Hi everyone
Below is a great post by Julie Lardner from http://thebeautyissue.com/5-cosmeceutical-skincare-brands/
I have included most of her post as I like the way she makes sense of what a cosmeceutical is. She also recommends a number of cosmeceutical skincare lines which I have not included here, due to my total bias towards Synergie Skin. I hope you will forgive me for that. 🙂 Enjoy the read.
Jennipha
Ever wonder what a Cosmeceutical is?
Have you even heard the term? If you have any kind of obsession with the appearance of your skin then you may know this term. But, you would be forgiven for not knowing as it is, after all, a made up word. That doesn’t mean you wont find it on The Google… oh yes indeed you will.
In fact, cosmeceutical even has its own Wikipedia page which you can find here. But I’ll give you a quick definition. It’s a made up term or to be more accurate, a product with a merging of cosmetic and pharmaceutical ingredients.
Unfortunately the word has been used and abused by marketing departments the world over. So much so, it’s hard to sort fact from fiction.
So, just to clear things up for you, in my opinion a ‘true’ cosmeceutical should contain active ingredients that are clinically proven to work on correcting the skin. Sometimes referred to as medical grade skin care, which usually indicates an endorsement by cosmetic physicians.
Does all this matter?
Probably not, but what does matter is whether the product does what it says it is going to do. Ah yes, my friends, there’s the rub. The real dilemma is not so much the identifying category a product has been anointed (cosmeceutical), but knowing whether the product is going to deliver on results. It’s a conundrum and if you’ve ever aimlessly wandered around a department store hoping and praying for a bit of honest advice, then you know what I mean.
What’s good for you may not be so good for me.
Knowing of a brands reputation is one thing, but liking and trusting is quite another. We’re all different, all unique and you and your skin have your own set of circumstances, problems, concerns and issues. You will have reasons why you gravitate to one product over another, sometimes it’s advice from a friend, or it’s the packaging that clinches the deal, other times it’s the scent of a product or (if you’re lucky) you’ll stumble upon something that just seems to work. For me, after so many years of experience, it’s often intuitive, but of course, an understanding of the science and sophistication behind the brand helps at lot.
No matter what idiosyncrasies, beliefs or celebrity endorsements bring you to your decision, what is truly important is the workout your skin is going to get with a cosmeceutical skin care brand…
Your skin, like your body will benefit from a regular cosmeceutical workout.
If your products are going to perform, they need to 1), correct the errors of the past 2), bring your skin back to a state of normality and then when you’re ready 3), get your skin working as nature intended. Efficiently and effortlessly. But, of course as time goes by the efficiency and effortless activities of the skin do begin to slow down, which is why you will need the powerhouse active ingredients of a good cosmeceutical regimen to give your skin a great workout.
Like all good workouts, there can be some pain, well, actually it’s more like a tingling sensation and occasionally (especially in the beginning), you may experience some redness in the skin. This is normal and part of the restorative powers of products that contain highly active ingredients. Just take it easy and start your regimen slowly..
Synergie Skin
This Australian brand was founded in 2005, so in the scheme of things, the new kid on the block, but by no means a novice. Terri Vinson is the founder and creator of this brand and puts all her knowledge into protecting, creating change and nurturing the skin. I have tried the basic daily regimen in this range and I do like it. Terri has some great video’s worth taking a peek at over at the Synergie skin website if you want to get a feel for the brand.
