By Amerley Ollennu
Individuality in beauty is everywhere, from personalised programmes to inclusive shade ranges – the more tailored a brands approach is the more popular it seems to be.However, while we’re seeing more products that dial into our unique needs, they are also being formulated to suit all skin types. So, after decades of buying skincare that’s specifically designed for normal, dry, sensitive, oily and combination skin – it seems we're throwing these classifications out of the window and heralding in a new era of skincare that focuses solely on our concerns and not on our skin type.
When you think about it, it makes sense as there are a variety of skin types that can all experience the same concern. The trick seems to be that to make a ‘suits all skin types’ formula you need to err on the side of caution, designing products that cater to sensitive skin ergo making them ‘safe’ to use on everyone.
“Products made for all skin types are commercially promising, as there is no risk of misuse, which make them a ‘safer’ bet for consumers and brands,” shares Meder Skincare brand founder and formulator Dr Tiina Meder.
But are they harder to create? How can a moisturiser work on oily skin as effectively as it does on dry skin? “Yes and no. It can be tricky to formulate a “universal” moisturiser, compared to a universal neck cream – which is much easier to create. But, with a little know how it is possible to make products everyone can use,’ adds Meder, whose new Circa-Night fits the bill.
It’s a night cream inspired by the Nobel Prize nominated work of Jeffrey C. Hall, Michael Rosbash and Michael W. Young – who discovered the molecular mechanisms controlling circadian rhythms. Meder used this insight to help those of us who aren’t getting adequate amounts of beauty sleep, as no matter your skin type, when you don’t sleep well or at the right time, your skin cells produce less energy substrates, less collagen and other structural elements. By biohacking the skins molecular mechanisms, Circa-Night, fakes a restful night’s sleep to improve the health and look of the skin long-term.
And what of other more specific concerns, acne treatments for example typically contain plenty of skin sloughing acids that can leave skin uber dry – not ideal if you have sensitive, normal or dry skin. Cue the Meder EU-Seb Concentrate, that contains skin friendly prebiotics to balance and maintain the skin’s microbiome, protect the skin barrier and quell inflammation and excessive sebum and can be topped with a moisturiser if need be.
Meder isn't the only one formulating in this way. Start to look a little closer and you’ll quickly notice that more brands are offering far more gentle, skin friendly formulas designed for absolutely everyone in mind.
