Your skin doesn’t start and end with your face—neither should your skincare. Ingredient-first skincare, now for your body.
Comprehensive Skincare Insights: Face vs. Body
Your skincare routine should reflect the unique needs of both your face and body, considering that the skin on these areas, while sharing many characteristics, also has specific differences. Here’s a closer look at how facial and body skin compare and how to tailor your skincare approach accordingly:
Surface Area Differences:
- Face and Neck: Account for about 5% of your skin’s surface area.
- Body: Covers roughly 91% of your skin’s surface area, making it crucial to include body care in your skincare routine.
Key Differences:
- Skin Barrier:
- Face: The skin barrier on the face can be more delicate, making it more susceptible to environmental aggressors and moisture loss.
- Body: Typically has a stronger skin barrier, which helps it better withstand external irritants but may also mean it requires different types of hydration and treatment.
- Hydration Levels:
- Face: Generally has higher hydration levels compared to the body, partly due to the more frequent application of hydrating products and natural oil production.
- Body: Might need more intensive hydration treatments to maintain moisture levels, especially in drier areas or during colder months.
- Sebum Production:
- Face and Neck: These areas often produce more sebum (natural oils), which can lead to concerns like acne or oily skin.
- Body: Sebum production is lower on the body, so body care products often focus more on moisture replenishment rather than oil control.
- Skin Thickness:
- Thinnest Skin: Found on the eyelids, making it more prone to sensitivity and requiring gentle, specialized care.
- Thickest Skin: Located on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet, which are more resistant to external factors but may require more robust exfoliation and moisturizing.
Skincare Recommendations:
- For the Face:
- Use gentle cleansers and hydrating serums or moisturizers to maintain skin balance.
- Include products that address specific concerns like acne, sensitivity, or signs of aging.
- Consider using sun protection daily to protect against UV damage.
- For the Body:
- Apply thicker moisturizers or body butters, especially in drier areas, to lock in moisture.
- Exfoliate regularly to remove dead skin cells and promote smoothness.
- Use targeted treatments for areas prone to pigmentation, roughness, or dryness.
Understanding these differences helps in creating a skincare routine that caters to both facial and body needs, ensuring your skin remains healthy and well-cared-for from head to toe.
Innovative Body Care Collection: Key Ingredients and Benefits
Understanding the differences between facial and body skin has led to the development of a Body Care collection that adapts effective facial ingredients for body use. Here’s a look at the key ingredients in this new collection and how they benefit body skin:
Key Ingredients:
- Niacinamide:
- Benefits: Known for its brightening and skin-evening properties, niacinamide helps to improve overall skin tone and texture. On the body, it can address uneven pigmentation, reduce dark spots, and enhance skin barrier function.
- Use in Body Care: Provides gentle, effective brightening and helps strengthen the skin barrier across larger body areas, improving skin resilience and smoothness.
- Salicylic Acid:
- Benefits: A beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) that exfoliates the skin and helps to unclog pores. It’s particularly beneficial for treating and preventing body acne, rough patches, and ingrown hairs.
- Use in Body Care: Promotes clearer skin by removing dead skin cells, reducing inflammation, and improving skin texture. Effective for areas prone to breakouts, such as the back or arms.
- Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs):
- Benefits: These include compounds like amino acids, fatty acids, and hyaluronic acid that help to retain moisture and keep skin hydrated. NMFs are crucial for maintaining the skin’s natural moisture balance.
- Use in Body Care: Helps to hydrate and restore moisture across the body, addressing dryness and supporting a healthy skin barrier.
Why These Ingredients Work for Body Skin:
- Adapted Formulations: The ingredients have been tested and optimized for body skin, ensuring they provide the same benefits as they do for the face but in formulations suitable for the different needs of body skin.
- Comprehensive Care: The Body Care collection provides targeted solutions for common body skin issues, such as uneven tone, rough texture, and dryness, using proven ingredients in effective concentrations.
- Accessibility: By incorporating these familiar ingredients, the collection offers high-quality skincare that is accessible to everyone, ensuring that all areas of the body receive the attention they deserve.
This approach ensures that body care products not only address specific skin concerns but also deliver the quality and efficacy found in facial skincare.
Ingredient-First Skincare: Now for Body
Introducing Body Care with Proven Facial Ingredients
We’re excited to bring some of our most effective facial ingredients to our new Body Care collection, ensuring that your entire skin benefits from high-quality, ingredient-driven formulations. Here’s how these familiar ingredients translate to effective body care:
1. Niacinamide
Benefits:
- Even Tone: Known for its brightening properties, niacinamide helps to improve the appearance of dark spots and uneven skin tone, making it ideal for both facial and body use.
- Enhanced Barrier: Supports the skin barrier by aiding in the synthesis of ceramides and fatty acids. This helps reduce water loss, keeping the skin hydrated and resilient.
How It Works:
- Conversion: Niacinamide is converted into NADH and NADPH within the skin. These molecules support crucial skin functions, including the synthesis of structural components and barrier maintenance.
- Application: Niacinamide 5% Face and Body Emulsion is designed for use on both the face and body. Apply 1-2 pumps for the face and a thin layer on the body, morning and night. Suitable for all skin types, including sensitive skin.
2. Salicylic Acid
Benefits:
- Exfoliation: Salicylic acid is a beta-hydroxy acid (BHA) that helps to exfoliate the skin by breaking down bonds between dead skin cells, promoting natural shedding and preventing clogged pores.
- Oil Control: Its lipophilic (oil-loving) nature allows it to penetrate pores and clear excess oil, debris, and skin cells that can lead to congestion and blemishes.
How It Works:
- Penetration: Salicylic acid penetrates deep into the pores to exfoliate and remove impurities from within.
- Application: Salicylic Acid 0.5% Body Serum is formulated for use on the body with a lower concentration suitable for larger skin areas. It can be used on all skin types, including oily skin.
3. Natural Moisturizing Factors (NMFs)
Benefits:
- Hydration: Natural moisturizing factors include free amino acids, minerals, PCA, and lactates that help to attract and retain water, providing essential hydration to the skin.
- Barrier Support: Boosts skin moisture and supports the skin barrier to help retain hydration even after washing.
How It Works:
- Composition: 80% of NMFs are composed of these hydrating molecules, which are crucial for maintaining skin hydration.
- Application: Natural Moisturizing Factors + Inulin is The Ordinary’s first body lotion, offering both immediate and long-term hydration. Suitable for all skin types, especially beneficial for dry skin.
Summary:
The new Body Care collection brings the power of familiar, effective ingredients to the larger areas of your skin. By leveraging the benefits of niacinamide, salicylic acid, and natural moisturizing factors, we provide solutions for brighter, smoother, and well-hydrated skin from head to toe. Each product is designed to address specific skin concerns while ensuring suitability for all skin types.
