We recently encountered an article called 3 Trends for Tomorrow’s Skin Care posted by Skin Inc. At Grounded Sage, we often find ourselves muttering “please, no” or “been there- done that” when beauty trends come to light. It’s not that we’re against them. Our passive attitude stems more so from the fact that most skincare trends tend to either be aggressive and damaging to the skin or a celebration of ingredients that aren’t news to us. Besides, it’s our job to know the industry and latest ingredient research that’s out there. That way we can provide our Radiant Rebels with the most current and well-rounded advice possible.
While none of these trends are ground-breaking, they often become crazes because they’ve somehow shown the ability to provide some sort of result(s). Some may be short-term and not sustainable or even prove harmful in the long term. Others will have their time in the limelight. Then we wake one day to find it replaced by the next latest and greatest. We thought it might be beneficial to take a little look at these up-and-comers and share our thoughts behind them.
So 1… 2… 3… come trend with me!
The Retinol Rage
Unless you’re a total newbie to the skincare world, we’re sure you’ve heard of retinol creams at some point in time. This trend has been a slow grower since the mid-70s but has recently built some major momentum. Retinol is essentially a fancy way of saying vitamin A, and while we LOVE vitamins for our skin (and our skin loves them) the saying “too much of a good thing” can be said about a lot of these ingredients. It’s always important to follow the directions and spend a little time getting to know them before diving in face first.
The claim to fame for retinol creams is its ‘fountain of youth’ abilities. If used properly, vitamin A can help minimize the appearance of fine lines and boost that youthful radiance younger skin has. This is because the retinoic acid found in vitamin A improves cellular turnover to reveal newer, healthier skin at the surface, which is a process that slows as we age.
At Grounded Sage, Vitamin A isn’t one of our spotlight ingredients. While we don’t sit in opposition to its use, we’ve managed to source ingredients with the same properties that are more sensitive-skin safe. Vitamin A isn’t as loving of an ingredient as one might expect. Those with ultra-sensitive skin often find that they can only handle the rare introduction of vitamin A to their skin (or not at all). While dryness and peeling are normal to experience with retinol, you should never ignore signs of irritation or inflammations like redness, hot skin, itchiness, rashes, etc.
Instead, we like to focus on other antioxidant-rich ingredients like green tea extract and rosehip oil which have shown to be far less reactive for all skin types. You still get the same great antioxidant support without the irritation and worry of photo-sensitivity from overuse. Our favourite way of introducing these types of antioxidants into our facial care routines is via moisturizers. Products like our Raw Radiance and Forever Young Facial Moisturizers are packed with these natural vitamins for your skin. And the best part? It’s done in a way in which your skin can absorb them, while still maintaining a level of protection from free radicles at the surface of your skin.
The Vitamin C Factor
Many of us can remember the day’s when cold and flu season came around. Your parents would force you to chew those ultra-tart vitamin C chews to try and keep us unscathed. You may have also heard whispers of vitamin C being beneficial for the skin but perhaps haven’t heard about why or how. Balanced skin already contains a high amount of vitamin C. Our bodies put it to work at the surface levels of our skin to use as a protective weapon against free radicals and environmental stressed. This is because vitamin C contains heaps of antioxidants including a special compound known as ascorbic acid. This natural acid’s job is to regulate the production of collagen in our skin, a process that slows down with age and leads to a loss of elasticity in the skin (hence wrinkles). It also helps improve the tone and texture of our skin and minimize the appearance of photochemical damage and prevents future damage (i.e. sun spots or hyperpigmentation). It’s even shown signs of helping to speed up the healing process, making it beneficial for those who are acne prone.
The trick to including Vitamin C in any skin care routine is reading the labels. It truly is a fantastic ingredient, but it’s also one that needs to be used in a particular manner for it to do its best. Make sure it’s in a well thought out formulation while keeping an eye out for other inflammation-inducing and irritating ingredients.
The second thing you’ll want to do is listen to your skin. Vitamin C, if in high percentages, can be irritating to some skin types. While it’s rare that this is the case for ingredients that contain vitamin C (carrot seed oil, calendula oil, seabuckthorn oil, etc.), pure vitamin C should be used in accordance with your skin’s tolerance. Introduce it slowly and be sure to listen to your skin. Then you can adjust accordingly.
Personally, we use Vitamin C in a number of our products whether it be a pure concentrate or as an added benefit of our other ingredients. Our 3 favourites for adding this fatty acid into our routines include the Brightening Gel Toner (for fast and easy absorption), Raw Radiance Facial Moisturizer (for a heaping dose of a plethora of antioxidants) and Balance Serum (for a richer dose of skin loving oils and deep healing). All of our products are formulated to be as effective as possible while still keeping sensitive skin in mind. This is to minimize the chance of exposing your skin to anything that’s too strong for it.
The Multitasking Miracles
The last and most interesting ‘trend’ that was noted was multi-tasking products or products with more than one purpose. If you ask us, products should always be formulated with this end-goal in mind. Skincare should always be simple and easy to achieve as part of your everyday routine.
While K-Beauty routines have been in the spotlight for some time now, consumers are starting to recognize how unrealistic it is to keep up. Using ten or more products a day, breaking the bank to do so and needing to set aside that much time to undertake is not for everyone. In today’s society, we want things easy, smart and straightforward. Multitasking products are the answer!
One thing is for certain at Grounded Sage: While we may not appear to be the trendiest on the block, we’ve got multitasking down. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single product in our skincare line that does only one job. Each time Jamie takes to the studio to unleash a new creation, she never enters the studio with the thought that I need this product just to do one thing. She’s always researching and testing to see how much plant-based power and love she can pack into one jar. Take our Calendula & Cucumber Cleanser for example. This product contains both an oil and cream cleanser to eliminate the need for double cleansing. On top of that, it’s meant to be a soothing treatment for ultra-sensitive and inflamed skin. That’s right- no one-trick ponies here! If you’re ever wondering what tasks our products are formulated to tackle, just take a look at the “IN A NUTSHELL” section on the individual product pages.
In all honesty, while we’re cheering for this trend, it also comes off as just another marketing ploy. If you asked us, products should always (and lots have been for decades) be multitaskers. The new angle is just another way of selling you on the latest and greatest instead of the tried and true.
In retrospect, we’d urge that when you see trends like this popping into your news feed, just take a moment to ask yourself WHY is this a trend and is it really something I need to consider? We bet that a lot of the times, you’ve already got it in your routine. If not, there’s a chance that the ingredient has been around since the dawn of time and this is just Big Beauty’s way of is looking for a new angle to create some buzz.
The truth is, when it comes to natural ingredients, the information is already out there. While there are still many studies being done, these ingredients have stood the test of time because they’ve already proven their worth. So, unless they’ve uncovered a brand-new mineral or plant known to exist, there’s likely what you need to know already available to you. It’s about getting familiar with and becoming comfortable in knowing your natural ingredients and what it is your skin wants… and that’s for you and your skin to decide- not the trendsetters.
With love and radiance,
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