As skincare products have gotten much more advanced in recent years thanks to cutting-edge science, so have our beauty routines. While that can lead to healthier and younger-looking complexions, on the flip side, consumers sometimes take it a little too far, overdosing on active ingredients—anyone who has made the mistake of slathering on retinols and AHAs and BHAs at once knows the havoc that can wreak. “Now it’s an epidemic of compromised skin barriers and over-sensitized skin,” says Daniel Isaacs, Chief Product Officer and Founding Partner of Medik8. “We wanted to take a scientific and holistic approach to long-lasting moisturization.”
Enter the new Medik8 Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream. The potent formula instantly hydrates and plumps skin while balancing the microbiome and boosting the natural skin barrier, courtesy of a powerful combination of multi-weight hyaluronic acid, ceramides, lipids and prebiotic peptides. Independently clinically tested, it delivers a whopping 100 hours of deep moisture while improving skin health, with studies showing it instantly increases moisture by 55% and strengthens the skin barrier by 30%, plus visibly reduces pores. Wearability was top of mind during its development, so it’s tested to cooperate with sunscreen and under makeup.
“We spend a lot on these renewing correcting actives to repair some damage and prevent premature aging,” Isaacs says. “But we take moisturizing just as seriously. What sets this product apart is that we’re not just looking at the traditional hydration approaches, but how to support the skin barrier on a fundamental level, and how to diversify and balance the skin’s microbiome. Ultimately, that is what skin needs for these essential fundamentals. Moisturizing should be 360 because it’s all integrated, the strength of the barrier, hydration in your skin, the health of your skin. We’ve got ingredients and technologies in the formula that address all of these things in a very scientific and deep way. This is what gives you glowing, healthy, radiant skin on a daily basis. Science does the basics.”
One of the biggest differentiators for Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream is the prebiotic peptide. Traditionally, peptides address collagen, fine lines and wrinkles. But emerging research reveals that peptides can do more in the skin than just these traditional associations. “I’m a bit skeptical with the microbiome,” Isaacs says. “Being honest, there’s a lot of noise out there. The fact is that everyone’s microbiome diversity is completely unique to them. Just by adding a particular strain of bacteria to your skin is not necessarily going to have any impact and it may be harmful. So, it’s about trying to find an ingredient that works with any individual’s natural microbiome. We found this prebiotic peptide that helps promote the healthy bacteria and rebalance it if there’s an overproduction of the unhealthy bacteria on the skin. It helps bacteria actually bind to your skin cells. Where it finds a home in your skin, it can grow and naturally diversify.”
This is especially important for people who live in an urban environment and are constantly exposed to pollution that damages the microbiome and skin barrier, as well as those who use skincare products with a lot of acids. “If you can address both of those things, you really do notice a visible difference,” Isaacs says.
Medik8 has always been driven by science and skincare breakthroughs. Isaacs, who co-founded the brand with his brother in 2009 in the UK, has a background as a chemist and wanted to apply his raw chemistry knowledge to the cosmetics industry. “We started from the deep end in terms of the real fundamentals of how chemistry is interacting with the skin, and then building and researching formulations that could address skin issues on a deep level,” he says.
When Medik8 launched 15 years ago, the skincare landscape looked very different. Debunking myths about popular yet potent ingredients, such as retinol and vitamin C, and refining them is integral to their DNA. “We thought there were a lot of people that were being misled, and we could take a science approach to genuinely effective skincare, and that’s exactly who we are today,” Isaacs says.
That strategy has led to ingredient-driven products that make the most of these actives. For example, the Medik8 Super C Ferulic Serum is a new take on a classic: vitamin C. It’s made up of 30% Ethylated L-Ascorbic Acid, the stabilized derivative of L-ascorbic acid, which is unique for maintaining its potency from the minute you open the bottle, minimizing fine lines, wrinkles and age spots. It also contains 0.5% ferulic acid, an antioxidant that enhances the benefits of vitamin C by making it even more stable, as well as turmeric root extract for radiance.
“It’s this sweet spot where we found if you’ve made a slight alteration to the [vitamin C] molecule, you avoid a lot of stability issues,” Isaacs says. “You’re just blocking the part of the molecule that destabilizes it but it’s still very bioavailable, and once you apply it to the skin, there’s natural enzymes in the skin that makes it become fully bioavailable, so you’re getting the best of both—stability and potency.”
Another hero in the line is the Medik8 Crystal Retinal Night Serum, powered by retinaldehyde, a next gen format of vitamin A that works 11 times faster to resurface skin, rebuild collagen and boost cellular regeneration. Medik8 uses a proprietary crystal encapsulation system that provides time-release throughout the night to make it gentler, avoiding irritation. It’s available in five different strength grades so that everyone can access it, starting out at a low dosage and working their way up as their tolerance increases.
“That’s our icon product, and it’s the area in skincare that we specialize in the most,” Isaacs says. “The Crystal Retinal uses a particular retinal that studies have shown is much, much more powerful than retinol. It’s effectively the same grade as medical grade vitamin A, like tretinoin, but it’s non-irritating and long-term use is much better for the skin’s health. No one was using it because it wasn’t stabilized, so we harnessed that technology and stabilized it. We have two patents in the formula.”
Another element that makes Medik8 a standout in the crowded skincare space is that aside from Isaacs, their lab is completely made up of female chemists. The entire product line is still developed in-house via their own lab, making them a fully integrated business. From research to product development to the manufacturing, everything is done in one building, just north of London. Having that full control and visibility is a rarity for a skincare brand, which better allows them to innovate and create bespoke formulations. Additionally, having complete control over their supply chain enables them to create sustainable and ethical products and business practices.
“It’s a fast-paced industry; things are changing all the time,” Isaacs says. “What we have not only with the lab, but also the team of genuine experts from different scientific fields allows us to look beyond just the noise and the trends. We can have a much deeper approach to what the current consumer really needs, and we innovate to solve the problems that people are facing today, and also optimize the things that have been proven time and time again, making better versions of the classic ingredients that are the gold standards, like retinoids. You’re always one step behind and at the mercy of the latest trend unless you have true expertise in-house.”