When we think of a healthy, radiant skin surface, we use words like “supple,” “poreless” and “baby-soft.” We’re only able to achieve this if our skin has a strong barrier.
Skin care, when you really think about it, is about protection. When you apply an antioxidant serum or sunscreen, the goal is to protect your skin from harmful outside forces like UV rays and/or pollution. The skin barrier is the layer of the skin that actually does all that work, and with some extra TLC, a healthy barrier can lead to radiant skin. To make that happen, it’s important to stack your routine with skin care made up of ingredients that have been clinically proven to boost the barrier.
“Because the skin is the most visible organ of the body, people forget that it is still an organ in the body and it needs to be taken care of as we would other organs of the body,” says Dr. Carl Thornfeldt, dermatologist and founder of barrier-boosting skin-care line Epionce.
Also known as the stratum corneum, the skin barrier is the outermost layer of the epidermis and our first line of defense against external agitators. Dr. Thornfeldt describes the skin barrier as the “protector against all the insults in the environment around us,” such as “UV rays, pollution, extreme temperatures, severe emotional or physical stress, hormonal imbalance, heavy metals, and even chemicals in skin-care products like sulfates, retinoids, propylene glycol, and formaldehyde.” As that lengthy list makes clear, the barrier has a huge impact on the health and appearance of our skin.
If a healthy barrier means healthy skin, then how can we tell if our barrier is in need of a boost? A damaged skin barrier can manifest as an aged face with fine lines, wrinkles or visible sun damage. When we’re younger, our skin barrier tends to be healthy and robust. As we age, years of unprotected exposure to the elements shows up on our skin. The first step to more youthful skin is boosting the barrier and shielding our skin against pollution, blue light, UV rays, heavy metals, and all of the other forces that can bring down our skin’s glow factor.
For our healthiest, glowing skin, look for products with barrier-boosting ingredients. Thankfully, Dr. Thornfeldt and his team at Epionce have created a full range of cleansers, toners, masks, creams, and more, all designed to set us on the path to radiant skin.
Epionce products are packed with botanicals like rose canina fruit oil, white water lily extract and apple fruit extract. The formulas also include ingredients from nature like avocado, safflower and meadowfoam, which add rich fatty acids and oils for nourishment. These botanicals make for effective yet gentle formulas that work on all skin types. Epionce was founded on a principle of rigorous clinical study, and it currently has more than 16 clinical studies proving the efficacy of its barrier-boosting formulas.
Using a combination of barrier-focused products like Renewal Eye Cream, Renewal Facial Cream and Anti-Aging Lip Renewal, you can notice fewer signs of aging and improved symptoms of skin conditions like acne, psoriasis and eczema. Best of all, Epionce’s formulas provide a very rare quick fix: In one clinical study, Medical Barrier Cream produced skin improvement within two hours.
To put it simply, a healthy barrier means healthy-looking skin, and you can keep it that way with a few simple tweaks to your skin-care routine.
Find the best routine for you at epionce.com.