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Skincare Upgrade: Incorporating Oils Into Your Skincare Routine

Here at COSMEDIX, we know that a truly pampering skincare routine is all about helping maintain the skin barrier—the thin layer that protects your skin from the outside world. One of the most gentle, soothing ways to help improve barrier function? An antioxidant-infused face oil.

The art of the “Double Cleanse”—using an oil-based cleanser to remove makeup and dirt before using an exfoliating cleanser—is a well-loved technique in skincare circles, and face oils like BrillianCy Vitamin C Brightening Face Oil AM/PM and Remedy Omega-Complex Treatment Oil AM/PM can be used as the final step in your skincare routine to help lock in moisture and active ingredients from serums. Today we’re going to break down of some of our favorite COSMEDIX face oils for most common skin care concerns.

If your skin is naturally on the oily side, an oil-based cleanser like Purity Solution Nourishing Deep Cleansing Oil AM/PM may be the best way to incorporate oils into your skincare routine. Making double cleansing part of your daily skincare routine can help you achieve more hydrated, healthier-looking skin as you remove makeup and dirt.

How to begin? Kick off your morning or nighttime routine by massaging a small amount of Purity Solution, a luxurious cleansing oil formulated with uber-hydrating Argan and Olive Oils, onto the face before an exfoliating cleanser. This conditioning cleanser is also a multitasker that helps to improve the look of skin as it cleanses and hydrates. Complete the double cleanse by mixing Purity Clean Exfoliating Cleanser AM/PM with *just a dab* of water and massaging it into the face—check out our Instagram story for a proper demo of this technique! To complete your skincare routine, add your serum products and moisturizer to help lock in ingredients and hydration.

Purity Solution is gentle enough for all skin types, but if your skincare concerns are related to brightening or dryness, you can try dabbing or patting on a deeply moisturizing face oil at the end of your skincare routine. Pressing a small amount of the oil into your skin instead of rubbing it can help lock in your day or nighttime serums and help improve barrier function as it adds in more of the active ingredients you need to address your specific skincare concerns. 

If your goal is a more even-toned complexion, BrillianCy Vitamin C Brightening Face Oil AM/PM may be right for your skincare routine. This hydrating oil is formulated with Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate, a potent Vitamin C derivative that helps brighten the look of skin, and Humulus Lupulus Extract, an age-defying flowering plant that helps improve the appearance of dark spots or an uneven complexion.

If your skin is on the drier side, Remedy Omega-Complex Treatment Oil AM/PM is a luxe, skin-conditioning total body option that can help address skincare concerns like fine lines and wrinkles. A botanical blend of Safflower, Grapeseed and Pomegranate Seed oils provide long-lasting hydration to the face and body. Remedy is also rich in omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and Vitamin E to help renew the look of dry, dehydrated skin.

Remedy and BrillianCy both make sensuous, sliding bases for your Gua Sha or facial massage practice. If you’re looking to use oils for Gua Sha, we love COSMEDIX aesthetician @soc_skin’s tutorial on practicing this technique to help encourage lymphatic drainage and improve the appearance of puffy skin.

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Breaking Down COSMEDIX Hydrating Treatments

The art of the summer skincare routine is all about light hydration—keeping your skin moisturized is a must, but the creams we used in winter can be a little heavy for the hotter months to come. Enter COSMEDIX hydrating treatments! These light, refreshing face mists and sprays deliver a burst of hydration that helps to keep skin glowing and healthy-looking on days when intense heat and environmental stressors might threaten to dull your sparkle.

Our two go-to hydrators for a quick skin reset? Meet Crystal Clear AM/PM Liquid Crystal Hydrating Mist and Mystic AM/PM Hydrating Treatment! Read on for a breakdown of these luxe, lightweight treatments and when to reach for each one, plus a few other summer skin care upgrades!

When Hydrating Treatments Shine

Think of Crystal Clear and Mystic as hydration pick-me-ups! Both are infused with skin-soothing, botanical ingredients like Witch Hazel and Kakadu Plum Extract, and both can be applied on the go whenever your skin is beginning to lose its glow. Mystic and Crystal Clear are both gentle and light: they tend not to clog pores in the summer heat or irritate skin that’s recently had peels or treatments.

