Skincare Science with Lachlan

So I keep seeing this being brought up and I thought I go into this in a bit more detail to clarify the confusion companies seem to be creating around the term ‘ Purging ’. Skin Purging - So what is purging this term ‘skin purging’, this refers to a acne breakout as a reaction to an active ingredient that increases the skins cellular turnover rate in acne prone skin types. This is an indication that the prescribed/recommended product is functioning correctly. This commonly occurs with more acidic or active products like Retinoids, Chemical Exfoliants or other potent acids. This can result in breakouts or dryness like flaking in areas where this usually occurs. This generally is resolved within a 4-6 week period. Some tips to reduce the severity: - Don’t use products that can excessively dry out the skin - Don’t pick, squeeze or try and extract these breakouts, or peel skin off directly - Ease yourself into the product. If you gradually introduce a product once a week allow your skin to...

So what really happens to the product you wash away? There's been a lot of info going around about chemical filters impact in the reefs, and other ingredients like synthetic polymers that can harm the environment. Which from all studies appears to be correct. But does that apply to everyday product and sunscreen use? You might be surprised to find out that the majority of countries use water filtration systems, or treatment plants for all points of drainages (sinks, laundry, and yep even toilets). To be chemically treated and re-used. This applies to the products/sunscreen that are washed down our drains. The water is treated with various chemicals, tested and released back into the pipelines (if passes the test). You should be able to identify how your water supplier does this in your location so I encourage to research this do you can understand how your water is supplied. For those that would like to avoid these chemicals on the rebounded water, some filters can be at...

Looking for an alternative to Vitamin C, E, and Ferulic Acid to boost your antioxidant protection. If you haven't had a chance check out my other post on the benefits of Marine Algae's you can check it out here: Marine Algae - How Can It Benefit Your Skincare A summary of the benefits of the Marine Algae. Antioxidant, natural UV filters,  hydration and moisture-binding properties. I've been testing this product over 4 months now as an alternative UV protection boost. It's formulated in a weightless, silicone-free gel-cream base that forms an invisible shield to keep skin protected from deeper pollution damage that occurs during the day. Supporting by 16  clinically proven antioxidants like Green, Red, Brown Algae, Bearberry, Glutathione, Q10, Polyphenols to name a few.  This is applied as the last step of your skincare routine before your sunscreen. It provides a subtle amount of hydration and glow to the skin, and made applying sunscreen more seaml...

Marine Algae's have been a hidden little ingredient that has some amazing properties and can even be found in some of the skincare we may already use, or used in the past (Youth To The People, The Ordinary, Paula's Choice to name a few) Studies have shown that marine algae have various benefits to the skin. Here’s some of the more commonly used marine algae's in skincare to look out for: Red Algae/Micro-algae (Astaxanthin, Ahnfeltia Concinna, Gigartina Skottsbergii and Undaria Pinnatifida)  Have moisture binding properties and is well suited for normal-dry/dehydrated skin types. Astaxanthin for example algae contains significantly more antioxidants than other superfood heroes like blueberries, Kale, etc, is anywhere from 10 to 100 times more powerful than other carotenoids like beta-carotene and lycopene, and is significantly more potent than skin-enhancing vitamins C and E. This also has skin-soothing properties and can assist in imparting a natural healthy g...

Let’s talk Alcohol in skincare! Contrary to popular belief alcohol isn’t the worst ingredient around. The more common stripping Alcohols like ethanol, isopropyl alcohol, alcohol denat, and methanol are used to make products more cosmetically elegant, help other ingredients to penetrate, and as a preservative. These types of alcohols when used in high concentrations in skin care can damage your skin’s protective barrier which results in your skin is less effective at keeping moisture in (also known as trans-epidermal water loss). By over stripping the skin it’s natural response is to stimulate oil production which could lead to congestion/breakouts if your skin makes an excess the skin can’t cope with. Some of these alcohols do serve to help with certain  products absorb, or make them more cosmetically elegant. I've always believed using products containing these alcohols that are used close to the skin (toners, essences, serums and exfoliants) raises the risk of sensiti...

What is Hyper-Pigmentation:  There are various types of hyper-pigmentation, the triggers associated and also the treatments available. Hyper-pigmentation can occur when the skin produces an excessive amount of melanin (the pigment that gives skin its colour) within the layers of the skin. This can create spots/marks on the skin that appear darker than surrounding areas. The Causes: The most common forms of hyperpigmentation are: Age/Sunspots - are brown, tan, or black spots that appear on the skin with sun overexposure. Commonly they appear on the face, neck , and hands, and other areas exposed to the sun. Post Inflammatory - this creates spots/ patches of darkened skin that appear after an inflammatory skin condition, such as acne, eczema. The treatment for this tends to be a difficult and prolonged process (often takes 6-12 months to achieve the desired results. Each topical treatment options may improve the epidermal layer, but not the underlying dermal...

