Q: Can I use retinol on my body?
A: Retinol is one of the best de-aging ingredients to help restore the skin to its healthy, youthful glow. Retinol reduces lines, wrinkles, and hyperpigmentation while helping assist in the healing processes of skin conditions like acne. So, if it works this well on the face, why not use it on the body? One of the biggest concerns of aging skin on the body is crepey skin. This happens when dermal components become compressed, creating a loss of support for the epidermis. Upon applying retinol to the skin, it is converted to retinoic acid, which enables this youth-restoring wonder to work on a cellular level. It encourages under-the-surface skin repair and helps strengthen and remodel that dermal support.

Because retinol creates a reservoir in the skin and works for up to 72 hours, the benefits of one application are ongoing. However, this little molecule can be unstable, so when looking for youth-restoring products containing retinol, look for other stabilizing ingredients like Vitamins C & E. This antioxidant combination power team provides the best free radical protection, ensuring the last application of the bottle is as powerful as the first. To give your retinol products a boost and ensure smoother, flawless-looking skin on the body, combine the ancient art of dry brushing with your body skincare regimen. This helps unclog pores and stimulate circulation allowing your products to work even better. To complete the skin-smoothing body ritual, never leave the house without an SPF body lotion if you plan to be under the sun for a while. Remember, retinol works by thinning the epidermis, which could make it more susceptible to sun damage, so protect your skin and your investments in your skin by caring for it the best you can.


Q: Why should I avoid mineral oil or petroleum-based ingredients?
A: Mineral oil sometimes gets a bad “rap” in the skincare world due to the misconception that it is directly sourced from petroleum. Although this is conceptually correct, mineral oil must be highly purified to be used in cosmetic formulations. The byproduct of this refining process is known as “white mineral oil.” White mineral oil is food grade and meets the standards outlined by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, deeming it safe for use in food and cosmetics. Few people know that this refined mineral oil has a comedogenicity grade of 0-1, and in itself does not clog pores. Categorized as “occlusive,” it seals and protects the skin, trapping moisture, preventing Transepidermal Water Loss (TEWL), and creating a protective barrier against environmental aggressors and irritation.

Because it sits on the skin’s surface when the skin is not clean, it can “trap” dead cells and oils; therefore, the pores can become clogged. So INDIRECTLY, it could cause breakouts, but to say that this ingredient is directly responsible for clogging pores is false. (However, petroleum jelly can clog pores.) So why are we advised NOT to use it, and why are there claims that mineral oil clogs pores? The only skin types that should use any products with mineral oil are dry, dehydrated, sensitive, and hyper-sensitive skin types. Since normal to oily, oily, and acne skin types already produce excess oil, its occlusive nature will not allow the natural oil to be purged from the pores, resulting in blackheads, breakouts, or inflamed lesions.

Ingredients have evolved through the decades, and although mineral oil was the first of its kind, today there are better environmentally and skin-friendly alternatives that don’t involve extraction and refining processes that have been linked to climate change and oil spills. Using natural, sustainably sourced ingredients like safflower and squalane oil, we can feel confident that we are doing our part in preserving the delicate needs of the earth while replenishing our skin with protective, moisturizing lipids, ensuring clean, clog-free pores and a radiant, healthy glow.


Q: How should I prepare my skin for Fall?
A: “SUMMER IS OVER, LET THE NEW SKIN BE REVEALED!” Each season brings a different climate, changing how our skin responds. Summer usually involves intense heat, humidity, and sunlight, which requires extra-thorough cleansing, lightweight moisturizing, and sun protection. In contrast, Fall brings lower temperatures, less moisture in the air, and less direct sunlight, changes that call for new wardrobes, warm beverages, and new skincare regimens. In the Fall, the focus should shift to gentle cleansers, more exfoliating products, and a combination of hydrating serums and moisturizers. An SPF should also be worn, but since there are fewer activities outdoors, additional applications are usually not needed, unless you go skiing and your skin has prolonged exposure.

1. Gentle cleansers can be milky, foamy, or even creamy, but should be formulated with calming ingredients like chamomile, horse chestnut, and allantoin. The skin still needs to be thoroughly cleansed, but it does not get as dirty in the cooler months since there is less humidity and heat than in the Summer.
2. Choose exfoliating products based on your individual needs. Younger skin and men can usually go with gentle scrubs, while women in their 20’s and 30’s may add an enzyme product weekly in conjunction with a scrub. If you want more than clean pores post-summer, choose treatment products containing glycolic acid to renew your skin. This alpha hydroxy acid (AHA) has a small molecular size, making it highly effective for stimulating cellular renewal, smoothing, refining, reducing fine lines and wrinkles, and improving radiance.
3. If deep repair is your main concern, Micro-Retinol® is for you. Don’t let the “micro” fool you. This retinol’s efficiency maximizes epidermal cell re-organization, repairs damage and dermal components that improve skin support and vitality.
4. Replace the necessary barrier lipids that get affected when exposed to cool air. When the skin’s natural lipids become dysfunctional, the skin is more susceptible to dehydration by increased TEWL and sensitization.

Choose serums that contain fragmented hyaluronic acid and layer them under moisturizers formulated with antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E. This will provide the skin with a healthy and balanced dose of water and oil and arm the skin against drier, cooler weather, free radicals, and moisture loss that may occur from exfoliation.