Every brand has a story behind why it exists. Today I want to talk a little more in depth about our “why” at Actual Skin. As the name suggests, this brand is built with the intention of treating Actual, real skin, with Actual clean/high quality ingredients, that will bring Actual change to sensitive or compromised skin over time and with consistency. It’s become abundantly clear that the skincare industry has thrown too much conflicting information about achieving healthy looking skin. You might be wondering, why even bother to create another brand that just adds to the noise? Well, when you have a clear mission and know for certain what it is you bring to the table, you decide it’s possible to go swim amongst thousands of others and trust that whoever you’re meant to help will find you. Knowing that there is a brand like Actual Skin out in the world makes me feel proud, not only because of what has been created but because I know whole heartedly how helpful it will be to those who get their hands on it. So, what exactly do I mean by our products treating Actual skin?

When I say our brand is made to treat Actual skin, I mean in no way, shape or form are any ingredients in our formulas meant to disturb your skin function. In fact, each formula works synergistically with your skin to help bring it back to balance. Have you ever noticed when you’ve fallen down and scrape your knee, that your skin naturally heals overtime? This is because our skin is smart, it knows exactly what to do and how to do it. What happens when we start using so many different products that are full of not only toxic loading ingredients but actives that quite frankly are potentially doing more harm than good in the long run? And what happens when you’re using multiple active formulas in your skin? You disrupt the intelligence of your skin, now you have skin barrier issues and probably sensitivities you didn’t have before. The truth is our skin needs little in order to function at its best. Learning to refrain from using so many products with so many actives can save you a lot of trouble in the future and focusing on using few, high quality products you can trust can benefit you in the long run.

It appears as though the “clean” era in skincare has lost its purpose. Sephora has a dedicated space in their stores for said brands and most brands now categorize themselves under this category. But why did this category had to be invented in the first place? And what does it even mean to be a “clean” brand? It was invented because after organic/green brands started coming out onto the scene they needed a term to separate them from the chemical laden brands but unfortunately as time has progressed the meaning of the word “clean” has gotten lost. Now almost everyone claims to be a “clean” brand and safe for all skin types (this is not true) as so many of these products are full of actives and skin compromising ingredients and rarely are they actually natural and organic. In Actual Skin “clean” means high quality, organic ingredients, plant based, never tested on animals, always on real, sensitive skin as we formulate with the most sensitive skin types in mind. We formulate in house and ship freshly made products on a weekly basis. As a person who has eczema, acne prone skin and at some point, had my skin barrier compromised, I know too well how difficult it can be when you’re struggling with skin issues. I formulated the formulas you see now in my own journey to heal my skin barrier and regulate my skin in a natural, sustainable way that does not interrupt the function of my skin. These products have been a huge part of my healing, they gave my skin the resilience it needed in order to fix itself.

Here is the “catch” about using skincare that works alongside your skin, it requires patience. As it took time to create whatever imbalance you find yourself with, it will take time to correct it. Our skin naturally sheds dead cells every 28 days. It’s how our skin works, and we believe in honoring that, not in manipulating it to do otherwise. Of course, the well-being of our skin is not completely reliant on skincare products, it also needs proper sleep to regenerate, a well varied diet, movement, relaxation, and mental/emotional wellbeing. We can never ignore any of these things when we think about the state of our skin. Actual Skin is not for chasing perfect skin, we’re championing all skin, in all its phases and we are proud to be a part of the journey in bringing your skin back to its natural, healthy, balanced state.