“What happens to our skin during the summer? Many things, and few of them good…” says Pedro Catalá. A rather discouraging litany of woes we encounter upon returning to our routine, and we’re not sure how to tackle them… Broadly speaking, the autumn beauty ritual should focus on these main issues: intense solar radiation has damaged the skin, promoting photoaging. The high temperatures typical of the summer season increase transepidermal water loss, causing dehydration.
And although holidays suggest “rest,” the truth is that, statistically, it's when we sleep worse. Some of the culprits can be the heat that doesn't subside at night, generous dinners, a glass of alcohol, or staying up late on our favorite terrace…
Consequences: lack of sleep causes an increase in cortisol (the stress hormone), and this translates into loss of elasticity, puffiness, and dark circles around the eyes, as the nightly repair process slows down, leading to toxin accumulation, poor fluid drainage, and bulging capillaries. A far from rosy picture…
Opening the Restoration Workshop
One of the main post-holiday goals is to even out skin tone. Melanin is no longer as stimulated after intense sun exposure, and its deposits tend to disappear but unevenly. “This manifests as one cheek being more tanned than the other, for example, or the forehead tone being paler compared to the nose and mouth areas,” clarifies Pedro.
A good antidote is The London Mask, made from purified kaolin without the negative drying effect caused by other clays, thanks to its meticulous artisanal production process. It provides a gentle, non-aggressive exfoliation as it helps gently remove dead cells that prevent skin uniformity, evens out tone, and calms stressed skin.
The second enemy to address: sun spots, a not-so-pleasant way our skin reminds us that we have inflicted damage… Because pigmentation is nothing more than the natural protection system activated by the immune system. In this case, Ideal Brightening Corrective Serum, applied twice a day, is a botanical remedy capable of inhibiting melanin production and, consequently, minimizing the intensity of spots.
Strengthen capillaries, especially around the eyes. The best remedy: Rapid Eye Treatment, one of Twelve Beauty’s best sellers, and not for nothing, given its effectiveness. This light yet effective beauty remedy contains a unique combination of natural peptides and organic antioxidants. This helps fortify capillaries, making them less vulnerable to external aggressions.
Twelve Beauty Tip: go further, also apply it to areas affected by redness; you'll be surprised by the result.
Strengthening the Barrier Function, the Key to Bringing Skin Back to Life
Lately, there’s a term that keeps popping up in beauty circles: the barrier function. Which is nothing more than the layer that protects us from the outside. It controls body temperature, humidity, and protects us from ultraviolet rays. But it not only acts as a shield against external agents; it’s also essential to prevent us from losing the most important thing we carry within: water!
Therefore, alongside the barrier function, there is another intrinsically related phenomenon whose term is also becoming fashionable: transepidermal water loss, TEWL (Trans Epidermal Water Loss) as per its acronym, or Perspiratio Insensibilis, following its Latin meaning. An imperceptible phenomenon to the human eye that occurs at an almost constant rate, causing water loss through evaporation from epithelial cells.
If one doesn't work well, the other suffers… Since, to minimize this loss, it’s important to reinforce the barrier function, that is, to keep the hydrolipidic film as intact as possible, as well as the ceramide content, which fills the small spaces between epidermal cells. “The hydrolipidic film, the outer layer of the epidermis, is a mixture of fatty components (around 95%) and water-soluble molecules (5%)”, states Pedro.
So, the stronger the barrier (hydrolipidic film + ceramides), the harder it will be for water to evaporate. But there's another term that is less discussed and is essential in the areas we are moving in: filaggrin, one of the essential skin proteins synthesized by—surprise!—dead cells.
Dead cells that are very much alive… One of the biggest cosmetic mistakes we make when we want to fight them at all costs. To reinforce filaggrin deposits, an unparalleled active ingredient is the unsaponifiable fraction of sunflower oil, present in Essential Bio-Technological Moisturiser. This active part of sunflower oil is highly moisturizing due to its ability to provide lipids, as well as acting as cellular cement and stimulating the synthesis of collagen, elastin, and filaggrin, key proteins of the epidermis.