Your Skin Isn’t Holding You Hostage — Outdated Science Is
The way we address acne needs an update.
A New Approach to Supporting Acne-Prone Skin
The way we support acne-prone skin with topical skincare products is outdated—and we’re here to change that. While the standard approach of simply killing C. Acnes bacteria and exfoliating used to be gold standard advice, it was based on the best information and knowledge that we had a long time ago. And that understanding is now evolving.
With our 4-pronged approach, we’re tackling the key contributing factors that happen during acne development in order to support skin in a new way…
Oxidative Stress
This process happens both throughout the body and at the skin level. Free radical damage alters the normal skin environment, making it more susceptible to microbiome disruption and inflammation.
The overgrowth of certain strains of C. Acnes bacteria is one of the key effects of this process. Oxidative stress is one of the earliest events that happen before acne occurs.
Lipid Peroxidation
Lipid peroxidation occurs when the skin’s naturally occurring oils are degraded by free radicals. Topically applied skincare products that are high in lipids and oils can also fuel this process.
Once lipid peroxidation occurs, it kickstarts a cascade of inflammatory events—degraded oils and lipids are highly comedogenic to the skin—this causes inflammation and furthers the development of acne.
Microbiome & Barrier Disruption
Microbiome and barrier disruption are two key effects of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation. The natural protective layer of the skin is disrupted along with the delicate ecosystem on the skin that keeps native bacteria and fungi from overgrowing. This makes the skin less resilient to the external environment and it’s also when you start to see things like irritation, acne, fungal acne/Malassezia folliculitis start to become more apparent.
Cleansers, exfoliants, acids, retinoids, and other active ingredients when used too often, in too high of a percentage, or in the wrong combination can also contribute to this problem and make it worse.
Inflammation
Oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation kick off early-stage inflammatory processes that facilitate acne development. This results in microbiome dysbiosis (imbalance) and a compromised skin barrier.
At this stage, inflammation may start to become visible in the form of scaling, redness, hyperpigmentation, or generalized irritation and sensitivity. And the end result of this inflammatory process is the acne that we all experience.
Our Authentic Promise To You
We’re at the beginning of a long journey to create change in the acne space. As part of our commitment to pushing for new and better acne treatments that are accessible for all types of acne-prone skin, we are committed to:
- Disclosing the percentage of active ingredients in every product
- Choosing biotech and lab-created ingredients over naturally harvested ingredients—they're more sustainable and better for people and the planet
- Maintaining price transparency by disclosing what each formula costs to manufacture
- Prioritizing re-investment of our profits into research and development so we can expand our arsenal of ground-breaking formulas
What We’re Doing Differently
We have one goal in mind: create the most innovative formulas with a laser focus on acne-prone skin. Are we clean? Yes, but for us, this goes without saying.
Our formulas don’t just focus on including novel ingredients to target the 4 root causes of acne development. We’ve chosen to exclude a lot of problematic ingredients that slip under the radar for acne-prone skin:
- Fatty Alcohols, Esters and Most Plant Oils: can increase lipid peroxidation and clog pores
- Certain Preservatives: can cause irritation and disrupt the microbiome
- Essential Oils and Fragrances: there’s no reason to include fragrance or essential oils in skincare—they increase the risk of irritation, allergic reactions and lot of them are phototoxic
- Unnecessary plant-based ingredients: a lot of natural extracts are linked to contact dermatitis, irritation and allergic reactions which increase skin irritation and inflammation
Experience A New Way to Support Acne-Prone Skin
Meet our pre and postbiotic packed gel-cream moisturizer made for even the most breakout-prone skin. (Yes, I'm fungal acne safe too).
