58 Microdose skin regimes

Microdose skin regimes

Skincare experts are taking advantage of effective ingredients at the microlevel with a new less-is-more approach.

Microdosing has made its way into skincare. Beauty aficionados are gravitating towards this popular new approach, applying smaller amounts or concentrations of ingredients to the skin for long-term results without harsh side effects.

The Wǒ skincare brand, for example, is built upon a range of products packaged in what the brand calls “mono-dosed” amounts. The blister packs contain enough product for just one application, allowing buyers to tailor their routine to their skin’s day-to-day needs and only purchase as much as they anticipate needing to use.

Subscription skincare brand Skin & Me connects consumers with dermatologists who prescribe custom approaches at low dosage or percentages as necessary. This makes microdosing approachable and easy, and includes professional input.

Spectacle Skincare’s Performance Crème delivers retinaldehyde, polyhydroxy acids and vitamin C in a microdosed formulation. These small amounts don’t sensitize the skin, thus maximizing their effects over time, even with consistent use. Andre Condit, formulator and cofounder of Spectacle Skincare, tells Wunderman Thompson Intelligence that beauty product users “need to think of this more as a marathon, not a race. The skincare journey should be a slow, steady pace over a lifetime.”

Skincare “boosters,” which have increased in popularity recently, are also an applicable and popular form of microdosing. These lower-percentage concentrations can be gradually added to everyday products such as moisturizers, making them effective additions to basic routines. La RochePosay offers a low-dose retinol serum at 0.3%, and Paula’s Choice offers a vitamin C booster that can be added to moisturizers drop by drop.

Why it’s interesting Andre Condit says that the concept of microdosing skincare is being revisited as the “best therapeutic way to deliver key nutrients, communicators and cellular activators in a daily dose that is most bioavailable, best tolerated in all skin types and least reactive.” Low-dose applications that achieve beneficial results in the long term are attracting consumers seeking low-risk, high-reward solutions to their skin concerns.