C.R.A.B.S. Are Always in Season
it's not what you think nor is about TTPD (but could it be?)
Hello hello!
Hope you’re all doing well.
The first question I chose for today reminded me of one I answered last year for paid subscribers, so I decided to share both with you today. These questions, and many of the ones I’m asked, include something to the effect of: I heard this on TikTok, I read this on Reddit, I briefly scrolled past something I couldn’t find again but now lives in my brain etc., etc. We are all getting the bulk of our information on the Internet and while it can be an incredible resource, it also often makes us less responsible media consumers and it’s becoming harder and harder to recognize when that’s happening.
One of the best resources for this problem that I’ve ever come across is the CRABS Framework for Credibility developed by Jessica Stokes-Parish, PhD, RN. It was originally created to navigate the credibility of online information during COVID-19, but is applicable to literally all online content, particularly, in our case, skincare. I’ve included the author’s *chef’s kiss* infographic below, but you can read her explanation and the full research paper for more info.
To be clear, I don’t think either of today’s questions are spreading misinformation or following anything ill-advised, they just overlap in their origin: saw something online —> didn’t fit with what they knew —> caused confusion.
How long am I supposed to wait in between applying products? I saw someone say that you should wait 30 minutes before and after retinol and that’s not something I have the time for.
Haha I hear you, who does?! I love a long routine, but we definitely don’t need to start incorporating an hour long retinoid window.
The only actual time requirement that I would keep in mind and try your best to stick to is waiting ~15 minutes after applying sunscreen before you go outside or apply makeup on top. The reason for this is because sunscreen works by creating a film on the surface of your skin and it takes about 15 minutes for this film to fully form. If you don’t allow this to happen, your protection will be patchy and you might remove some of your sunscreen while applying your makeup.
For anything that’s not an exfoliating acid, retinoid or sunscreen, you don’t need to wait long, just let the product start absorbing. Wait a bit longer if you feel like something is still sitting on top or to avoid the products piling or soaping. There’s no hard and fast rule, just use your judgment. If you feel like something works better by waiting, go for it. I don’t think I ever wait more than 10-15 seconds unless I feel I need to.
The “waiting” comes more into play with active ingredients, like exfoliating acids and retinoids, and I’d probably argue that more important than the actual amount of time is the state your skin is in. By that I mean, is it damp or dry? Do you still have product residue? This can also result in unwanted piling or soaping, but the bigger risk here is irritation. You always want to apply these products on dry skin. This allows for an even application and avoids the potential of the ingredients penetrating too quickly. Usually you want to apply active ingredients as your first step after cleansing anyway, so just wait for your face to dry or use a clean washcloth.
Now with retinoids, it’s common for people to buffer or use the sandwich method, which means applying a thin layer of moisturizer before and/or after your retinoid to soften the blow. You want to give that buffer layer some time to sink in and actually form the buffer, which is where I’ve heard things like 20-30 minutes. This is being very generous and risk averse. I’d say 5-10 minutes or until you don’t feel like there’s a layer of moisturizer on the surface. If you have super sensitive skin or have never used a retinoid before, a longer waiting period is a smart way to adjust, but you can always shorten the window once your skin tolerates. Again, no hard and fast rule here. I would recommend using something lightweight and fast absorbing to buffer, like this.
I’ve seen some claims that it takes 20 minutes for Tretinoin (prescription retinoid) to “work” and that you should wait that long before applying anything on top for maximum efficacy. I haven’t seen any convincing research around this, though I would advise waiting at least a few minutes to let your retinoid fully absorb before moisturizer. The one thing I would avoid doing is applying an occlusive right after, like Aquaphor, because that can kind of “lock it in” and increase penetration and thus, irritation. This is a situation where I would advise waiting 30-60 minutes if you must apply one, but I’d suggest sticking with a less occlusive moisturizer.
A final recommendation is buying a little handheld fan to keep in your bathroom. This is one of the best upgrades I’ve made to my life. I also like using it after applying body lotion before putting on clothes, since I have no patience to air dry.
I’ve been told to apply hyaluronic acid to damp skin to help it absorb better because the skin is like a sponge. But recently I’ve seen people on social media say that the skin is not like a sponge and that is a myth. What’s true? How am I supposed to apply these products?
This is a great question! No, the skin is not like a sponge, but there are characteristics of sponges that can help us understand certain things in the skin.
