that tend to appear in the same area of the face are believed to be the result of lifestyle habits. So, if you find yourself struggling with stubborn spots that you just can’t kick, then face mapping might just be the thing for you.

Want to know more? Then take a seat, look yourself in the mirror and use our handy COSMEDIX face map guide to discover what your blemishes have to say about you—and how you can fix it:

Hairline

If bumps on the hairline is your signature skincare woe, then you probably need to double check your hair products. Most conditioners feature rich ingredients that are designed to love on your strands… but not so much on your skin. In fact, the thicker pomades used to lock moisture into your mane can often lead to clogged pores. But don’t freight because there is an easy fix. Help improve the look of these blemishes by using your cleanser AFTER rinsing out your conditioner. Simply create a rich lather and work it into the hairline before applying a skin-clarifying serum to help reduce the look of redness.

Forehead

**What to Do: Check Your** **Oil Control** **+ Stress + Sleep**

Reducing stress and balancing a sleep schedule might not be our area of expertise, but we do know a thing (or twenty) about balancing your complexion. If you experience breakouts across the forehead, near the brows and/or down the nose, the acne face map says oil might be to blame. Blemishes in these areas are common among a combination and oily skin type, as sebum (oil) can go a little overboard in these parts of the face. Incorporating an exfoliating cleanser or refinishing treatment that helps restore balance and moisture to the complexion is an ideal way to help reduce these types of blemishes.

Cheeks

**What to Do: Check Your Phone and Pillowcases**

Think of everything your phone touches. Tables, car seats, back pockets… toilets. And what do all these places have in common? Germs. You might not think about it when putting your phone to your ear, but your cell phone holds a lot of bacteria. Same with your pillowcase. So, if you find yourself repeatedly suffering from spots on your cheeks, the first step would be to wipe down your phone and clean your sheets. The second would be to apply a rapid relief acne spot treatment to problem areas when needed. We recommend prioritizing a clean formula that uses Salicylic Acid and Aloe Vera to refine pores while soothing the skin.

Jawline

Yes, hormonal acne is usually synonymous with adolescence, but many people are still surprised when it shows up in adulthood. If you are experiencing breakouts around the chin and jawline, then it is best to visit a skin care professional. Lucky for you, COSMEDIX partners with some of the world’s best dermatologists and spas, which you can find here. In the meantime, make sure that you are washing your face with a Salicylic Acid foaming cleanser to help cleanse away