Benefit Breakdown

Crystal Clear and Mystic are sisters, not twins. Here are a few key differences between these hydrating skin care superstars and their skin-quenching benefits.

When it comes to application, both these treatments are pretty travel friendly. Mystic applies directly to your face as a spray, so it’s the more “on-the-go” of these two hydration boosters. To use Crystal Clear, you’ll also need to stash some cotton balls or pads for application. Spritz Crystal Clear onto the cotton or directly onto your hands and then apply to the face for a soothing burst of hydration any time you’re feeling dry.

Both these summer superstars are lightweight, but Mystic is a tad lighter than Crystal Clear. This oil-free moisturizer is powered by ingredients like Lactococcus Ferment Lysate, a conditioning probiotic that helps support the skin’s microbiome and helps improve barrier function and strengthen skin’s natural defense.

Crystal Clear indulges the complexion with the same Liquid Crystal Technology used in bestselling Opti Crystal Eye Serum, and it’s powerful enough to use as your morning moisturizer or a daytime refresher. Crystal Clear is infused with Kakadu Plum Extract, also known as Australian Superfruit, so it helps improve the appearance of skin’s texture and tone by brightening the look of dry skin and diminishing the look of fine lines and wrinkles.

More Lightweight Upgrades for Your Summer Skincare Routine

Summer skin care calls for hydrators that help defend the skin’s barrier while keeping things light and healthy-looking. Here are some of our favorite COSMEDIX skin care products to use with Crystal Clear or Mystic Hydrating Treatment this summer!

Peptide Rich Defense Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 50

This lightweight moisturizer blends seamlessly with makeup to help protect your face from UV rays. Peptide Rich Defense shines in the summer months because of the high SPF, which increases the time you can spend enjoying the sunshine if applied correctly (read: evenly and generously). It’s also enriched with an age-defying peptide that deeply hydrates, soothes and conditions the complexion as it helps smooth the look of fine lines and wrinkles. A favorite of one Victoria Beckham, this bestselling moisturizer is a perfect fit when the summer heat hits!

Protect UV AM/PM Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Moisturizing Spray

Some of the benefits of Mystic and Peptide Rich Defense combine in Protect UV, a gentle, multipurpose SPF 30 that applies as a spray. Perfect for on the go sun protection, this oil-free formula also boosts hydration to help improve skin barrier function and helps to sooth the skin as well. Infused with Niacinamide to help improve skin texture and tone, Protect UV has a natural finish that makes it quintessential choice for everyday use.  

Hydrate + Broad Spectrum SPF 17 Moisturizing Sunscreen

Help your skin stay dewy looking this summer with Hydrate +! Layering on this moisturizing sunscreen can help prep your skin for makeup and preserve a radiant-looking glow. Formulated with a broad spectrum SPF to help prevent sun damage, Hydrate + is non-greasy. This everyday skin care essential also promotes a healthier-looking complexion!

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Exfoliation Explained

When it comes to exfoliation, less really can be more! Exfoliation—the process of removing dry skin or dead skin—should be part of your skincare routine, but over-exfoliating can cause irritation. No matter your skin care concerns, exfoliating your face, lips, neck, and decolletage just two to three times a week can help skin look brighter, healthier, and more even-toned. But the benefits of exfoliation don’t stop there! Taking a few minutes to massage in a luxe, gentle exfoliant can also help to remove impurities from clogged pores, and help your skin absorb other skin care products more effectively. COSMEDIX has a whole host of supercharged exfoliators for every skin type, so we’re rounding up some of our favorite scrubs, masks, and treatments for you in our blog post this week. Read on for more on the different types of exfoliators and a few recommendations for your specific skin concerns!

