Really, I’m in the wrong line of work. My quarter-decade as a beauty journalist has required me to try hundreds of new beauty products each year, which in turn has seen me break out in a spectacular collection of welts, rashes and spots. I have thin, pale, dry skin that’s reactive – prone to finding countless cosmetics products just ‘too much’, even though the vast majority of skin types wouldn’t have the slightest problem. At the start of my career (the first ten years, at least), I figured it was just something I had to live with, making my day job a minefield of serum-induced dermatitis and post-facial inflammation. I wasn’t aware of the importance of my lipid barrier or the insidious effects of stress. I just walked on eggshells, accepting the regular surprise cracks.
I remember I was attracted to Pai Rosehip Bioregenerate Facial Oil because the brand, it stated, was created by and for people with sensitive skin. The then-new oil was unscented, a boon as the one thing guaranteed to make my face flare was perfume (synthetic or natural). It retains the deep orange hue and coastline-herbs-and-foliage-crushed-underfoot scent (I can’t describe it any other way) from naturally extracted rosehip seeds and fruit. It’s a dry aroma evoking hot Mediterranean summers that I consider one of the loveliest in beauty, and it definitely helped me stay loyal to the oil as a night cream substitute for the best of a year (no mean feat, considering how many products require my attention).
It promised radiance, enhanced moisturisation, and some added plumpness thanks to the subtle level of retinoic acid naturally present in rosehip. It did all that, but after several months, it did something far more important: it largely de-sensitised my skin. I began to realise I could suddenly use actives such as AHA’s, retinol and ascorbic acid without going bright red and itchy, and I could have facials without the collateral damage.
Today, it’s obvious to me why. The omega essential fatty acids rosehip oil teems with are building blocks of skin’s protective lipid barrier. A robust one keeps moisture in and irritants out. A compromised one, brought on partly by genes but also by stress and repeated (often cosmetics-induced) injury, does the opposite. A year’s worth of BioRegenerate, with its superior CO2-extraction method (generating an oil with exceptionally high levels of critical actives) and certified organic status absolutely patched up the holes my barrier had sprung, and I’ve been a vociferous lipid barrier/acid mantle advocate ever since. Trust me, looking after it is one of the main keys to having great skin - and that little bottle of BioRegenerate showed me the way.
Really, I’m in the wrong line of work. My quarter-decade as a beauty journalist has required me to try hundreds of new beauty products each year, which in turn has seen me break out in a spectacular collection of welts, rashes and spots. I have thin, pale, dry skin that’s reactive – prone to finding countless cosmetics products just ‘too much’, even though the vast majority of skin types wouldn’t have the slightest problem. At the start of my career (the first ten years, at least), I figured it was just something I had to live with, making my day job a minefield of serum-induced dermatitis and post-facial inflammation. I wasn’t aware of the importance of my lipid barrier or the insidious effects of stress. I just walked on eggshells, accepting the regular surprise cracks.
I remember I was attracted to Pai Rosehip Bioregenerate Facial Oil because the brand, it stated, was created by and for people with sensitive skin. The then-new oil was unscented, a boon as the one thing guaranteed to make my face flare was perfume (synthetic or natural). It retains the deep orange hue and coastline-herbs-and-foliage-crushed-underfoot scent (I can’t describe it any other way) from naturally extracted rosehip seeds and fruit. It’s a dry aroma evoking hot Mediterranean summers that I consider one of the loveliest in beauty, and it definitely helped me stay loyal to the oil as a night cream substitute for the best of a year (no mean feat, considering how many products require my attention).
“A year’s worth of BioRegenerate absolutely patched up the holes my skin’s lipid barrier had sprung”
Inge Van Lotringen,-Beauty Journalist and Author
It promised radiance, enhanced moisturisation, and some added plumpness thanks to the subtle level of retinoic acid naturally present in rosehip. It did all that, but after several months, it did something far more important: it largely de-sensitised my skin. I began to realise I could suddenly use actives such as AHA’s, retinol and ascorbic acid without going bright red and itchy, and I could have facials without the collateral damage.
Today, it’s obvious to me why. The omega essential fatty acids rosehip oil teems with are building blocks of the skin’s protective lipid barrier. A robust barrier keeps moisture in and irritants out. A compromised one, brought on partly by genes but also by stress and repeated (often cosmetics-induced) injury, does the opposite. A year’s worth of BioRegenerate, with its superior CO2-extraction method (generating an oil with exceptionally high levels of critical actives) and certified organic status absolutely patched up the holes my barrier had sprung, and I’ve been a vociferous lipid barrier/acid mantle advocate ever since. Trust me, looking after it is one of the main keys to having great skin – and that little bottle of BioRegenerate showed me the way.
