Youth to the People was founded by cousins Joe Cloyes and Greg Gonzalez who have been immersed in the professional skin care industry their whole lives. Their grandmother created her own skin care line in the Bay Area over 30 years ago, which meant Joe and Greg spent their early years running around her office learning about ingredients, skin types, and the business. After years in the industry, they noticed a void in the market – a modern, straightforward, vegan skin care line good for all skin types and everyday use. Thus, the idea for Youth to the People was born.
The brand’s mission is in their name: to bring youth to the people. They believe that the products you put on your skin should be as whole, clean and packed with nutrients as the food you put in your body. In this review, we are going to focus specifically on one of the brand’s most popular products: the Superfood Cleanser. We’ll give you the details on the key ingredients in this cleanser, how to use it, Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser reviews from real customers, and more.
What is Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser?
The brand calls their Superfood Cleanser a “green juice cleanse for your face”. With key ingredients like kale, spinach, and green tea, this cleanser almost sounds more like a smoothie than a skin care product. But it is in fact a facial cleanser that is said to effectively prevent buildup in pores, remove makeup, and balance pH without drying or stripping. Youth to The People Superfood Cleanse is recommended for all skin types to cleanse your skin while also providing the benefits of cold-pressed antioxidants.
What Are The Key Ingredients in Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser?
Kale, spinach, green tea, and alfalfa are the superfoods that make up this cleanser. Kale is rich in skin-loving phytonutrients and vitamins C, E and K. Spinach has the ability to soothe the skin while adding hydration. Green tea contains the polyphenol epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which has anti-inflammatory properties and has also been shown to decrease oxidative stress and increase antioxidant enzymes when applied topically. Alfalfa contains flavonoid antioxidants that protect against free radicals. While these superfood ingredients are beneficial, keep in mind that this is a rinse-off product. Therefore, the antioxidants in these superfood extracts can’t provide protection against environmental free radicals if they are being washed off of your face.
The true key ingredients in the Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser are the surfactants. A couple examples of the surfactants in the Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser include cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and sodium cocoyl glutamate, which are both derived from coconut. Surfactant is the short term for surface active agent. Surfactants are ingredients that lower the surface tension between two substances, such as two liquids or a liquid and a solid. A surfactant molecule contains one end that is hydrophilic (attracted to water) and one end that is lipophilic (attracted to oil). This allows surfactants to attract and suspends oils, dirt, and other impurities that have accumulated on the skin and wash them away.
The Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser also contains several ingredients that function as humectants, including aloe vera juice, panthenol, and glycerin. A humectant is a hygroscopic substance that has a molecular structure with several hydrophilic (water loving) groups, such as hydroxyl groups (OH) and/or amine groups (NH2). Panthenol is composed of three hydroxyl groups and one amino group. The OH and NH2 groups hydrogen bond with water, essentially “grabbing” it and holding it on the skin. Humectants pull water from the dermis to the epidermis and stratum corneum.
We were surprised to learn that there is a synthetic fragrance blend used in the Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser. The brand doesn’t use a lot of fragrance; in fact, it is the lowest concentration ingredient in the formula. However, the use of synthetic fragrance ingredients can be a problem because the brand can use a proprietary blend of chemicals to create the fragrance, and they do not have to disclose which chemicals they use on the label. They are allowed to list this blend as “Fragrance (Parfum)” on the ingredient list. A 2018 study by Women’s Voices for the Earth discovered that in over 3,000 chemicals reportedly used for fragrances, 1,242 were chemicals of concern – and that included at least 7 possible carcinogenic (cancer-causing) agents. Fragrance ingredients also have the potential to cause skin irritation and sensitivity.
How to Use Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser
After wetting your face, put one to two pumps of the Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser on wet hands, rub together into a light lather, and massage into your face and neck for 30 seconds to activate the cold-pressed antioxidants. Rinse thoroughly and follow with a moisturizer. It is recommended to use Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser twice daily in the morning and evening to prevent buildup in pores.
Where is Youth to The People Superfood Cleanser Sold?
Youth to the People Superfood Cleanser is sold on the brand’s website, as well as numerous third party online retailers such as Sephora, Amazon, and more.
Is Youth to The People Cruelty Free?
Youth to the People skincare products are 100% vegan and cruelty free.
References:
Women’s Voices for the Earth “Unpacking The Fragrance Industry” 2018
