Skin-care aficionados are familiar with The Derm Wife, as she’s made a name for herself as an influencer with a twist. She’s not just skin care–obsessed like the rest of us. Cori Zeichner also relies on her proximity to board-certified dermatologist husband Joshua Zeichner, MD, to serve as a personal consultant from time to time. When it came time to formulate her own skin solution for pesky adult acne, she called on his expertise again, because who better to help create a line of skin essentials than one of the most trusted and often called-on acne experts in the country.
Although the brand name is the combination of the couple’s names Joshua and Cori, Dr. Zeichner notes that JORI is solely his wife’s vision; he’s just the science behind the operation. Cori shares that her new skin saviors are a labor of love and were developed from her desire to bring adult acne issues to the forefront. She found herself dealing with her own breakouts as an adult and not knowing how to treat them or what to use. “Adults don’t think they have acne unless it’s really bad, but they do believe they have breakouts. Even though they are the same thing, there’s something about calling it or believing that it’s acne that causes people not to think they’re one in the same,” she explains.
“I did a poll on my Instagram and over 500 people responded,” adds Dr. Zeichner. “About 90 percent of respondents were women and 10 percent were men, with the average demographic being between 18 and 40. Two thirds of the people polled thought that blemishes and breakouts were separate from acne. So, it’s so interesting that this disconnect still exists around adult acne.”
Adding to the confusion is the uncertainty of what to use and what really works, says Cori, so she set out to create the basics with her husband. “Both of the products we’re launching, an Acne & Oil Control Primer ($70) and Daily Leave On Acne Treatment Mask ($52) meet over-the-counter FDA requirements for acne treatment products, meaning they contain the active ingredients recognized as safe and effective. The active ingredient in the primer is salicylic acid and the active ingredient in the mask is benzoyl peroxide.”
“We know that hormones, diet and stress all have an impact on the skin, especially in adults, so basically we went through years of research to identify specific ingredients that address these issues,” Dr. Zeichner shares. “Besides the 2% salicylic acid, we also have a botanical blend in the primer that includes saw palmetto, Omega-3 fatty acids, linoleic acid and a botanical called Chinese skullcap. The mask also has zinc and niacinamide.”
When it comes to form and function, Cori designed each product to work within a busy lifestyle, for instance, the primer combines acne treatment with a long-lasting makeup prep you can wear all day long and the treatment mask can be worn overnight while you sleep. “The morning product was formulated as a primer, so it’s basically acne and oil control and the ingredients mattify the skin and minimize the appearance of shine,” explains Cori. The night mask can be layered under moisturizer or swapped every other day with your nightly retinol. “There’s this whole perception that acne patients have to put more and more more on to dry your face out, but that’s the opposite of what we want to do,” she says.
