For those planning holiday hangs with friends or family, here are some easy cocktails or mocktails recipes to enjoy in the summer heat.
With the revolving door of microtrends and the onslaught of social media “discoveries,” making sense of the beauty market is no easy task. Even the most beauty-enthused follower can get exhausted keeping up with the constant aesthetic changes and product launches.
As beauty editors, we’re constantly testing products to deliver you the best, most informed recommendations. In our series, Talk of the Team, we highlight the tried-and-tested product launches that have made a lasting impact on our routines. These are the new formulas we can’t stop gushing about—in our group chats, during team meetings, and, now, to you. This month’s theme is “Revive.”
Hannah Frye is the Assistant Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.S. in journalism and a minor in women’s, gender, and queer studies from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. Hannah has written across lifestyle sections including health, wellness, sustainability, personal development, and more.
A $42 cream that’s “worth its weight in gold.”
The conversations around consumer protections, clean living, and sustainability has come a long way in the past two decades. Not only has it become part of the common cultural lexicon, but even sweeping legislative reforms that tackle regulation (in the form of MoCRA) have been passed.
If you have any aging skin care concerns, this one’s for you.
The beauty industry is regularly turning to the botanical world for solutions, both internal and external. From the classic and quenching aloe vera plant that gets slathered on post-sun skin to the buzzy and unique fruit extract that finds its way into supplements, serums, and more—plants have always served as the foundation for the beauty world.
If you’ve spent too much money on eye creams that claim to make fine lines around the eyes disappear, you may want to switch them out for this antioxidant.
And it’s already sold out eight times.
There are so many skin-care ingredients found in your favorite products that it may be hard to keep track of all of their benefits. For example, we all know that vitamin C is good to use in the morning, but its exact benefits may not be top of mind. The same can be said for a powerhouse ingredient you’ve probably seen in quite a few of your favorite serums, body lotions, and face creams – vitamin E.
Vitamin E is one of those ingredients that has an impressive amount of benefits that almost anyone’s skin can reap. Once you see it listed on the packaging of a formulation, it’ll likely pop up again and again. But what exactly does using vitamin E for skin do? We tapped two dermatologists to lay it all out for us. Ahead, find the benefits of vitamin E for skin and how to use it in your routine.
Anna Karp, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist at SINY Derm in New York City and a clinical assistant professor of dermatology at NYU.
Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified, fellowship-trained cosmetic dermatologist, co-founder of Modern Dermatology, CT, and an assistant clinical professor of dermatology at Yale.
“Vitamin E is a vitamin that has moisturizing and antioxidant properties,” dermatologist Anna Karp tells PS. It is derived from vitamin E, which is found in fats and oils that come from animal products, nuts, and fruits and vegetables. In beauty, it’s often found in lotion, creams, and gel formulations. “On ingredient lists, you may see it referred to as tocopherol or alpha-tocopherol.”
As an antioxidant, vitamin E “helps to neutralize free radicals from the environment and sun that can damage the skin and contribute to premature aging,” Dr. Karp says. Vitamin E also has anti-inflammatory properties and is fat-soluble, so it can penetrate our skin’s lipid barrier easily.
“Vitamin E combats free-radical damage from environmental stressors and toxins; as a humectant, it helps to draw moisture into the skin from the environment,” dermatologist Deanne Mraz Robinson, says. “As an emollient, it softens the skin barrier and helps to lock in moisture beneath, preventing trans-epidermal water loss.”
Vitamin E can also soften and moisturize skin, reduce swelling and redness, and can help heal burns and wounds. Those with eczema, psoriasis, and itchy skin may find relief when using a product with vitamin E.
Vitamin E is oil-soluble, meaning it’s delivered well in a lotion or serum. It’s found in many skin-care products because it has so many benefits, but it can also be used as a stand-alone product.
“If your skin is sensitive, try it in a lotion or moisturizer vs. a serum and see how your skin reacts,” Dr. Mraz says. “Serms are formulated for optional absorption, while lotions and moisturizers work on the outer and upper layers of the skin where they are less likely to cause irritation.”
Most people are able to tolerate vitamin E fairly well, especially as an ingredient in other products. However, it’s the delivery mechanism that matters when it comes to using this ingredient on your skin.
“I do not recommend pure vitamin E oil if you have oily skin or are prone to breakouts,” Dr. Karp says. “If you have sensitive skin, you can always do a small patch test on your forearm to make sure your skin does not have any reaction to the product.”
“If you have acne-prone skin, you will want to skip a vitamin E oil and opt for a lighter-weight serum or lotion. If your skin is dry, on the other hand, you might choose to go for an oil,” Dr. Mraz says. “It’s important to look at the accompanying ingredients in the skin-care products to avoid comedogenic ones and anything your skin might be sensitive to.”
Sydney Wingfield has been a freelance writer in the beauty and wellness space for six years. She has written for Women’s Health, Marie Claire, Glamour, and other publications and loves to cover all things skin care, makeup, and hair.
