This post is sponsored by Bioderma. As you might have seen on my Instagram (@labmuffinbeautyscience), I recently went with Bioderma to their headquarters in Aix-en-Provence in France to learn more about the brand and their products. I also got to tour their research and development labs and their manufacturing facilities. As you probably already know, Bioderma are the brand behind …
I recently started using a prescription tretinoin cream, a generic version of Retin-A (Stieva-A). Tretinoin is probably THE most popular and evidence-supported retinoid (vitamin A derivative) ingredient in skincare. It works as an acne treatment, for anti-aging (both wrinkles and uneven pigment) and a generous handful of other skin issues. I’ve had a lot of requests for advice and tutorials …
This post is sponsored by Vice Reversa. Dissolving microneedle patches are a relatively new technology. They’ve been researched for use in medicine for delivering vaccines, human growth hormone and insulin, but they’ve been showing up in skincare recently too, especially in Asia and K-beauty. Vice Reversa is the first brand with these patented dissolving microneedle patches that you can get …
This post is sponsored by Grant Industries. Silicones are one of the Big Bad ingredients in skincare, make-up and haircare. They’ve been demonised by natural brands, and there are more warnings about them than you can count. So I was delighted when Grant Industries (ingredient manufacturer, maker of Granactive Retinoid, physical sunscreens and of course, silicones) asked me to do a …
Centella asiatica is a really popular ingredient that shows up in lots of “cica” products, both in Asian and Western brands. I recently had the opportunity to try out three products from Purito’s Centella Green Level line, which contains very high levels of this trendy skincare superstar ingredient. What Is Centella Asiatica? I’ve talked about the science behind Centella asiatica …
“Is all the stuff that rolls off with a peeling gel really my skin?“ This is a question I come across a lot! In case you’ve forgotten, a peeling gel is a popular type of cleanser in Asia. You start off with a watery gel like this, which you spread over your face (the one picture here is Laneige Strawberry …
Oxygen masks are products which come out of the bottle as a gel, but start bubbling with oxygen gas after a few seconds on the skin. Brands like Bliss, Peter Thomas Roth, Dr Brandt, Oseque and Sephora have oxygen bubble masks. What do they do, and how did they get the gas into the bottle? Here’s the video, scroll down …
You’ve probably seen a comedogenicity chart like these ones (and the one further down the page) before, rating different ingredients on their ability to cause pimples. Supposedly you check the ingredients list of your product against the comedogenicity list. If it has highly comedogenic ingredients, it will cause pimples, if it doesn’t, then it won’t. It’s simple, systematic and foolproof, right? …