The skincare dilemma
I completely understand the dilemma between wanting huge results out of your skincare products -- and at the same time, wondering if it'll be too harsh and make your skin too sensitive or cause you to breakout or get hives.
I have dry, sensitive skin and also struggle with eczema. I have colorful debates with myself every time I'm considering a potent skincare product. "Look at the formula, that'll work and clear up the dark spots fast...but your skin might get swollen or red or flake for days."
Specifically, it's challenging for me to use products that have a high percentage of acids in them as much as I love intensive chemical peels because they do work. But the downside is too much for my skin - flaking, peeling, redness and sometimes swelling. And I'm not alone. One of my favorite parts of being an esthetician is being able to dig into people's stories about their skin. A lot of people shy away from strong chemical peels for these same reasons.
So! It was a dream project to create a product that anyone could use without the downside that still has 10% glycolic acid. Glycolic acid is one of the most effective alpha hydroxy acids, and 10& is the maximum amount that is recommended by the FDA for at-home use.
I personally love alpha hydroxy acids, specifically glycolic acid, because they so effectively break down the "glue" that holds together dead skin cells. When cleared out dull skin becomes more radiant, products penetrate better, pesky little bumps vanish, pores get cleared out, acne is minimized, and the list goes on!
I also wanted to be able to use salicylic acid because this beta hydroxy acid is oil-soluble which means they sink right past all the oil in our pores and can help degunk the lining inside our pores.
This combination of AHA and BHA can lead to baby-soft, petal-fresh, newly revealed skin -- and for those dealing with breakouts, can really help beat the acne curve (i.e. help prevent active breakouts). To boot, AHA can also help with fine lines and wrinkles and keep skin bouncy and firmed up.
The issue is that these two acids at potent levels can lead to a lot of dryness, sensitivity, redness -- and it just wasn't worth it for me to use it. And same goes for a lot of people I spoke to.
The breakthrough we needed to have
But I felt that we're missing out on these great clinically proven ingredients that can truly help keep skin in tip top shape with a really dramatic and visible difference.
So the goal was to create a product that had max potency glycolic acid for at-home use (10%) with a proven amount of salicylic acid to work (0.5%) -- but without any downside. I didn't want skin to even turn a little bit pink after use.
The big question was: "how do you create a super powerful chemical exfoliator that somehow doesn't irritate skin at all?" Oh, and with super clean ingredients.
The path there
It took us years and we had the commitment of top-tier partner lab with forty chemists who personally committed to face-testing the formulas and ideate until we could figure out how to create a formula that wouldn't come with any irritation. This kind of commitment isn't typical for the lab - a historic first, in fact! - but they were excited about the vision. We'll be forever grateful for this partnership!
We discovered that when paired with a combination of blue agave extract, there was a deep soothing effect. Spike that further with chamomile, centella asiatica, aloe, turmeric and skin becomes so calm. We also combined the formula with our proprietary blend of hyaluronic acid that includes short, medium and long chain molecules so that every layer of skin gets hydrated and that helps skin not go through flaking or dryness post-masking with our Super Reboot Resurfacing Mask.
It wasn't easy to nail the formula - and using my own face, too, as a personal lab of sorts, there was definitely a lot of experimenting. We tweaked everything from the percentage of the acids to the botanical extracts to the humectants, and every ingredient that works to create the whole formula. We played around with the different process steps to make the formula. And ultimately, after hundreds of tries, we got to a place where we saw all the upside and no downside.
What I learned from this process is that formulating is so much like cooking. The ingredients matter. The skills need to be there. What steps come first - mix first? bake first? cool for 10 minutes or 15 minutes? - also matter tremendously. If you're in a rush and can't trial and error to perfection, you just have to get lucky to create a dish that you think is the most delicious version of that dish. However, with persistence, creativity and patience, combined with extremely skilled "chefs," magic can happen.
The Super Reboot isn't artificially fragranced or colored - it's a result of the lush, beautiful ingredients that were included with the sole goal of letting all the acids do what they do best with ingredients that then go to hard work for skin in soothing, hydrating and nourishing it. It makes sense, right? If you're exfoliating and retexturizing, it's prime-time to replenish with all the good stuff, too!
All smiles all around
We knew the formula was special when after everyone involved tested the formula, there was not even a little pinkness or signs of irritation. There's a tingling sensation for a minute or two as the hard-working mask goes into action for you -- and then a soothing, cooling, hydrating, comfortable sensation as all the fresh, lush ingredients pamper your skin. I've been personally using this mask for the last nine months religiously and happy to report back that I haven't experienced any signs of irritation.
I've been giving facials with this mask and I was thrilled to see that even those with eczema (like myself), active breakouts, rosacea, excessively oily skin, and everything in between have all had zero irritation. And have been incredibly radiant and hydrated after use. Skin is retexturized - no more little bumps and rough patches - and new petal-fresh skin is resurfaced.
We're thrilled to bring this professional-level super resurfacing mask to all skin types!
I think this will be a powerful tool in your skincare journey towards a lifetime a radically healthy and happy skin, so I'm personally thrilled and honored to be able to bring this to you.
xo,
Alicia
