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THE MASK OF VANITY™

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The McDonald's Effect: Skin Care Trickery

The McDonald's Effect: Skin Care Trickery

The skin care industry can be summed up in a metaphor: It is 1970, and you live in a house that was built 50+ years ago. The house has asbestos in the drywall and walls coated in lead paint. You read an article in the Times written by a scientist who founded a company that sells asbestos-free drywall. He states that from... More

The 10 Ways Microneedling Destroyed Your Skin, As Reported By You

Microneedling is among the most dangerous skin care fad I have seen in a long time. By far. There is nothing safe, scientific or sane about stabbing needles into your skin for the sake of skin improvement. It is neither sanitary or smart and it is completely devoid of scientific merit.   When I wrote of the dangers of microneedling/ dermarolling some... More
DIY Skin Care: A Recipe for Disaster

DIY Skin Care: A Recipe for Disaster

by Wendy Ouriel   Aspirin is easy to make. The ingredients are cheap and everything you need to make aspirin can be bought online. If you're one of the millions who take it everyday you can save thousands by making it yourself. And if you make your own aspirin you are going to do it wrong and make yourself sick.  The... More
The OUMERE Sunscreen is Coming: Part 1

The OUMERE Sunscreen is Coming: Part 1

We get a lot of requests for the next product to add to the OUMERE line: lip balm, body wash, shampoo. But there is one request that stands out above them all, and that is for a sunscreen. And it is no surprise that there is a need for a new sunscreen on the market, chemical sunscreens are destroying the environment,... More
Part 2: Hyaluronic Acid vs. Vaseline. One hydrated the skin, the other dried it out. Can you guess which one?

Part 2: Hyaluronic Acid vs. Vaseline. One hydrated the skin, the other dried it out. Can you guess which one?

Introduction  In this study I looked at the effects of hyaluronic acid serums on skin dryness. The inspiration for this study were the following observations: Hyaluronic acid forms a gel when in contact with water because it pulls water from its environment Hyaluronic acid is not able to penetrate the epidermis once this gel is formed, and therefore sits on the... More
Part 1: Hyaluronic Acid vs. Vaseline. One hydrated the skin, the other dried it out. Can you guess which one?

Part 1: Hyaluronic Acid vs. Vaseline. One hydrated the skin, the other dried it out. Can you guess which one?

A Formula Correction   When Serum Bioluminelle was first released it contained every ingredient that it has now, except for one: Hyaluronic acid.   Bioluminelle’s nascent formula included hyaluronic acid because I wanted to mimic the skin’s extracellular matrix components into a serum. The ECM contains many components needed for youthful skin. Among them are  elastin protein, which is included... More
What is fragrance hiding in your skin care?

What is fragrance hiding in your skin care?

I watch a movie every day, but I haven’t seen a new movie in close to a year. It takes a substantial mental effort for me to devote 2 hours to a movie that I haven’t seen before because I don’t like giving new things a chance, especially something that requires my undivided attention for a prolonged period (and may... More

The Biological Nonsense Which is Vampire Facials, 7 Rules for Your Makeup, and Whether or Not a Serum Can Cause a Skin Purge. Ask A Skin Care Biologist

Ask a Skin Care Biologist is a recurring Bioluminescence post where OUMERE's CEO and CSO, Wendy Ouriel, M.S., answers your skin care questions. Wendy is a cellular biologist with expertise in cellular aging, extracellular matrix biology and the biology of skin care.       Question: I work in an esthetician's office and a lot of people have been asking about... More
Your Doctor is Wrong and You Probably Don’t Have Rosacea

Your Doctor is Wrong and You Probably Don’t Have Rosacea

Powell, F. C. (2005)   Am I the patient or the doctor?   I go to the dermatologist once a year for a skin cancer screening, and it is the only thing I go to a dermatologist for. I had just come from the gym so naturally my cheeks were a little pink. The dermatologist was just about done, all... More

HAVE AN ITCHY BUG BITE? NO. 9 IS YOUR SOLUTION

A short while ago I went out for some late night archery practice in a wooded area. After an hour or two I felt drowsy and thought I would 'rest my eyes' for about 10 minutes, so I lied down to take a quick nap. Well 10 minutes turned into dawn and I woke up with bug bites all over my... More
The 5 Things That Older People With Young Skin Have in Common

