2 MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES IN HOLISTIC

SKINCARE FORMULATIONS

Holistic skincare involves the wholistic approach to skincare, which simply

means treating from the root and not the peripheral level.

There are 2 important principles to note in holistic skincare formulation.

1. TREATING INFLAMMATION

Sudden itch? Random rash? There’s a reason for it…but that can be pretty
tricky to figure out. Rashes, redness and irritation are common signs of
inflammation of the skin, but there are a host of factors that could be
behind that inflammation. Here, what you should know about different and
most common types of skin inflammation—and what you can do about
them.
Inflamed skin is irritated skin. Inflamed skin typically means the skin has
been irritated from an internal or external cause, It can appear in a few
ways, including itching, burning and discoloration of the skin.
Inflammation may look red or pink in early stages (think your average rash
or pimple) and can leave behind a light- or dark-brown patch. In darker
skin, that initial discoloration takes on more of a purple tone. “The degree
of discoloration is often dependent on several factors, including the depth
in the skin at which the inflammation is occurring and how long it’s been
occurring.

1
What are the different types of inflammation?
There are two types of inflammation in the skin: acute and chronic. The
difference between them is a matter of timing, Acute inflammation usually
lasts six weeks or less and can result from many skin issues,
like acne, sunburns and allergic reactions. Chronic inflammation goes
beyond six weeks and may be indefinite. It often goes hand in hand
with eczema, rosacea and psoriasis—skin diseases that don’t usually
disappear in a few days or weeks.
Some form of inflammation accompanies most skin diseases. What’s
behind those skin diseases, though, depends on the individual. “Risk factors
can vary for each condition but may be affected by one’s genetics,” Diet and
hormone levels can lead to acne, while everything from the temperature to
your skincare regimen can impact eczema. Illnesses or stress may trigger
psoriasis. And all of the above can cause inflammation of the skin.

Like most things, there’s no obvious way to avoid skin inflammation. You
can try to avoid external trauma to skin, as well as certain illnesses that may
trigger it, but there are some chronic and genetic conditions that predispose
you to a state of inflammation no matter what. The process of skin
inflammation is complex and is still not completely understood. When the
skin is exposed to a “triggering” stimulus, such as UV radiation, an irritant
(e.g. soaps or fragrances), or to allergens, the cells in the skin produce a
variety of inflammatory “hormones” called cytokines and chemokines.
These “inflammatory messengers” bind to specific receptors on target cells
and stimulate the production of additional inflammatory signaling
“hormones”.

Some of these cause vasodilation while others activate nerve cells. Still
other cytokines cause immune cells to leave the blood and migrate into the
skin where they then produce more inflammatory hormones, as well as
enzymes, free radicals, and chemicals that damage the skin. The end result
of the initial triggering event is the amplification of a large inflammatory
response that, while designed to help the skin fight infection from invading
bacteria, actually causes considerable damage to the skin.

Inflammation is one of the major causes of skin disorder and issues and
this makes it an important factor in holistic skincare formulation. The
addition of anti inflammatory and antioxidants helps reduce inflammation.

2
 2. FIGHTING AGING.
One thing for certain: We cannot defy the natural aging process. With time,
it is natural for our skin to lose its youthfulness and get visible lines on our
face. Even without environmental influences, you will notice expression
lines on the skin, fine lines, wrinkles, and pigmentation. Dry skin, fine
lines, deep wrinkles, enlarged pores are all visible signs we associate with
aging skin. Learn more about the process of aging and find out what causes
our skin to age.

INTRINSIC AGING: This is the result of changes that occur naturally in

your body. Everyone’s aging process is determined by the biological clock
that is predetermined by your genetic makeup. As we get older, our skin
loses its ability to function as it once did. Your facial features lose their
ability to retain its shape and position. Your nose becomes bigger, eyes
become droopy, double chin forms and jowls develop.

Young skin maintains a healthy level of moisture in the skin to keep it

smooth and radiant. Regular skin cell renewal promotes new skin to be
brought to the surface as old cells continually shed. As we age, the rate of
skin cell renewal drops, causing old cells to outnumber new cells in your
body. Another important factor that causes your skin to dry out easily is
due to the loss of moisture. The key molecule involved in providing
moisture to the skin is Hyaluronic Acid (HA). HA has a unique property to
bind and retain water molecules to make the skin soft and supple. There is
a marked disappearance of HA as we age. There is progressive reduction of
size and density of HA polymers present in the skin as a result of
aging. Over time, the skin becomes thinner and more susceptible to
environmental damage. Eventually, the skin appears dull and saggy.

EXTRINSIC AGING One of the leading causes of aging skin is due to our
environment. The environment plays a major role in causing our skin to age
prematurely. Environmental aging occurs because of daily exposure to large
amounts of free radicals from various sources such as UV rays, pollution,
smoke, and extreme weather. These external stressors can damage proteins
and the ability of cells to function and compromise cellular structure that
will result in aging skin.

3
UV rays and cigarette smoke compromise the development of collagen and
elastin fibers in your body. It breaks down the moisture barrier, resulting in
wrinkles, sagging, uneven skin tone, dry and dull skin texture. UV rays can
penetrate the skin and damage collagen-producing fibroblast cells.

Regardless of intrinsic aging or extrinsic aging, loss of firmness is another

clear evidence of aging. Elastin fiber production slows down. Elastin fibers
are the structural protein found in the dermis. Elastin gives the skin the
ability to go back into place after stretching. Without elastin fibers, the skin
becomes less firm, especially along the jawline, neck, eyes, and cheeks.

There is a need to formulate products putting into condieration the need to

fight aging as it is one thing that surely comes to all. Products that helps
reduce the signs of aging are really important in formulation process.
Examples are antioxidants, anti aging ingredients, ceramides, amino acids
etc.