Types of Exfoliators

Physical Exfoliators

Physical exfoliators are probably what most people think of when they picture an exfoliant—remember when apricot scrub was ever-present on all our shelves? These exfoliators actually rub and scrub your skin with textured ingredients, help you slough off all that dead skin. At COSMEDIX, the key ingredients in our physical exfoliators are natural ingredients like Poppy, Jojoba, and Date Seeds or Sea Salt. Our gentle, physical exfoliators will help you reveal more rejuvenated, healthy-looking skin.

Enzyme Exfoliators

Physical exfoliators are tried-and-true, but enzymes can help take natural exfoliating ingredients to the next level! Enzymes are a hyper-gentle exfoliating ingredient that help loosen the bonds between dead skin cells so that they can be removed more easily. Enzyme exfoliators are less likely to irritate skin than harsher exfoliators, and the products that use enzymes as exfoliants likely have a smoother, more lotion-like texture.

Chemical Exfoliators

Ingredients like Salicylic, Alpha Hydroxy, and Chirally Correct L-Lactic Acids as well as products with Retinol can all help exfoliate skin. If these chemical ingredients sound a bit intense, not to worry! At COSMEDIX, our chemical exfoliators also include hydrating ingredients like Aloe Vera that help skin maintain moisture levels. Like physical and enzyme exfoliators, chemical exfoliators only need to be added to your skincare routine two to three times a week. However, unlike physical and enzyme exfoliators, chemical exfoliators are only recommended as part of an evening skincare routine.

COSMEDIX Exfoliators by Skincare Concern

For Acne: Purity Detox Scrub Multi-Layer Detoxification System with Salicylic Acid AM/PM

This ultimate exfoliating cocktail combines gentle physical exfoliants like Poppy, Jojoba, and Date Seeds with Salicylic Acid to help polish away the look of skin imperfections and leave you with a clearer-looking, more even complexion. This exfoliator is gentle enough for a morning or evening skincare routine and can be used on the body as well as the face for all over exfoliation.

For Fine Lines and Wrinkles: Defy Triple Hydroxy Acid Age-Defying Treatment PM

This multi-tasking Age-Defying Treatment is formulated with a powerhouse blend of plant based ingredients and Alpha Hydroxy Acids. The key to Defy’s exfoliating power? Chirally Correct L-Lactic Acid, L-Malic Acid, and L Tartaric Acid that gently exfoliates to help reduce the appearance of fine lines for a smoother, softer appearance. Defy is also formulated with Aloe Vera and Olive Oil to help hydrate and soothe the complexion.

For Brightening: PHA Hydration Peel AM/PM Refining Exfoliator

Formulated with an age-defying cocktail of gentle skincare superstars like PHA, Lactobioinic Acid and Phytic Acid, this skin-soothing peel treatment helps illuminate the appearance of your complexion. The Lactobionic Acid is a naturally derived polyhydroxy acid from sugar that provides gentle exfoliation while Phytic Acid derived from cereal seeds helps provide support for the skin and increase moisturization. In a 4 week COSMEDIX study, 61% of participants noted that their skin appeared visibly brighter after four treatments with the PHA Hydration Peel.

For Protection Against Environmental Stressors: Pure Enzymes Cranberry Exfoliating Mask PM

This gentle enzyme mask boasts an antioxidant-rich formula that helps protect skin from environmental stressors as it helps to boost hydration. A combination of L-Lactic Acid and  Cranberry Enzymes exfoliate away dull, dead skin and pore-clogging impurities for a more radiant-looking complexion. Pure Enzymes is recommended for your nighttime skincare routine—apply it one to two times weekly and leave on for 3-10 minutes. Be sure to follow with your regular serums and moisturizer—exfoliation can help your skin absorb them better!

For Multi-tasking: Purity Clean Exfoliating Cleanser AM/PM

Formulated with natural botanicals like Tea Tree Oil and Peppermint Essential Oil, this combination cleanser and gentle exfoliate helps to balance, clarify, and refresh the look of skin for a softer, more radiant-looking complexion. Without stripping the skin of essential moisture, the Chirally Correct L-Lactic Acid exfoliates dead skin cells for a rejuvenating pick-me-up in your morning or nighttime skincare routine.