TOP SKINCARE PICKS
| Rank | Brand | Link | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrot & Stick | Review | |||||
| 2 | Formulyst | Review | |||||
| 3 | Skinceuticals | Review | |||||
| - | Y Our Skincare |
Y our Skin Care was founded by a woman named Hannah and her friend Jenny Nguyen, an MIT-trained data scientist. Hannah struggled with skin issues such as an oily t-zone, sensitive dry patches, and occasional hormonal breakouts for years. Her first step to overcoming these issues was to ditch the products full of toxic ingredients and experiment with natural ingredients. She partnered with Jenny because of Jenny’s years of experience working with her customers, their skin types, diet, living environment, and knowing which ingredients that had worked for them.
Through artificial intelligence and data science, they were able to create an algorithm that applies advanced technology to your individual skin’s needs and finds the best skin care regimen to address your concerns. And that’s how Y our Skin Care was born.
Y our Skin Care Skincare Products
The Y our Skin Care system consists of four personalized products: a cleanser, SPF day cream, serum, and night cream. The cleanser is said to be gentle enough to wash away impurities and pollutants while leaving your skin soft and hydrated. The day cream contains broad spectrum SPF protection because the brand believes sun protection is not optional. The serum contains ingredients to target your skin concerns based on your answers to the Y our Skin Care quiz. Lastly, the night cream has nourishing properties to retain moisture, stimulate cell growth, and rejuvenate your skin all night.
What Are The Key Y our Skin Care Ingredients?
There really are no “key ingredients” with Y our Skin Care. Rather, personalized formulations are created for you based on your answers to the brand’s skin quiz. The quiz takes about 2 minutes to complete and consists of a series of in-depth questions that get to the root of your skin concerns. The assessment matches your genetics, ethnicity, environment, lifestyle, and skin goals to the ingredients and formulations that would work best for you.
With that being said, I wanted to discuss a few of the key ingredients that were recommended to me after I took the Y our Skin Care quiz. During the quiz, I was asked about my skin concerns, which are dark spots, uneven tone, and the first signs of wrinkles. The active ingredients that Y our Skin Care recommended based on these concerns include brown algae, vitamin C, and rosehip seed oil.
First, the brand says brown algae is a key ingredient in one of my products (they don’t specify which one). According to a 2013 publication in the journal Marine Drugs, brown algae contains phlorotannins which absorb certain UV light to act as an antioxidant and therefore protect collagen. Another component of brown algae called fucoidan can help with wound healing by protecting elastic fibers in the skin from breaking down over time. Lastly, brown algae can have a brightening effect due to its ability to inhibit the enzyme tyrosinase (the key enzyme involved in the synthesis of melanin).
I’m glad that Y our Skin Care included vitamin C in my products because vitamin C is well known to provide multiple benefits to the skin at once. Perhaps the most well-known benefit is its ability to protect the skin from free radicals due to its potent antioxidant activity. Specifically, vitamin C donates electrons to neutralize reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as the superoxide ion and peroxide that are generated when the skin is exposed to UV light.
This is important because the harmful effects of ROS occur as direct chemical alterations of the cellular DNA, the cell membrane, and cellular proteins, including collagen. Damaged collagen manifests as signs of premature skin aging, including wrinkles, lines, and sagging skin.
Vitamin C not only protects collagen, but also stimulates new collagen synthesis because it serves as a cofactor for two enzymes involved in stabilizing and cross-linking the collagen molecules. According to the Indian Dermatology Online Journal, clinical studies have shown that the topical use of vitamin C increases collagen production in both young and aged human skin. Lastly, vitamin C can help with dark spots and uneven skin tone by inhibiting the enzyme tyrosinase. Therefore, the inclusion of vitamin C in my Y our Skin Care products should help with signs of aging while helping my skin to appear brighter with a more even tone.
Another ingredient that Y our Skin Care will include in my products is rosehip seed oil. Rosehip seed oil contains provitamin A, mostly as beta carotene, which has the ability to increase cell turnover and promote regeneration in the outer layers of the skin. Over time, this can help even out skin tone and add a “glow” to the skin. Rosehip seed oil also contains all-trans retinoic acid (a vitamin A acid) that stimulates cellular regeneration and collagen production within the skin. This improves skin texture and reduces the appearance of lines and wrinkles. Rosehip seed oil also has a high content of gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is known to improve the skin’s barrier function and calm inflammation.
One thing that I really do not like about Y our Skin Care is that the brand does not provide you with the full ingredient list for each product. Without a full ingredient list, I’m left in the dark about so many things. For example, does Y our Skin Care formulate their products with high concentrations of active ingredients, or do they use mostly water and fillers in their products? There are so many different vitamin C derivatives used in skin care, so which form will be in my product? The brand says their products do not contain parabens, but what about other harmful ingredients, like denatured alcohol? I was able to choose fragrance free for my products, but are they really going to be fragrance free or will the products include fragrant essential oils? I would really appreciate it if Y our Skin Care would provide a full ingredient list so I could evaluate it before purchasing these products!
Where is Y our Skin Care sold?
Y our Skin Care products are only sold on the brand’s website since you must take the brand’s skin quiz in order to receive your personalized formulation recommendations.
What is The Y our Skin Care Return Policy?
Y our Skin Care does not allow you to return your skin care products, however, if you are unhappy with your products, the brand says they can tweak your formulas anytime in the first 3 months for no additional cost or purchase.
Is Y our Skin Care Cruelty Free?
All Y our Skin Care products are 100% cruelty free. The brand does not test finished products or ingredients on animals, and neither do their suppliers or any third-parties. They also don’t sell their products where animal testing is required by law.
What Are Some Alternatives?
If you’re looking for skincare products to address the signs of aging, we recommend Carrot & Stick. Carrot & Stick maximizes the use of powerful ingredients and minimizes the use of superficial ones, resulting in advanced skincare solutions that help promote healthy, more youthful-looking skin.
