With the vast array of high-tech ingredients and the plethora of skin care brands from which to select, it is easy to be overwhelmed by all the choices. Lately skin care formulations are looking more like a supermarket or health food store. The spa market has clearly embraced formulations that are based upon food ingredients or nutraceuticals. Alongside all of these products remain the AHAs that…

We are constantly in search of the elusive "Fountain of Youth" and the answer to a common question: what causes the skin to age? While we have yet to find the one magic antidote or fix-all, today we have more insight into what ages our skin and it goes beyond skin deep. There are two primary culprits of skin aging, intrinsic and extrinsic agers. Intrinsic…

Today, vitamins and supplements are a multi-billion dollar industry, but few people have even heard of vitamin H. The 'H' in vitamin H comes from the German words "Haar und Haut" which mean "hair and skin." Long known for its benefits to hair and skin, it is no surprise that it has been referred to as the 'beauty vitamin." Otherwise known as biotin, vitamin B7…

As our knowledge of the skin and aging advances, the technology that improves our skin evolves. In the 1970s, retinol first emerged into skin care and has since grown into several classes of its own for its anti-aging and acne fighting properties. Also in the 1970's scientists scoffed at the idea of free radicals and their detrimental effect on skin aging, but now a number…