In 1979, Tuel Skincare was created by Eva Friederichs based on the belief that good skin care contains only the best that nature has to offer. She formulated products with high concentrations of plant extracts, active botanicals, and minerals rich in potent antioxidants and vitamins in order to feed your skin from the outside in. Today, Tuel Skincare is owned by Eva’s daughters, Lisa and Lori Nestore, who are both licensed cosmetologists. Their mission is to help everyone —of all ages, genders, skin types, and ethnicities — get the best skin of their lives.
Key products
Tuel Skincare offers a wide variety of products, including cleansers, moisturizers, serums, eye care, body care items, and sun protection. But at the heart of the Tuel treatment roster is the signature Deep Pore Cleansing Duo: a Cleansing Oil and Herbal Toner combo. The Cleansing Oil penetrates deep into skin and bonds with your skin’s natural oils to draw out more dirt, make-up, and pollutants than a typical cleanser. When this is combined with the Herbal Toner, it becomes water-soluble to thoroughly cleanse and gently exfoliate. This treatment also prepares your skin for maximum absorption of serums, creams, and masks to deliver active ingredients where they’re most effective. There are five different Deep Pore Cleansing Duos, which include Rescue, Balance, Detox, Moisture, and Calm.
Rescue Deep Pore Cleansing Duo is specifically formulated for mature skin and features anti-aging botanicals like horsetail, rosewood, and carrot seed. These extracts stimulate cell rejuvenation, support firmness, and promote skin elasticity.
Formulated for oily and combination skin types, Balance Deep Pore Cleansing Duo contains botanical extracts like lemon, vitamin C, and sage that equalize oil production and reduce the appearance of enlarged pores.
Detox Deep Pore Cleansing Duo is specifically formulated for acne-prone skin and is packed with antibacterial botanicals like tea tree, golden rod, and mistletoe that help clear existing blemishes and prevent new ones from forming.
If you have dry skin, you may want to consider the Moisture Deep Pore Cleansing Duo. This duo is formulated with nourishing extracts of cucumber, dandelion, and hops that restore skin moisture and provide antioxidant protection against free radicals.
Calm Deep Pore Cleansing Duo is specifically formulated for reactive skin and contains anti-inflammatory botanicals like chamomile, marigold, and green tea that relieve irritation, balance skin pH, and calm redness.
In addition to the Deep Pore Cleansing Duos, key products in the Tuel Skincare line include Clear It Blemish Control Gel, C Power Antioxidant Vitamin C Serum, and Power Peel Refining Glycolic Acid Gel.
Clear It Blemish Control Gel targets bacteria and helps regulate oil production without drying out or damaging healthy skin. C Power Antioxidant Vitamin C Serum brightens, fights aging, gently exfoliates, and protects. Power Peel Refining Glycolic Acid Gel dissolves dead skin and build-up in order to reveal brighter, fresher, more radiant skin.
Key formulation
According to Tuel Skincare, nature has given us everything we need for healthy, happy skin. For this reason, Tuel Skincare products contain no phthalates, sulfates, parabens, synthetic dyes, artificial fragrance, or mineral oil. Instead, all products are formulated with high quality plant-powered extracts that feed your skin. All Tuel Skincare products are 100% vegan and animal cruelty-free.
One ingredient that is used throughout the line of Tuel Skincare products is vitamin C. Instead of using pure vitamin C (ascorbic acid) which is very unstable and prone to becoming oxidized, the brand uses stable vitamin C derivatives like tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate and magnesium ascorbyl phosphate. Using these stable vitamin C derivatives helps to prevent oxidation from things like light, heat, and air. Once absorbed into the skin, these derivatives are converted to ascorbic acid, which provides numerous benefits to the skin. Ascorbic acid exerts potent antioxidant activity. Like other antioxidants, ascorbic acid is capable of protecting the skin from free radicals and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Ascorbic acid also serves as a cofactor for two enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of collagen. By increasing the amount of collagen in the skin, signs of aging will be diminished and the skin will appear more firm. Lastly, ascorbic acid can decrease the appearance of dark spots and improve uneven skin tone through inhibition of melanin synthesis.
Another ingredient that is used in many Tuel Skincare products is retinyl palmitate. Retinyl palmitate is the ester of retinol (another name for vitamin A) and palmitic acid, a saturated fatty acid. Our skin has naturally occurring enzymes that can convert retinyl palmitate to its active form (retinoic acid). Retinoic acid improves the appearance of skin through several mechanisms. One is through the inhibition of collagenase, which is an enzyme that breaks down collagen. By preventing collagen degradation, skin appears more firm and lines/wrinkles will be diminished. Retinoic acid also initiates the increase of epidermal proliferation and exfoliates the skin by causing more rapid shedding of the stratum corneum. The combination of rapid regeneration of cells and exfoliation of the stratum corneum not only improves the appearance of aging skin, but also helps to peel away dark spots and blemishes. Over time these actions improve acne, soften the skin, fade dark spots, and reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
A final ingredient that can be found in many Tuel Skincare products is Lavandula officinalis (lavender) oil. Lavender oil is primarily used as a fragrance ingredient, but may also provide anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Unfortunately, lavender oil can be problematic for some people as it causes sensitization. Some of the fragrant components of lavender oil, specifically linalool and linalyl acetate, can have damaging effects on skin in as low a concentration as 0.25%. When exposed to air, these components oxidize, which increases their potential to cause an allergic reaction and irritation.