The 5 Things That Older People With Young Skin Have in Common

  One of the questions everyone asks either via e-mail or when I do a formal or informal skin care talk is: Other than skin care, what can I do to look younger? And, believe it or not, the things that we need to do or not do to stay looking young are not always intuitive. Some are obvious, such... More
The Scientific Papers Supporting Vitamin C Serum's Skin Benefits are Flawed

The Scientific Papers Supporting Vitamin C Serum's Skin Benefits are Flawed

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) in polarized light. At OUMERE Labs™ we spend half our time on skin care. The other half is spent on age-reversing biological research. And in the months since the Vitamin C article was published I have been working on gathering additional support for my hypothesis that the widely regarded ingredient does more harm than good. One... More

Fools Gold: Dermatologist-made skin care

One specific type of data that I have OUMERE’s customer service team to report to me weekly is what brought new customers to us. The majority of new customers come to OUMERE for one of five things:   They are looking to prevent or reverse aging, but their skin is otherwise healthy or normal Their current skin care isn’t working... More
The Biology of Aging

The Biology of Aging

Aging shouldn’t be viewed as a negative consequence of being alive, after all, it means you have been fortunate enough to make it this far. With that said, the best way to celebrate aging is to do so gracefully, and for that to happen, it is paramount to understand how and why we age. Aging Begins Within Our Cells Aging... More
Pollution Ages Your Skin. This is How to Protect Yourself

Pollution Ages Your Skin. This is How to Protect Yourself

Depending on where you live, air pollution has either gotten better or it has gotten worse.   If you live in London, the air quality is much better than it was during the industrial revolution, in which the air, blackened from pollution, altered the moth population.  White (peppered) moths, who were the predominant phenotype prior to the industrial revolution, declined... More
THE FALL OF THERANOS AND WHAT IT TEACHES US ABOUT SKIN CARE

THE FALL OF THERANOS AND WHAT IT TEACHES US ABOUT SKIN CARE

BITCOIN AND A SILICON VALLEY STARTUP   In 2012 I made a strange phone call. The day prior I was talking to a friend who is eccentric and furtive with his ideas. He said that the world’s commerce will one day be run solely by internet money, which will be so rare that 1 unit of currency will be worth... More
How Bad Skin Care Gave Me Acne and Inspired Me to Start My Own Skin Care Company

How Bad Skin Care Gave Me Acne and Inspired Me to Start My Own Skin Care Company

The skin care industry is ironic. If I were an alien from outer space who understood English language, but knew nothing of humankind, its behavior, or its customs, I would assume that the term "skin care" would imply taking care of skin. You know, making it healthier. You could imagine my surprise if I learned that skin care usually makes... More
Adult Acne is a Modern Woman's Problem

Adult Acne is a Modern Woman's Problem

Acne is not a modern phenomenon. Teenage acne has existed for as long as teenagers, and has been documented in ancient Roman, Greek, and Indian cultures (to name a few). Regardless of what year we are in or what culture we find ourselves to be apart of, teenagers experience a surge of hormones that drive development. Most notably, particular hormones... More
Stem Cells in Skin Care: Fountain of Youth Or Marketing Gimmick?

Stem Cells in Skin Care: Fountain of Youth Or Marketing Gimmick?

A literal fountain of youth in biological terms would be stem cells because stem cells do not age, they replicate indefinitely, and can replace your old cells. However, "stem cell" skin care does not receive my designation as “fountain of youth in a bottle” because it is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. Stem cell serums are snake oil, and... More
Essential Oils: The fragrant danger in your skin care

Essential Oils: The fragrant danger in your skin care

Essential oils are not "essential" for anything. In fact, essential oils are the exact opposite of essential. Essential oils are inessential for your health and inessential in your skincare. Essential oils are downright bad for your skin.   Essential oils may smell nice but they wreak havoc on your skin.     If essential oils are anything but essential, why... More
Resveratrol is a literal anti-ager (and its most potent source isn't grapes!)

Resveratrol is a literal anti-ager (and its most potent source isn't grapes!)

There are certain natural compounds that have been accepted by the skin care industry as advantageous for your health, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting those benefits. As someone in the skin care industry, I can tell you that health claims are mostly just marketing strategy made up by people in board rooms and not scientists in a lab.... More

Are Clay Masks Safe? Can Melasma be Treated? Can Hyaluronic Acid Injections Age My Skin?

