Essential oils, short for quintessential oils, are highly-concentrated, aromatic liquids that are distilled with either water or steam from the leaves, roots, stems, flowers, or bark of a plant. The quintessential oil derived its name from the fifth Aristotelian element, æther; Aristotle believed that it was made up of heavenly bodies. As this element became extremely popular with medieval alchemists, they renamed it quintessence. They…

As different aging processes take over, the need for ingredients and procedures that target loss of volume increases with age. Gradual alteration of the extracellular matrix leads to loss of elasticity, just as changes in adipose tissue distribution lead to structural aging due to lipoatrophy (loss of adipose tissue). This loss of matter and structure, along with reduced skin elasticity, results in sagging tissue and…

The cold and windy wintertime is ahead of us and that can mean dry, flaky, and irritated skin. The majority of clients who wish to hydrate their skin are not sure how and when to use a serum as opposed to a cream; the overwhelming amount of moisturizers on the market can cause much confusion. With the correct professional treatments and targeted homecare, winter skin…