Category: Skincare

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Tretinoin: The Best Ingredient for Youthful Skin 

When it comes to maintaining youthful, healthy skin, few products are as revered as Tretinoin. Also known by its brand names like Retin-A, Tretinoin is a prescription-strength retinoid that has been a staple in dermatology since the 1960s. Originally developed to treat acne, Tretinoin has since been proven to combat signs of aging, making it a dual-purpose powerhouse in the world of skincare. 

What is Tretinoin? 

Tretinoin is a derivative of Vitamin A and belongs to the broader family of retinoids, which are compounds that have been extensively studied and proven to benefit the skin in multiple ways. Unlike over-the-counter retinoids like retinol, Tretinoin is much more potent and is only available through prescription due to its strength and potential for irritation. It works by speeding up cell turnover, which helps in treating acne, reducing fine lines, improving skin texture, and increasing collagen production. 

The Benefits of Tretinoin 

Tretinoin is often hailed as the gold standard in anti-aging skincare for a reason. Its benefits are numerous and well-documented, making it a go-to for those serious about maintaining youthful skin. Here are some of the key benefits: 

  1. Generates New Collagen: Tretinoin stimulates the production of collagen, a vital protein that provides structure and elasticity to the skin. As we age, collagen production decreases, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles. Tretinoin helps reverse this process, making the skin firmer and more resilient. 
  2. Smooths Out Fine Lines and Wrinkles: By promoting cell turnover and collagen production, Tretinoin effectively reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. It’s one of the few ingredients with clinically proven anti-aging effects. 
  3. Prevents Collagen Degradation: Not only does Tretinoin promote collagen production, but it also helps prevent the degradation of existing collagen, ensuring that your skin remains youthful for longer.
  4. Promotes Blood Vessel Formation: Tretinoin encourages the formation of new blood vessels in the skin, which improves circulation and gives the skin a healthy, rosy glow. 
  5. Thickens the Epidermis: Over time, Tretinoin thickens the outer layer of the skin, known as the epidermis, making it more resilient and less prone to damage. 
  6. Reduces Hyperpigmentation: Tretinoin can help fade dark spots and even out skin tone by promoting faster cell turnover and inhibiting melanin production. 
  7. Improves Skin Laxity and Texture: With regular use, Tretinoin improves skin laxity, making it appear more toned and youthful. It also smooths out rough texture, giving the skin a more even and refined appearance. 
  8. Increases Cell Turnover: One of the primary functions of Tretinoin is to increase cell turnover, which means that dead skin cells are shed more quickly, and new, healthy cells rise to the surface. This process helps treat and prevent acne, keeping the skin clear and vibrant. 
  9. Treats Acne: Tretinoin was originally developed to treat acne, and it remains one of the most effective treatments for this condition. By preventing clogged pores and reducing inflammation, Tretinoin helps clear up existing breakouts and prevent new ones from forming. 

Using Tretinoin Safely 

While Tretinoin is highly effective, it’s also potent and can cause irritation, especially in those new to retinoids. It’s advisable to start with a lower strength and gradually build up your tolerance. Many dermatologists recommend beginning with applications two to three times per week and slowly increasing frequency as your skin adjusts. Higher strengths can lead to redness, flakiness, and sensitivity, so it’s essential to follow your prescriber’s guidance. 

Our Dermatology Team will review your SkinSize™ Analysis, medical information, and photos to decide which ingredients you will receive in your bespoke formula.

Dr. Emma Craythorne

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What are actives in skincare?

Every skincare product starts degrading once it’s opened. Too often we can find ourselves acting as if every bottle contains a perfect, unchanging supply. 

And worse, some companies like for us to think this way. There are plenty of watered-down products that don’t deliver on real ingredients. 

One culprit behind ineffective skincare products is time. There’s no fighting against the natural degradation of our products. 

But there’s a way that we can learn to work with it. It comes down to understanding actives in skincare products and how to use them before we lose them. 

What are actives in skincare? 

In skincare, an ‘active’ ingredient is the most potent part of the formulation. It’s the element that’s meant to target a particular concern. 

Some examples of active ingredients would be Vitamin A for anti-ageing, or ceramides for moisturising.  

The word ‘ingredient’ is helpful to getting the most effective skincare products. Because as with food ingredients, skincare formulations can go bad too. 

How to know if the actives in my skincare are working? 

The most effective actives are as fresh as possible. However, many skincare products don’t come with a clear expiration date.  

Some product containers will have a PAO (period after opening) label. This symbol will tell you how long you have to use up the product. For example, ‘12M’ would mean the product is good to use for 12 months. 

Active ingredients are sensitive to light and heat, and will degrade over time without proper storage. Sometimes a smell or change in colour means that the active ingredients are no longer good.

Aside from that, there aren’t many ways to know that something’s ‘off’. But even before expiry, plenty of people aren’t getting the best use from their products.  

Most skincare formulations expire faster than you might think. One study that examined retinoids found that almost all tested products had degraded by up to 80% within 6 months. 

When you go to a restaurant, you’d trust that every ingredient was prepared carefully and immediately. With skincare, it’s a little more difficult since we can’t see the ‘kitchen.’  

Even with the highest-quality skincare, it’s only a matter of time before it goes bad. Getting the best out of your products means taking expiry as seriously as you do with your food. 

Ensuring peak potency in the Klira Special 

At Klira, we have a plan to make sure you’re not putting weak, watered-down products into your routine. 

The Klira Special has a formula to ensure potency: Ingredient x Dose x Base. 

The ingredients are the Special’s powerful skincare actives. These are the parts of the formulation that directly address your skincare goals and concerns. 

The dose is a carefully calibrated method to add more actives, bit by bit. As you continue with a new Klira Special each month, the right ingredients will be sprinkled in to customise your treatment. 

And the base is the luxurious mixer that brings all the actives together. Just like an excellent chocolate seamlessly blends cocoa, milk, and sugar, the Klira Special’s base is the silky, lotion-like element that binds together the formulation’s different ingredients. 

We don’t create formulations en masse, and we don’t intend them to be one-size-fits all. Instead, each Klira Special is unique and evolving. It’s individually packaged and shipped out while it’s fresh. 

There’s no time (or money) to waste on ineffective, low-grade formulations. We don’t want you to spend on skincare that’s halfway to its expiration date. 

The Klira Special is designed for skincare that’s specific, not general. It aims to promote health, not just surface looks. 

What goes on your face should be fresh. At Klira, we’re creating those meticulous formulations for radiant results. 

Exponent sources 

  1. Retinoid stability and degradation kinetics in commercial cosmetic products 
  2. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jocd.13852?af=R 
  3. dating of cosmetics 
  4. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetics-labeling/shelf-life-and-expiration-dating-cosmetics 
  • What are active ingredients? 
  • https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0927776522003599 
  • For this purpose, cosmetic industries use active ingredients with multifunctional properties [4], [5], [6], [7] (antioxidant, anti-aging, photo-protective, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, …). However, these compounds are generally sensitive to various external factors such as light, temperature, oxygen and pH [5], which can lead to their degradation.