Ask A Skin Care Biologist Ask a Skin Care Biologist is a recurring Bioluminescence post where OUMERE's CEO and CSO, Wendy Ouriel, M.S., answers your skin care questions. Wendy is a cellular biologist with expertise in cellular aging, extracellular matrix biology and the biology of skin care. Question: Is clay for use in skin care safe or healthy? Do you recommend... More

How natural “non-toxic” skin care can kill healthy skin cells

Natural skin care can yield incredible results, but it can also destroy your skin. When I founded OUMERE, I did so out of a need for skin care that worked, was natural, and did not accelerate the aging process by damaging my skin. I found that synthetic brands didn’t do any harm, but this was because they weren’t doing anything... More
Ask a Skin Care Biologist #1

Ask a Skin Care Biologist #1

Ask a Skin Care Biologist is a weekly Bioluminescence post where OUMERE's CEO and CSO, Wendy Ouriel, M.S., answers your skin care questions. Wendy is a cellular biologist with expertise in cellular aging, extracellular matrix biology and the biology of skin care. I am excited to start this weekly post, which was inspired by the great questions we receive at... More
The Real, and Overlooked Importance of Cleansing Your Skin Daily

The Real, and Overlooked Importance of Cleansing Your Skin Daily

Daily cleansing isn't only for those who sweat profusely, wear a lot of makeup, or have acne. Washing your face every day is incredibly important for anti-aging and your overall health. Don't wash your face this way. It looks cool in photos, but it gets water everywhere. I was out and about in a fun little shopping/boho/arts district called Abbot... More
How Vitamin C Serums Cause Acne in Healthy Skin

How Vitamin C Serums Cause Acne in Healthy Skin

Vitamin C crystals Last week I had the honor of sitting on a scholarship panel for the University of California, Irvine medical school. This is something I have done for two years, and it is an excellent opportunity, not just to provide funding for great research, but to learn of what new biological research is being conducted. Lately my research... More
THE 3 REASONS WHY VITAMIN C SERUMS ARE BAD FOR YOUR SKIN

THE 3 REASONS WHY VITAMIN C SERUMS ARE BAD FOR YOUR SKIN

Vitamin C Crystals One of the most common questions I get asked by customers is, "when is OUMERE going to make a vitamin C serum?" To which my answer always, without faltering, is: Never. I'm an outsider of the traditional skin care industry because I do not have a background in business, my background is in biology. I am looking... More
Cosmetic Hyaluronic Acid Causes Skin Dryness, So We Took it Out of Our Formulas

Cosmetic Hyaluronic Acid Causes Skin Dryness, So We Took it Out of Our Formulas

Hyaluronic Acid Gel My background is in biology, and more specifically my education and research experience has focused on extracellular matrix biology. And that is very important when it comes to understanding skin, anti-aging, and the proper formulation of skin care. An extracellular matrix is an outer scaffolding that the cell secretes to provide structural integrity and biochemical support. Extracellular... More
5 Unusual Foods that Need to be in Your Diet if You Want Young, Healthy, Glowing Skin

5 Unusual Foods that Need to be in Your Diet if You Want Young, Healthy, Glowing Skin

A proper skin care regimen is not exclusive to products that you apply topically. Having a balanced diet with the proper nutrients in addition to applying the right products will keep your skin young, glowing, and healthy. Try incorporating these 5 foods into your diet to feed your skin from the inside. 1. Broccoli Sprouts Broccoli sprouts are a rich... More

You’ve tried everything and your skin is still dry. These are the 10 reasons why.

  Skin dryness is one of the top complaints I receive and at the same time the most common skin care products in the world are for remedying dry skin. Although certain genetic factors contribute to dry skin, there is a substantial environmental impact on skin hydration. Meaning, although some of us will naturally have dryer skin than others, the... More
Is it a skin purge or an acne breakout?

Is it a skin purge or an acne breakout?

Myths in skin care get their beginnings from an observation, and perpetuation of a misunderstanding from that observation. The skin purge is an observation that after using certain products, a breakout will often happen. The misunderstanding of that observation is that a breakout is the body’s way of clearing, or 'purging' acne from the inside out. Thats not how biology... More

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Wendy Ouriel

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