3 ways to clean up your skin routine this year
Have you ever wondered what’s actually in your skincare products? Sure, you can read the label, but how much do you really know about what all of those ingredients are? Most importantly, how do they impact your long-term skin health? It’s a serious question to consider because historically, there have been a lot of ups and downs in the long history of cosmetics.
A SHORT HISTORY OF SKINCARE
In the beginning, both beauty and medicine were based around what nature had to offer us. Going back 7,000 years to ancient Egypt and Rome, women were lining their eyes with pulverized kohl, a metalloid that added drama to their features. They believed the thick, black chalky substance also protected them from the sun. Plant pigments were used both to add bright pops of color to cheeks and eyelids, as well as ease pain and reduce scarring from injuries such as burns.
Fast forward to the early 1920s, and suddenly Hollywood starlets were seen showing off bright shades of red lipstick and flawless complexions enhanced by flesh-toned powders. When the 60s and 70s rolled around, women began to favor a more natural look. But a thriving industry had already formed around makeup and skincare, and synthetic chemicals were more and more common components. Ingredient labels weren’t mandatory until 1975 in the US, making even the desire to be an informed consumer pretty tricky.
These days, ingredient labels are required, but FDA regulations are still a bit loose when it comes to safety. Referencing the cosmetic industry, the FDA website says this:
“Neither the law nor FDA regulations require specific tests to demonstrate the safety of individual products or ingredients. The law also does not require cosmetic companies to share their safety information with FDA.”
So, yeah. Now we’ve got labels, but how do we know whether or not we can trust all of those ingredients? Contrary to leaving that burden to the consumer, something refreshing has started to happen in the cosmetics industry.
THE RISE OF CLEAN BEAUTY
History has taught us that some things in the skincare and beauty product world might turn out to be not-so-good. That means it’s up to the consumer to be informed and know their facts. This necessity has birthed a renaissance of back-to-nature beauty. But the difference between us and our ancient Egyptian ancestors is that we’ve now got the power of modern science to lean on.
Clean beauty doesn’t have a wide sweeping, categorically agreed upon definition. But, we know what it means to us. At Layers, we formulate our products without parabens, mineral oil, petroleum, silicone, phthalates,sulfates, formaldehyde, triclosan, gluten, and other ingredients that harm human health and the environment. We also never test on animals.
With the benefit of modern science, we’re also able to keep our ingredients clean while guaranteeing the highest levels of efficacy. We continue to partner with industry leaders in microbiome skincare science to source and deliver highly effective ingredients with clinically-proven skin results. Clean beauty isn’t just better for your health and the planet. Clean beauty works!
So, if this sounds like the kind of path you want to take to better skincare, here’s how you can clean up your routine.
3 WAYS TO CLEAN UP YOUR SKINCARE ROUTINE
+ Start Reading Labels: You don’t have to stand in the beauty aisle and Google every unpronounceable compound listed on the label. That would take days.
Here’s a list of the dirty dozen you want to avoid:
- BHA and BHT
- Coal tar dyes: p-phenylenediamine and colors listed as “CI” followed by a five-digit number
- DEA-related ingredients
- Dibutyl phthalate
- Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives
- Parabens
- Parfum (certain fragrances)
- PEG compounds
- Petrolatum
- Siloxanes
- Sodium laureth sulfate
- Triclosan
+ Go Beyond Your Skin: We strongly believe that the future of beauty is more focus on the Gut-Skin Axis. A profound relationship exists between your gut and skin. These seemingly separate systems communicate with one another to keep skin in a state of balance; protecting you from pathogens, regulating your temperature, and retaining skin hydration.
Layers exists as a brand to honor the interconnectedness of your body's systems and how they work together to impact the healthy appearance of your skin. Our simple, clean skincare line is based on the power of probiotics to nourish your microbiome from the inside out.
Here’s how it works:
- Start with a glass of water and one Daily Glow Probiotic Supplement with gut-friendly probiotic strains and ceramides to aid digestion and strengthen your skin barrier.
- Wash with our gentle Milky Balancing Cleanser.
- Then apply a pea-sized amount of our Renewing Probiotic Serum for gentle daily exfoliation.
- Finally, let your skin savor our Immunity Moisturizer for weightless, all-day hydration.
+ Avoid Overwhelm by Remembering your Why: Yes, we know “Clean Beauty” is trendy (for good reason!), but that doesn’t mean you need to pull a research all-nighter and head out first thing in the morning to swap out all of your not-so-clean products for fancy new ones. Even thinking about that is stressful.
Instead, take a few days or weeks to think about what clean beauty means to you. Why do you want to take this skincare journey? It could be for environmental reasons, for animal ethics, or simply because you’re ready to try something different. Adopting a cleaner beauty routine isn’t just about the products on your shelves. It can also be a bigger picture decision that’s based on your personal values and ethics. It’s a lifestyle choice, so make sure you’re stepping into it with both feet forward, equipped with all of the tools you need to walk the walk with confidence.
If you’re ready to take the clean beauty plunge, then welcome! We’re glad to have you. We invite you to learn more about Layers unique microbiome approach to beauty and explore our probiotic skincare line. Clean beauty that offers real results for your gut and skin health is now at your fingertips.
