THE MASK OF VANITY™

April 15, 2019

Ask a Skin Care Biologist: Phenoxyethanol is safe, dry brushing doesn't work, and a guided routine for esthetician-damaged skin

Question: There is so much fear about the preservative phenoxyethanol, which you talked about in your first post. Can you go into more depth about why there is so much fear surrounding it? I know some green beauty carriers refuse to bring in products that contain it. -Vivian S.   Answer: The one thing that you can notice from anyone... More

April 10, 2019

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

April 10, 2019

How Dermarolling Causes Collagen Breakdown, Premature Aging, and Possibly Cancer

If I had a dollar for every time I was asked whether or not dermarolling/micro-needling was beneficial to skin, I would have enough money to buy that Hitachi transmission electron microscope I have had my eye on. If you’re in a hurry, the answer is: no. Dermarolling is dangerous and has no skin benefit. If you have time to read... More

April 7, 2019

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

April 1, 2019

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

February 27, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

Your Natural, 'Non-Toxic' Skin Care is Extremely Cytotoxic

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

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

February 25, 2019

The 50 Ingredient Red Flag List

There are a lot of ways to judge a skin care company for trustworthiness, and since you are putting their products on your face (which is then incorporated into your body) you should know exactly what these factors are. Otherwise you put your health at risk due to inferior and harmful ingredients. The most obvious way to know if a... More

February 25, 2019

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

September 17, 2018

The 5 unnecessary (and damaging) skin care products that are in everyone’s routine

To have perfect skin, you need the basics, and nothing more More

June 21, 2018

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