At Mokosh, we believe you need only a few well-formulated products to deliver all your skin care needs - no matter what your stage of life. Here we describe how and why your skin changes over the years, the key concerns at each stage, and how to select the best products for your skin during each period. We’d love Mokosh to be your touchstone as you glide through each stage with healthy, vibrant, glowing skin.
0-10 years
The skin of babies, toddlers and young children differs from adult skin until around 6 years of age. The skin’s barrier is less effective and more permeable, and cells turn over at a higher rate. The typical microbiome is also quite different to that of adults (1).
Because the skin of young children is more permeable, it absorbs toxins more readily and in larger quantities. For this reason, it is important to pay attention to the ingredients in children’s skin care (2). For example, many skin care products include paraben preservatives which are potential hormone disruptors (read more here.)
The most common skin problem at this time of life is atopic dermatitis, or eczema, which is linked to a reduced barrier function and an altered microbiome (3). During these years it is important to limit the use of detergents that can disrupt the skin’s lipid barrier, the preservatives that disturb the skin’s microbiome, and emulsifiers that are essentially detergents (read more here). Synthetic fragrances and essential oils should also be avoided (read more here).
All Mokosh products are free of preservatives, emulsifiers and synthetic ingredients. We recommend keeping skin care simple (read more detail here), and using our essential oil free Pure Face & Body Cream as an overall moisturiser and our Pure Body Balm as a barrier cream and for areas of mild irritation.
Adolescence to adulthood
Adolescence marks the onset of enormous changes in the skin, marked by an increase in sebum production. For many, this change triggers the development of acne which can continue to be experienced well into adulthood.
Acne sufferers usually have a compromised skin barrier function, probably caused by changes in the composition of both sebum and the lipid barrier. These changes to the skin lipids are thought to be a key driver in the development of acne. Inflammation is also known to be an early trigger (4). Read in more detail here.
Skin care should be focused on keeping the skin barrier intact by avoiding harsh treatments and strong detergents that can further weaken it (read more here). Delivery of the essential fatty acids linoleic acid and gamma-linolenic acid can restore barrier function and reduce inflammation (5,6), and reduce the size of individual acne spots (7).
If acne becomes severe, however, medical advice should be sought, since skin care products alone are unlikely to be control severe cases.
Our recommended products for the adolescent years are our Makeup Remover & Cleansing Oil (rich in linoleic acid and antioxidants), Pure Hydrosol Toner (calming), and a serum or cream suitable for your skin type to deliver essential fatty acids and antioxidants.
Adulthood to Middle Age
This stage of life is generally more trouble-free, with a slowing down of sebum production and skin becoming progressively drier. The focus should be on keeping the skin’s barrier healthy, which will in turn keep inflammation at bay and preserve important dermal elements like collagen and elastin.
Over-exposure to UV light and pollutants cause accelerated ageing, and should be avoided now and at all stages of life. Use of skin care products rich in antioxidants can neutralise some of these pro-ageing effects and botanical antioxidants are also valuable for their anti-inflammatory benefits.
The primary aim of skin care during this period should be to boost the barrier function of the skin while delivering a broad range of antioxidants, with the goal of limiting the degenerative changes in the skin caused by both chronological ageing and UV light.
Your choice of Mokosh products will depend on your skin type - go to our Routines by Skin Type page for our recommendations. As the years go by you may want to incorporate our Bakuchiol Revival Serum into your routine for its additional collagen-boosting and anti-ageing benefits.
Middle to Late Age
During adulthood, skin experiences a gradual decline in thickness, reducing around 6% per decade, and decreasing more dramatically after menopause because of a reduction in oestrogen. The lipid content of skin decreases by as much as 60% between early adulthood and late age (8).
This gradual decline in skin thickness and lipid content is associated with a reduction in barrier function, together with low grade inflammation of the skin. There are concerns that this inflammation could contribute to the ‘inflammaging’ linked to chronic inflammatory diseases of ageing (read more here and here), thereby further accelerating the ageing process.
The focus during this time should be restoring and preserving the skin’s barrier. Gentle, detergent-free cleansers, together with moisturisers formulated to restore and preserve the lipid barrier are key. Antioxidant-rich and anti-inflammatory ingredients are also crucial.
Our product recommendations for mature skin are listed here.
Mokosh products are unique
Traditional skin care that is made with water, preservatives and emulsifiers can disrupt key functions of the skin - most importantly, it’s barrier function. For many, these effects may be minimal or subclinical, however even a mildly compromised barrier can have significant effects on skin and whole body health. Mokosh products are unique in their complete absence of these problematic ingredients. Instead, they contain only certified organic botanicals that protect and restore the skin’s barrier, while delivering important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant molecules. If you haven’t experienced the difference that our skin care can make, please give them a try. We have samples available for all our products - we suggest you start these to get a little taste of the magic.
REFERENCES
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/exd.14843
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8880311/
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/all.16044
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3579484/
- https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/19/1/70
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2943135/#:~:text=A%20diminished%20amount%20of%20linoleic,acyl%2Dceramides%20containing%20linoleic%20acid.
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9692305/#:~:text=There%20was%20a%20significant%20effect,found%20at%20placebo%2Dtreated%20sites.
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3840548/
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