Barrier to Entry (& Exit)

BARRIERS TO ENTRY (AND EXIT)

Everyone’s talking about THE BARRIER, it’s in an industry report for 2023/24 that THE BARRIER is going to be THE THING. But as always, marketing is behind the curve. THE BARRIER has been THE THING since we had skin.

So what is THE BARRIER?
Put simply it’s the gatekeeper for our skin, a physical barrier to everything on the outside and a preventative barrier from the inside – preventing accelerated water loss, maintaining skin strength and condition, triggering repair and prevention when under attack.

This is really all you need to understand when looking after your skin as it is the point of application for your skincare. A healthy, replenished and restored BARRIER will give your skin strength and glow.

Unfortunately it is very easy to disrupt the barrier and for it to become depleted simply by choosing the wrong products for your skin or by overusing products or using products that strip or work against what the barrier is trying to be – a barrier.

What are the signs of a depleted or damaged Barrier?
If you have a damaged skin barrier, your skin might be red, dry, irritated or inflamed. It might feel rough in texture and be sensitive or reactive. It may feel tight after cleansing or sore after exfoliation. It can feel like you need more product even after you have applied your routine and it can feel like your moisturiser ‘isn’t enough’ when truly it’s the skins barrier that is depleted. Your skin is likely to ‘feel’ uncomfortable from the inside and may look duller and more lacklustre.

How to maintain the Barrier.
The skin has a physiology, a way to operate that deals with the normal function of healthy skin. Our skin needs to be clean. Our skin needs to maintain a pH of 4.5 to 5.5 in order to host a healthy and protective surface or micro biome. Our skin needs hydration to support the cells and keep them ‘watered’ and hydrated and our skin needs nourishment in the form of omega lipids and fats.

We can take these steps by cleansing, exfoliating, hydrating, nourishing and moisturising our skin, every day, twice a day. Choosing products that are sympathetic to our skin type and comfortable for our skin.

When these 5 aspects of the skin’s physiology are replenished, replaced and restored every day, then the skins barrier is fully functional and the skin is in good condition. Adding collagen boosting ingredients, hyaluronic content hydrators, vitamin rich products, ceramide boosting and peptide content formulas into your skincare will ensure that the ‘5’ are fundamentally ‘fed’ and richly nourished. Going organic adds to the quality and for JS, doing it all with botanicals and 100% plant derived, natural ingredients ensure that the skin feasts daily on the ultimate, nutritional diet. You simply cannot help but GLOW.

So look over your current routine, do you tick the ‘5’, are you maintaining your barrier and replenishing what nature and life gradually and naturally depletes?

There is no doubt that our Barrier is extremely important to our skin, but it isn’t a new thing, it’s always been THE THING!! Take a look at our SKIN FIRST 5 STEP PROGRAMME and see if you have any gaps in your current routine that can be simply and effectively filled.