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Many of us are guilty of zooming in on our pores or trying to mask them with makeup to execute a smoother canvas. Unassumingly, “how to get rid of pores naturally” has over 144 million views on TikTok. But the truth is, you can’t get rid of pores. Pores, which are micro openings in the skin, play a vital function in helping our skin release sebum, the body’s natural oil, to leave it adequately moisturized. According to dermatologist Karan Lal, the average adult has around 20,000 pores on their face, and unfortunately, their sizes are genetically determined.
Although necessary for the skin, if pores get clogged, it can quickly lead to acne. Therefore, understanding what ingredients are in your skin-care products could be the difference between clear skin and clogged pores that lead to blemishes, breakouts, and whiteheads. Getting clear on what ingredients you should avoid is good practice. Sure, you can see a dermatologist to get their professional expertise, but if you don’t have access to a board-certified expert, you might find yourself checking pore-clogging ingredient tools online.
A pore-clogging ingredients checker is an online database established to assess a product’s acne-causing attributes to help you decipher what you should and shouldn’t be using. But how do you know if they are legit? Which are the best ones to use? Should you be checking each product? To find out, we sat down with three dermatologists to hear the pros and cons of these pore-clogging checker websites.
Karan Lal, DO, MS, FAAD, is a double-board certified adult and pediatric dermatologist and fellowship-trained cosmetic dermatologist.
Naana Boakye Large, MD, MPH, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist and the founder of Bergen Dermatology.
Harold Lancer, MD, FAAD, is a board-certified dermatologist and founder of Lancer Skincare.
Certain ingredients can sneak into your pores and mix with your natural oil – leading to congestion and zits. Online pore-clogging ingredient checkers are there to cross-reference the ingredients in your products with a comprehensive list of known pore-clogging, also known as comedogenic, ingredients. Typically, you will enter in all the ingredients of the product and the database will show which ones are safe and which to avoid.
“When looking for a reliable pore-clogging ingredient checker, you’ll want to look for tools that are transparent about where they’re sourcing the data from, such as scientific studies, expert analysis, and other databases,” dermatologist Naana Boakye Large tells PS. “Ingredient tools can help identify potential allergens, irritants, or other harmful ingredients. It also can help you be more educated about ingredients and formulations.”
Popular among skin-care obsessives, the Pavitt Checker determines ingredients based on a scale of zero to five – zero being completely non-comedogenic (non-clogging) and five being severely comedogenic. The checker acknowledges it isn’t a master list of pore-clogging ingredients, but that it’s a starting rate that can prove helpful.
All the experts we spoke to recommend working with a dermatologist over any online tool, but they agree the checkers can be used as a good baseline to start. “Dermatologists should be used to help clarify what ingredients are considered comedogenic or not,” says dermatologist and brand founder Harold Lancer, who recommends INCIDecoder. According to the expert, INCIDecoder provides a large database where you can input the name of an ingredient and receive information on what it does, other names that it may be known by, its irritancy potential, and a comedogenic score. Also included is a detailed explanation of the benefits of the ingredient, what products that ingredient is found in so the consumer can either purchase it or stay away from it, and identify if their current product may contain it. “Overall it is a great consumer-facing resource and it’s connected to trustworthy published articles and information,” Dr. Lancer says.
Although Dr. Lal believes playing cosmetic chemist at home can often lead to irritation and breakouts, he recommends INCIbeauty tracker as it is independent of brand funding and provides in-depth analysis of each ingredient you input. And when in doubt, consult with a board-certified dermatologist or aesthetican if you’re concerned about the ingredients in your products.
Natasha Marsh is a freelance writer who writes about fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Prior to freelancing, she held styling staff positions at The Wall Street Journal, Burberry, Cosmopolitan Magazine, British GQ, and Harpers Bazaar.
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Senior Beauty & Lifestyle Editor
Jamie Schneider is the Senior Beauty Editor at mindbodygreen. She has a B.A. in Organizational Studies and English from the University of Michigan, and her work has appeared in Coveteur, The Chill Times, and Wyld Skincare.
“Melatonin is critically important for your skin and plays a significant role in skin repair from environmental exposure, UV light, stressors, pollution, and so on,” says board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D., on an episode of Clean Beauty School. “If you’re not resting, you’re not generating that melatonin, and your skin isn’t repairing itself.”
As board-certified dermatologist Anar Mikailov, M.D., explained in a recent podcast episode: “Fundamentally, there are biological processes that lead to skin, muscle, joint, and bone aging. In terms of bone, most people have heard of the term osteoporosis. Well, for skin there’s a new term called dermatoporosis1 that’s basically the same concept, which is chronic cutaneous insufficiency or fragility,” he explains. “About 40% of individuals in their 60s and over will have some manifestation of this, and these manifestations can be both visual and functional.”
It’s that time of year in which I spend a lot of time thinking about preventative aging. Why? Because I’m spending so much more time outdoors in the sun (a good thing, I might add—outdoor time and sunshine are vital for a happy, healthy life). However, it can come with a not-so-good side effect: Sun damage.
Turns out, the wand was worth the hype. After seeing results from day one (read: less puffiness and a smoother, more sculpted face), I quickly integrated the device into my routine, where it’s remained ever since. I find it incredibly difficult to stick to skin care routines, but the visible results kept me coming back to the Solawave.