What are Surfactants and how do they work in your skincare. I’ve put together some info that will give you an idea of how surfactants work about your skincare (Gian Reew thank you for the inspiration on this one). It should help you recognise these ingredients and compare them to the most common ones found in skincare/cosmetic formulations. I’ll keep it relatively simple (but if I geek out too much let me know :) I hear people use the words Surfactants or Detergents interchangeably however, they are not the same entirely. Surfactant represents one compound, detergent refers to a completed formulation of which the surfactant is only one aspect of that formula. Surfactants represents a large group of ingredients and can be found in the majority of skincare products. The word surfactant is a shortened from "surface-active agent”. The easiest way to explain it would be to first discuss surface tension. This is created when two substances are combined (for eg. liquid/solid,...

The dreaded baggage that we all sometimes have to carry! Under-eye bags and dark circles. There are two primary causes for this beyond lifestyle/internal factors. The first is the pigmentation of the skin. The second is thin skin, or skin that has lost fat pads show veins underneath the eye area.  A popular test used by Skincare experts, to determine which category you fall into first take your skin under the eye, and gently lift it up. When you lift it up, look at what happens to the colour of the skin in the dark circle area. When you lift it up, if all of sudden comes back to normal colour, it’s because the skin is too thin and more transparent. If you lift up off the skin’s structure and the pigmentation does not change/it stays brown, it’s telling you that pigmentation is the primary problem.  If it's pigmentation related, then using ingredients that will brighten the area and inhibit melanin production would be more beneficial. I've put a list of the...

Are You A Patter Or Rubber I think when applying products it's almost an automatic reaction to rub your products in. For many years it was for me. I had the privilege of working with Rae Morris in my early 20's, a well-known makeup artist who to this day does amazing natural/wearable makeup (If you're unfamiliar check out some of her work -Rae Morris). She realised my natural affinity for all things skin-related and gave me a few of the best tips of my life, and that I still use today.  The first was tapping or patting the product into the skin. The reason for this was it allowed for products to be directly deposited on the skin more efficiently, rather than being absorbed into the tips of the fingers more so than the face. Once I factored in the science behind dragging and pulling of the skin caused by rubbing, and the simple friction it created also leading to things like irritation/inflammation I embarked on a journey to only tap in my products. Over 15 years...

A common question asked is how often do I need to use my serums or exfoliant? Serums and Actives:   Depending on the formulation and the issue you’re treating can vary how frequently you may need to use these to achieve the desired result. For example if your aim is to add hydration/moisture, maintenance or general anti-aging, realistically this only needs to be used between 2-3 days a week (either in the AM or PM not really both).  You could get away with more hydration/moisturisers like peptides, omega fatty acids, etc but even then there’s a limit to how much the skin can absorb and too much can lead to irritation.  If treating issues like scarring, hyper-pigmentation, these may require more frequent use of actives like Niacinamide, Vitamin C, Retinoids or brightening agents like Alpha Arbutin/Hydroquinone. A frequency of somewhere between 3-5 days per week to treat the issue, then reduced to 2-3 days for maintenance, unless directed by a profes...

A Double Cleanse. What does it entail and what are the benefits! So what is a Double Cleanse? This is a process where by at the skin is cleansed twice. First with an oil/balm based cleanser. Then with a water-based cleanser. This is reserved for the evening or PM routines to help breakdown products and congestion of the day. For this reason a double cleanse is not required in the morning part of your routine. For your morning routine, you can either cleanse with water, or gentle based cleanser like CeraVe's Hydrating Cleanser (or similar) The oil-based cleanser is used to breakdown oil-based products like oil-based products, environmental congestion, makeup and sunscreen. The oils in these types of cleansers are attracted to the surface oil on the skin. The oils used in these are hydrophilic, which allows these products to be dissolved easily, rinsed off without build-up or heavy film left behind. For this reason it's not recommended to use only oil-based products alone, a spec...

Today the battle of the Peptides serums is here. Before starting I would like to clarify that this is The Ordinary's The Buffet Serum that does not contain the Copper Peptides (I'm still skeptical of these). I've tested each product for 3 months to get an accurate gauge of the results. A 3 month period is usually a sufficient time to gauge improvements from any active ingredient. Though if it's more deeply seeded issues like acne or hyper-pigmentation this can take additional time. The Ordinary's The Buffet Serum: A fantastic product. This adds moisture to the skin and also gives it a slightly powerless appearance. Paula's Choice Peptide Booster: usually I'm an advocate for Paula's Choice products however, I couldn't get behind this one. It pilled on numerous occasions with various products I tested. A few occasions I was able to get this on without pilling it didn't give that slightly powerless effect The Buffet seemed to provide. ...