So I did some research into what’s trending for the new year in skincare, beauty, spas and wellness and you won’t believe what we’re in for…

The Urine Facial

One of the latest DIY skin care treatments circulating the internet is...big breath...applying pee to your face!!

According to a Refinery 29 story, human urine is sterile, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory. The practice of applying (urine) to the face reportedly goes back to ancient Eastern traditions.

The story referred to dermatologists, who noted that: the user must use their own sample, they must use it immediately and there are some contraindications based on health conditions. (…no really!??)

The trend, while gross, is not entirely off base. A major component of urine is urea, which is a popular skin care ingredient to hydrate and exfoliate skin. Urine also contains ingredients with skin benefits such as minerals, enzymes and antibodies.

If you have clients (or friends) who want beautiful skin so bad they'd be willing to use their pee, advise them that their time is better spent elsewhere!

While it most likely won't cause harm and might even provide a little benefit, applying urine to the face isn't nearly as effective as today's skincare treatments and products!

Ok, this trend is a little more acceptable…or is it? Advanced Drone Technology

New age drone technology to target aging - and I’m not talking about male wasps, but rather those unmanned aircrafts that can zoom in on precise targets.

What does drone technology have to do with skin care?

This technology refers to the delivery of active ingredients from a product into your skin and even directly into cells. More than that, this so-called drone technology is getting so clever that it can target a specific cell and in some cases, a precise area of that cell!  (Is that not freaking amazing!?) 

This advanced drone technology targets skin neurons to stimulate botox-like effects to minimize the communication channels for muscle contractions, providing unbelievably smooth skin. (Yes please!) Cosmetic formulators have started talking about how drone-like delivery can boost the efficacy of active ingredients.

During the Face and Body conference and Expo held in San Jose, California, Christine Heathman, CEO of GlyMed Plus and medical master aesthetician, revealed the effect of drone technology on the skin. "It extends the cell life span, it boosts the collagen production. These are super powerful peptides."

Is it a fad, a meaningless analogy, or something that will make you rethink what it takes to make an effective anti-aging potion? 

In summary:

Whether some new technology provides better ingredient penetration, or some new magic mineral is discovered, or some new approach to an old concept….
for healthy, youthful, glowing skin it still comes down to:

- being healthy overall – water, sleep, destressing, nutrition, exercise, sun-protection

- sun-protection, sun-protection, did I say SPF??

- active ingredients (that will Prevent, Correct & Protect), in high enough concentrations and formulated in such a way as to penetrate to where these actives need to go and used often enough…

You will stimulate skin cell renewal, correct & heal damage, prevent further damage, and effectively keep the skin “fit” and healthy and working the way it was intended to.

Someone famous once said “There is no such thing as ugly women, only lazy ones”!

Wow!  Well, there you go.

A couple of other trending tid-bits:

- It used to be about products with Collagen & Elastin, (which are too big to penetrate the epidermis so they don’t end up doing much), now it’s more about ingredients that stimulate new Collagen and Elastin to be produced!

- It used to be about Retinol and Vitamin C, now it’s about the actual benefit of using the right forms of Retinol and Vitamin C.

- New anti-oxidants are being incorporated all the time to help provide more and more protection against free-radical damage in our skin, ie Astaxanthan, Resveratrol, all kinds of seed, fruit and berry extracts, green & white tea extracts and many more.

- Skin lightening agents are also being sought after for correcting sun damage and hyperpigmentation, which not only contributes to looking older, but can lead to cancer in some cases.

- It used to be about actives and loads of great beneficial ingredients, now it’s about formulations with advanced penetration technology to get the actives into the skin so they can actually get to where they need to go to make a difference.  It’s very high tech!

Happy New Year!!

CHEERS TO BEAUTIFUL, YOUNG, HEALTHY SKIN!!

xxoo,

Iris