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SKINCARE DECODED • 26 BASICS 101 • 27

Moisturize

Skin’s most important job is to serve as a barrier—shielding you from the

elements while keeping hydration in. This barrier function, however, becomes

compromised when your SC isn’t properly hydrated. This is where moisturizers

come in! A good moisturizer provides a much-needed dose of hydration while

reinforcing your barrier function. This is a super-broad category of products:

serums, essences, creams, ampoules, and gel creams are all designed to keep your

skin moist and plump. The sheer variety of products makes finding that coveted

holy grail moisturizer quite a challenge!

Sunscreen

The sun is the main external factor that causes premature aging, so this category

is extra important. Sunscreens are responsible for shielding skin from sun

damage—and, even scarier, skin cancer. Photodamage can cause wrinkles,

pigmentation, sagging, texture changes, and a whole host of other issues that are

part of premature aging. Do we need to give you any more reasons to use it?

Treatments

If you want to go above and beyond the basics, active ingredients, or actives, are the

cherry on top—the glam squad of products. They usually cost the most, come in

pretty packaging, and basically promise the Fountain of Youth. Treatments feature

ingredients that target and correct skin concerns you may be worried about, such

as fine lines and wrinkles, tone, texture, and pigmentation.

If you’re covering the three basic pillars of cleansing, moisturizing, and protecting

your skin from the sun you already have a solid routine. That said, actives are a

very useful enhancement to a skincare routine. They’re quite a technical and vast

category, so half of this book will be dedicated to treatments, and for good reason.

This category helps fight wrinkles, pigmentation, and uneven texture. Everything that

you’ve heard about in those touted “holy grail” serums, you’ll see in the department

stores. But active ingredients are also confusing, because they can have multiple

benefits, come in all sorts of product formats, and often require some experimenting

so that you can figure out your own regimen and optimal concentration.