The September Spotlight: Caffeine Facial Serum
This is the last of our September Spotlight series and we’re marking the occasion with the newest member of our TruSkin family: Caffeine Facial Serum.
Caffeine might be one of your biggest vices due to the number of cappuccinos you consume in one day. But as skincare goes, it’s nothing to be ashamed of. On the contrary, caffeine is a fantastic ingredient for energizing your skin and amping up its level of (or more to the point, it’s lack of!) radiance.
You see, while drinking too much caffeine (more than around four cups is considered excessive) can dehydrate your skin, screw up your sleep and trigger stress-induced acne breakouts, applying it to your skin improves blood flow, helps reduce inflammation and works hard to combat the effects of environmental pollution. Nothing but good stuff, we think you’ll agree.
We’ve long since known about the extraordinary benefits of caffeine, as well other powerful antioxidants and nutrients found in abundance in matcha and regular green teas. We just weren’t sure what to do with all that knowledge… nor how to successfully create an effective skincare treatment that put it all into practice.
But that all changed earlier this year when we launched our incredible Caffeine Facial Serum. With ten facial serums in our line-up you’d think we already had it all. And yes, we’re incredibly proud of being able to cater for all skin types, tones, colors and concerns with serums packed with skincare greats like vitamin C, retinol, hyaluronic acid and peptides.
However, who are we to believe we had no room for something new? And what kind of skincare company would we be if we didn’t continue to innovate and create? A pretty lazy one, tbh.
So, today, we introduce you to serum #11, Caffeine Facial Serum.
What Caffeine Facial Serum Is All About
Simply put, Caffeine Facial Serum delivers the boost of energy your skin has been longing for. It’s like the skincare equivalent of a shot of double espresso in the morning – minus the lows, of course.
How does it work? Well, research shows that caffeine has a very small molecular structure which means it’s able to penetrate the top layers of the skin to absorb deeper and get to work quickly, effectively and exactly where it’s needed most. Its benefits are pretty impressive and include boosting collagen, improving blood flow, reducing inflammation and even slowing down the visible signs of skin aging thanks to a whole bunch of hard-working antioxidants that help neutralize collagen-damaging free radicals.
Don’t get us wrong, we’re not the first to harness the powers of caffeine in a facial serum. We know that. However, our Caffeine Facial Serum offers so much more than the competition and has quickly become a fan favorite for tired skin that needs a reboot. And that’s because caffeine is not the only revitalizing ingredient it has to brag about…
What Makes Caffeine Facial Serum Different From The Rest?
1. 5% caffeine combines with EGCG for the ultimate energizing results
Many over-the-counter caffeine serums contain around 3 percent caffeine, which we don’t think is anywhere near enough to truly hit the spot. This is why we added a much more effective concentration of 5 percent, giving your skin more antioxidant protection and a way bigger boost of energy. Any more than 5 percent has the potential to irritate the skin but, don’t worry, five’s just right to make your skin come alive. It’s not like drinking a triple espresso on an empty stomach or anything like that!
Instead of risking sensitivities by going even higher with the caffeine, we figured it was much safer to add another revitalizing ingredient to boost the buzz and help improve hydration at the same time. And we landed on EGCG (epigallocatechin gallate), another fantastic antioxidant that’s extracted from green tea and plays super well with caffeine.
2. Caffeine Facial Serum also contains niacinamide to strengthen the skin
Niacinamide is a water-soluble form of vitamin B3 that works on the skin in many awesome ways. For one thing, it helps increase the production of ceramides in the uppermost layers which is crucial for maintaining a strong, protective barrier function and improving the overall resiliency of your skin. By strengthening your skin and reducing moisture loss from the surface, it also works hard to reduce the drying effects of active ingredients like caffeine.
Oh, and it has a whole bunch of antioxidant qualities of its own to further protect your skin from the damaging effects of free radicals.
3. Matcha tea offers an extra boost of nutrients and antioxidants
As if caffeine and EGCG weren’t enough to lift flagging skin, Caffeine Facial Serum also delivers a punchy hit of matcha green tea leaf extract. Unlike regular green tea whose leaves are steeped and then thrown away, we use the entire matcha leaf to ensure your skin gets as much of its goodness as it possibly can. And, full disclosure, it has a lot to give.
Just like regular green tea, matcha is super rich in antioxidants. It also helps regulate sebum production, remove impurities, enhance moisture retention and control inflammation which is great news for oily, sensitive or acne-prone skin.
You've gotta love this stuff.
4. Then there’s ginseng, a traditional medicine favorite for revitalizing the skin
Last but not least comes one of the most revered ingredients in Asian traditional medicine: ginseng. The OG of superfoods, ginseng is a root packed with skin reviving vitamins and minerals that help increase blood flow to really zing up your skin; strengthening at a surface level and ramping up collagen production. But energizing your skin isn’t its only MO. It’s also been shown to inhibit melanin synthesis to help control dark spots and a patchy, uneven skin tone. Love that.
More great news: ginseng contains natural anti-inflammatory properties which are essential if you suffer with facial redness or annoying breakouts.
How To Make Caffeine Facial Serum Work For You
Caffeine Facial Serum has been formulated for all skin types, but no matter how kind and gentle it is, it still contains active ingredients that have the potential to irk super sensitive skin. Patch test it first to check for irritations. That is all.
Once you’re good to go (which, we’re convinced, most of you will be), apply three to five drops to clean hands, then smooth or pat this over cleansed, toned skin. You can even use it under your eyes if this area needs a little extra pep in its step. Just avoid direct contact which your actual eyes, OK?
