If you feel like you have sensitive skin, you’re not alone. Around the world, approximately 60% of women and 40% of men consider their skin to be sensitive and those numbers are only growing.
It’s true that some people are born with skin sensitivities such as eczema and rosacea. But for others, like Natalie Butler, founder of biobod (an intuitive skincare brand), inflammation can be linked to something else.
For Nat, the 12-step skincare routine she stuck to in her 20s that promised to deliver results was actually doing the opposite. Instead of improving her skin, the more active ingredients she used, the more unhappy her skin appeared.
Are your skin products causing sensitivity?
If you developed skin sensitivities later in life like Nat, you’ll probably be familiar with some common ways to care for it, such as avoiding fragrances or sulphates. You might even have invested in expensive serums or routines promising to soothe and improve. But it could be the very products that you’re using that are causing your skin to react badly in the first place.
From the ‘skinfluencers’ we follow on social media to our bathroom cabinets full of products, we’re all guilty of believing that more really is more. Who could blame us? The beauty industry spends a lot of time and effort convincing us that the best approach is to put out fires, when really, preventing them in the first place is the kindest thing to do (for your skin and the planet).
This is why Nat encourages a rethink around the way we care for skin, with a less is more approach. This starts with three things she thinks every person should know about sensitive skin, sooner rather than later.
1. Skincare layering could be the cause
Turns out the 12-step routine we stuck to in our 20s wasn’t doing us any favours, but that doesn’t mean all actives are bad. Look for products with Phyto-actives that soothe rather than irritate, like biobod’s best-selling oil. If you can’t escape the lure of anti-ageing actives, just make sure you are not double dipping on the same active in multiple products or mixing potentially irritating actives such as Retinol and AHAs.
2. Treating the symptoms could feed the root cause
By the time a rash or blemish appears, your skin’s balance may already be off. Be proactive in your health by taking a 360 approach, from caring for your mental health to adopting a balanced diet to choosing skincare that encourages a healthy skin microbiome. Together, these actions will get at the root of healthy skin, rather than reacting to surface-level irritations.
3. Less really is more
Sure, #shelfies are fun, but the products on them aren’t doing your skin or your wallet any favours. Declutter your bathroom by ditching what you don’t need. Not sure where to start? Try for products made without plastic, preservatives, or allergens – just skin-loving ingredients that save your face (and the planet) from any more drama.
Having spent most of her career working in large beauty companies, Nat developed highly reactive skin. She hadn’t grown up with sensitive skin, so the inflammation was a direct result of the high levels of actives and preservatives she smothered on her skin throughout her 20s.
In an effort to effect positive skin change, she started to swing between using ‘pharmacy’ sensitive skin products when her skin was reactive, and then when it recovered, she would slip back into old habits only to be left with the tell-tale signs of inflammation again.
Having slowly made the connection between the products she was using and the imbalances in her skin, Nat desperately started the search for products that both worked for her skin and that she enjoyed using.
And so began a three-year journey, working with skin scientists to create an intuitive skincare range that worked with the body rather than against it.
“My vision was to go beyond the conventional approach of treating symptoms, such as acne and inflammation and instead rebuild the true foundations of skin health,” she says.
“I wanted to create a range that helped with a healthy skin microbiome, strong skin barrier and also to calm inflammatory response.”
What does creating this brand mean to you?
Having originally created biobod to fulfil a personal need, the brand’s initial development and purpose was linked to me as an individual. I wanted to create a range of essential and sustainable products I could safely use on my sensitive skin and that I truly loved using. Since launching the range, this introspective approach has completely shifted.
Now I see the brand in terms of responsibility to our customers and an opportunity to make a difference and this is truly what drives me now. We have seen a positive shift away from fast fashion over the past few years, and I think it’s time that we also embrace this mindset in the beauty industry. Our mission is to create a more intuitive, minimalist, and sustainable approach to self-care that we know can have profoundly positive effects on both our skin and the planet.
What are the three common mistakes people make with skin?
Excessive use of strong actives: When it comes to actives, most people believe more is better and this is simply not the case. Moreover, in a multi-step routine, you can be doubling up on actives or mixing actives that react badly with each other, for example, Retinol and chemical exfoliants. This approach can leave us with a damaged skin barrier, imbalanced microbiome, long-term skin sensitivities, and even premature ageing.
Getting all of your skincare information solely from Tik Tok: Sure, there are some great influencers on social media, but tread with caution and don’t always believe the hype.
Not listening to your skin: When your skin tingles, burns, or shows signs of irritation or redness, it is a sign that your body is in distress. It is not a sign that the product you are using is ‘working’.
What is one of the most valuable skin lessons you have learned?
The most valuable lesson I have learned is the importance of getting back to basics. We trust every organ in our body to do its thing, except our skin. Having worked in and around the beauty industry for 20 years, I used to have an impressive bathroom cupboard. I now use three to four products daily to care for my skin, and it has truly never looked or felt better. We can spend a lifetime stripping our skin of its natural defences, to the point that we actually begin to rely on a 10-step regimen to keep it looking good. If we can repair our skin at a foundational level, all the other stuff falls into place.