Everyone knows what a sponge is and can visualize how to use one. A dry sponge doesn’t do much, but once it absorbs water and dampens, it’s more malleable and pliable. It’s able to hold onto things (water, dish soap, food particles) and do its thing as a sponge. Also think of a damp vs. dry beauty blender.
The skin is not like a sponge because we are not made of sponge and the very purpose of our skin is to be a barrier. It’s meant to keep the good stuff in and the bad stuff out. If it was that easy for say, water, to pass through our skin, as it does in a sponge, we’d drown in the shower and every time it rains. If the skin were a sponge, we wouldn’t have evolved very far. However, damp skin does exhibit some behavior that dry skin does not and a sponge is a helpful analogy to demonstrate this. It is not the same thing as saying the skin is a sponge.
Remember that the skin barrier is composed of many layers of dead skin cells and lipids. This is where the majority of your skincare products are working. In deeper layers you’ll find blood vessels, collagen, elastin and fat. These layers have different requirements to allow things to pass. Among other things, the molecule needs to be the right size (small) and solubility – some molecules are water soluble, whereas others are oil soluble, and we know those two don’t mix! Unlike wetting a sponge, applying something on your skin does not mean it just gets to pass through all the little holes. We also don’t always want it to because…skincare is for the skin!
When skin is damp, it increases the permeability by thinning the lipids holding our barrier together. This means that things that should be able to go a little deeper are able to more easily (if they are properly formulated, of course). This is good because hydration doesn’t just sit on the surface, but permeability is not the same as absorption. A little deeper doesn’t mean all the way to the bloodstream.
Like you said, you’ve been told to apply hyaluronic acid on damp skin to help it absorb. Hyaluronic acid is a humectant – a type of ingredient that attracts and retains water. Humectants sitting on the surface can’t do much for us, so applying them on damp skin makes it easier for them to travel a bit deeper. The opposite is true for active ingredients, like retinoids and acids, which you want to apply on dry skin since increased permeability can make them more irritating.
The reason you’ve been hearing people say the “skin is a sponge” is a bad analogy is because it easily lends itself to misinformation about product absorption, particularly into the bloodstream. This is a big idea pushed by the clean beauty industry and often follows the common myth that your skin absorbs 60% of what you apply. There will be no fear mongering about ingredients here! It’s hard enough for molecules to get past the surface of the skin, let alone all the way to the bloodstream. There are, of course, ways to make it so ingredients can travel further, but that’s thanks to advanced formulations, not a function of the skin.
To sum it up: if the sponge analogy helps you to understand this very specific property of skin, then great! But don’t take it literally. Your skin is a barrier and if you’ve made it this far, it’s doing a pretty dang good job.
Three Other Things
This article about AI-generated reviews has stayed with me. As it points out, fake or incentivized reviews have been an ongoing issue, making it hard to know what’s authentic or who to trust. It made me reflect on my own review writing habits, which these days are next to nothing. But shouldn’t we be the change we want to see in the world? If we want real reviews from real people, shouldn’t we write them? I haven’t gotten that far yet, but I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. Do you write reviews? What compels you to? Should we challenge ourselves to write more?
Daise is a new UPF clothing brand that sent me some super cute clothes to try, but the thing I’m most excited about is their Sun Cooler. It’s an insulated pouch to keep your sunscreen safe & stable. Brilliant!
Sachi Skin gave me an exclusive 20% off code for 3 weeks! The only time they ever do 20% off is once a year during their annual sale, but they know we’re a special and deserving crew. Click this link or use JOLIE20 at checkout.
Office Hours Reminder
Join us for Office Hours on Sunday! This exclusive weekly opportunity is available to paying subscribers.
Every Sunday at 5pm EST, I’ll begin a new thread for the week in Substack Chat, where you can ask me anything. Every Monday from 5-6pm EST, I’ll be in that chat live, answering questions for the hour. That way, if you can’t make it, you can submit any time after 5pm Sunday and still get an answer. If you can make it live, join in! You can ask questions in real time and (hopefully) interact with others in class ;)
Discount Codes
Naturium: JOLDEF15 for 15% off
Sachi Skin: JOLIE20 for 20% off for the next 3 weeks
you can find all of my discount codes here
Have a great week!
xx,
Jolie