Caffeine Facial Serum can be used morning, night or both depending on the rest of your skincare routine but don’t mix and match it with other serums as this could overload your skin. Do you like to apply Retinol Facial Serum before bed? Then limit your Caffeine Facial Serum to the mornings only. You get the picture, right?
Finally, give your serum a minute or so to settle then apply moisturizer and sunscreen as normal.
Your skin should feel raring to go and ready take on the world in no time.
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![5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts]()
No idea why you’re getting an influx of acne right now? Many lifestyle habits can trigger your breakouts – and sometimes they’re found in the most unsuspecting places.
As you know, acne is caused by one thing and one thing alone: an excess of sebum that causes your pores to become blocked with oil, dead skin cells, bacteria and other impurities. Eating too much chocolate doesn’t give you pimples. Neither does moisturizer. Sure, they can trigger breakouts if you’re genetically susceptible to them, but acne isn’t caused by uncleanliness, a poor diet or crummy skincare routine. It’s caused by blocked pores. End of.
OK, so this begs the question: why bother trying to cure them if your breakouts are totally out of your control? Well, here’s the thing. You can’t change your genes, that’s for certain. However, what you can do is keep acne-triggering factors under control to help lessen the blow. Sleeping well, reducing emotional stress and eating a healthy, well-balanced diet; all these things are important for maintaining balanced sebum and therefore reducing the likelihood of you breaking out week after week.
But there are also some less obvious reasons why you face might be suffering with regular breakouts. So if you’ve already dispensed with things like smoking, poor cleansing and too much exfoliation, but you’re still getting pimples on the reg, it might be time to look at some of the more unexpected areas of your life.
On that note, read on for five slightly more unusual causes for your breakouts.
1. Your Pillowcase
Getting enough beauty sleep is crucial for the health of your skin, but if you’re sleeping on a dirty pillowcase for a solid eight hours every night dirt and bacteria is inevitably going to build up and irritate your pores. This is especially true if you sleep on a synthetic pillowcase because man-made fibers don’t absorb sweat as effectively as natural fibres like cotton or linen.
The answer? Go natural all the way, for starters. Also, cleanse and moisturize your skin before bed to reduce the amount of grime getting on your pillowcase. Tea Tree Super Cleanser+ is a great acne-fighting cleanser that balances and clarifies your pores. Follow this with Retinol Moisturizer to lightly hydrate and moisturize your skin while boosting cellular turnover to keep your pores free of dead skin cells.
Finally, wash your pillowcase every three or four days. And ditto, your face towel. Old, dirty towels that are used by the whole family for drying their hands and who-knows-what-else are another breeding ground for germs and bacteria. Do you really want to be swiping this all over your freshly cleansed skin? Thought not. So, invest in a couple of cotton face towels for you and you alone and wash them every other day.
2. Your Makeup & Hair Products
Your skincare routine might be spot on, but what about your makeup and hair products? Rich hair conditioners, for example, are notorious for containing heavy ingredients like cocoa butter and coconut oil which, granted, are incredible for moisturizing your precious locks, but are not so great for acne-prone skin. Of course, we know you’re not smothering your face with conditioner but still, it can settle on your face when you rinse your hair so always cleanse your skin after, never before conditioning.
Makeup can similarly clog up your pores, especially if you use formulations that contain oil. So don’t do that. Instead, look out for noncomedogenic products (this means they’re less likely to block pores) and use powder rather than liquid formulations whenever possible.
3. Your Workout Routine
Do you love to get a good sweat on when you’re working out? High fives to you. However, allow all that sweat and grime to sit on your skin and your pores are going to clog up quicker than your instructor can say ‘hit the floor for ten push-ups.’
Cleanse your skin thoroughly and swiftly after exercising (the longer you leave your skin doused in sweat and grimy workout gear, the more bacteria is likely to breed), and always use a mild but effective cleanser that helps to detoxify your skin without drying it out. Our Charcoal Clarifying Cleanser is a goodie as it harnesses the powers of coconut-derived activated charcoal which destroys skin-smothering impurities to offer a deep, gently purifying clean every time.
4. Your Winter Cover-Ups
Any fabric that rubs against your skin can lead to unwanted issues in the long-term. Remember how face masks were causing ‘maskne’ back in the pandemic? This was all due to friction from the mask combining with the obvious culprits of sweat, dirt, oil, bacteria and humidity which caused dryness, irritation and pimples.
Thankfully, for most of us, the days of having to wear a mask 24/7 are over. However, if you spend a lot of time outdoors in the winter and like to wrap yourself up in woollen hats and thick, heavy scarves, these can cause similar problems, trapping sweat and increasing friction around your chin, jaw, neck and forehead.
To help reduce breakouts caused by beanies, scarves (and even turtleneck sweaters), avoid synthetic fabrics and launder your winter cover-ups regularly. Weekly, at least.
5. Your Laundry Detergent
Speaking of laundry, your choice of detergent is also imperative. Just like your beauty routine, certain ingredients in your laundry detergent can be super irritating – especially if you have extremely sensitive or acne-prone skin. Fragrance, for example, can be a real Debbie Downer, as can harsh dyes, essentials oils, strong surfactants and preservatives.
To reduce the likelihood of your laundry detergent triggering those pesky breakouts, first up, choose liquid over powder detergents. Why? Because these leave behind less residue on your clothes and fabrics (who knew?!). Also, never use more detergent than is recommended on the label, avoid fabric softeners and try double rinsing your laundry after washing to remove as much residue as possible.
5 Unusual Things That Can Trigger Breakouts
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