How skincare products work with the skin, as told by a foodie!

Today, we’re talking all about understanding how skincare products work with the skin! In other words, how do these products interact with the skin, and what do they do for the skin?

Understanding the exact purpose of skincare products can be tricky, however, put it in food terms & suddenly we’re all experts! More on that in a few.

If you read my last blog post or listened to Episode 11 of my podcast, then you should have a little bit clearer of an understanding of the anatomy of the skin. If you haven’t, I recommend you read this post! Now that you understand skin anatomy, let’s talk a bit about how skincare products work with the skin.

First off, it’s good to have an idea of what skincare products are. There is a wide variety of types of skincare products, and below is a relatively inclusive list.

Skincare Product Types

Cleansers
Toners
Exfoliants
Masques
Serums

Moisturizers
Sunblocks
Eye Creams
Chemical Peels
Treatments

Beauty = Foodie!

So now that you have a general idea of the basic product categories, let’s talk about how skincare products work with the skin. Obviously, this varies by product and what it’s purpose is. For example, a cleanser and a moisturizer are not going to react the same way with the skin, because they have different purposes. A cleanser’s job is to remove surface debris, where a moisturizer’s job is to attract and retain moisture in the skin. So, in order to understand how the products work with the skin, we need to figure out what the product’s purpose is. I’m not going to get into the chemistry behind it because, well… that’s too far above my head! So, let’s go in a more abstract direction.

Skincare product ingredients are like recipe ingredients. In a recipe for a meal, each ingredient adds flavor and/or nutrients and/or texture. In skincare products, the ingredients add effect and/or scent and/or color. For example:

Emollients smooth and soften the skin
Emulsifiers stabilize the mixture
Essential Oils add nutrients (or other effects) and add scent

So essentially, a skincare product, like a cleanser or an exfoliant or a moisturizer, is a portion of a meal, and when you put them all together, it’s like a full 9 course meal!

Example

9 course Meal:

Hors ‘d’oeuvre – Cleanser

Amuse-bouche – Toner

Appetizer – Exfoliant

Salad – Chemical Peel

Cheese Plate – Masque

Main Course – Serum

Palate Cleanser – Moisturizer

Dessert – Eye Cream

Mignardise – Sunblock

Now, this list just explains the order in which each product is used in comparison to the order in which each course is eaten. In the table below, I’m going to compare each product to its most equal food course in terms of what the product does.

Skincare Products vs. 9-Course Meal

Cleanses the skin of surface dirt and debris and prepares the skin for further products.

Removes dead skin cells with either a textured exfoliant like ground walnut shells, jojoba beads, etc. or a chemical exfoliant such as an enzyme.

Potent combination of ingredients that penetrate deeply into the pores to both deliver nutrients to the skin and also remove impurities.

Emulsion of oil and water that attracts moisture to the skin and locks it in.

Small finger foods to prepare your taste buds for more food to come.

A platter of cheeses of varying textures and flavors with accompanying crackers, nuts, fruits, or even cured meats.

Assortment of raw vegetables with a flavorful dressing.

A small dish of food or a drink eaten before a meal or the main course of a meal to stimulate one’s appetite.

Helps remove remaining dirt and debris and give skin a boost of hydration.

The “main event”. A specific acid (glycolic, lactic, salicylic, etc) is applied to the skin which penetrates deeply and removes the outer layers of the skin.

Designed to deliver high concentrations of active ingredients to the skin, but are very light and absorb quickly.

Thicker formulation than moisturizer as it’s formulated for the delicate eye area.

Neutral food or drink that removes any food residue (flavor) from your tongue, “resetting” your taste buds.

Meat (or other protein), vegetables, and a grain to provide a hearty and filling course.

Small, but flavorful taste of food that’s to come, translated to: “Amuse the mouth”.

Delicate, bite sized dessert or pastry.

The final step of the skincare regimen, that protects skin from harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun.

Sweet and Decadent course to close out the meal.