Is Functional Skin Therapy the Next Clean Beauty?

With the recent class action lawsuit against Sephora for its "clean beauty" program, as well as the FDA's Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act (MoCRA), we will be seeing significant shifts in the skin care and beauty industry. These changes will bring new trends and products to a post-clean beauty world.

In addition to the clean beauty lawsuit, we are also seeing a shift in consumer attitudes toward beauty products. Consumers are becoming more interested in understanding what is truly healthy for their skin and beauty products, rather than being swayed by fear-based marketing and greenwashing. Instead of focusing on dirty ingredients and "free from" claims, many conscious consumers are seeking a more realistic and educated approach to skin care.

This is where the concept of functional skin therapy comes in. Similar to the concepts of functional movement and functional nutrition, functional skin therapy treats the skin holistically by understanding how ingredients and the skin's functions work together with the rest of the body to produce effective and visible results. It is an inside-out, head-to-toe approach that not only improves appearance but also promotes true skin health.

Related: Consumer Trust & Transparency Will Drive Clean & Sustainable Beauty Growth

Beauty consumers are becoming more informed about ingredients and formulations with the help of popular cosmetic chemists on social media. However, they still want holistic solutions that are effective and go beyond just appearances. This is where functional skin therapy excels at providing transformational results. It begins with an understanding of the skin at a cellular level and how it connects to the functions of the rest of our body down to the phospholipid molecules that surround our cells.

With this understanding, functional skin therapy then addresses internal factors, such as common digestive issues like poor stomach acid production due to chronic stress that contribute to various skin conditions like acne, rosacea and sensitization. We provide nutrition and supplementation guidance to support skin health comprehensively.

Unlike some other holistic professional skincare movements, such as corneotherapy, functional skin therapy homecare guidelines may include results-based ingredients and treatments with gentle, yet active vitamin A derivatives like retinyl propionate and retinaldehyde and gentle use of acids. However, it is combined with a heavy dose of barrier-supportive moisture from balanced water-to-oil ratio moisturizers and ingredients like ceramides, high linoleic acid oils, beta-glucan and more. Along with careful monitoring of the skin’s moisture barrier and functioning to make sure it does not become overly compromised from actives, additional supportive ingredients such as an abundance of multi-functional antioxidants, peptides and growth factors combine to create a well-rounded topical approach to skin transformation and support.

Treatment-wise, a focus on inflammation management and cellular therapies, such as LED light therapy and microcurrent, are combined with more intensive collagen stimulation like micro-needling and Spicule sea sponge peels for guaranteed age management and scarring therapies.

With the changes we will see coming in the industry, it’s possible that functional skin therapy could come in as an educated and sensible holistic approach to skin treatments and homecare that builds on understanding rather than the fear-based marketing approaches of the last decade.

Nicole Mandallaz is a passionate and experienced esthetician who has worked with top dermatologists, treated celebrities and trained estheticians and medical practitioners across the U.S. She specializes in the treatment of acne and aging and has developed highly effective functional skin therapies using her founded brand Meta Skincare that she uses at her Southern California clinic Meta Skincare.