Skincare is in a constant state of evolution, continually adapting to new trends, innovations, and scientific discoveries. Right now, clean beauty is more popular than ever, and most people are looking for natural, hypoallergenic, and non-toxic products to put on their skin. Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and we all want to make sure that it looks good and is well taken care of. A big part of that is the products we choose to apply daily.
However, since people have shifted towards wanting natural, clean products, the market has become saturated with products that advertise themselves as clean. When every option you see at the store and online promises the same thing, it’s hard for certain skincare items to stand out from the crowd. This means that companies have to get more creative with their products and their marketing.
If you’re an avid skincare lover and follow the latest trends, you might have seen a new word floating around in the clean beauty space to describe certain skincare products; biomimetic. Let’s take a look at what biomimetic skincare is, and how it relates to this boom in clean beauty. Is it the future of skincare, or just another buzzword?
What is Biomimetic Skincare?
Biomimetic skincare refers to products and formulations that mimic or replicate natural biological processes and substances found in the skin. Many skincare ingredients like water, peptides, minerals, acids, and more are included in a product’s formulation because they either are naturally contained in the skin, or are synthetic but mimic a certain process of the skin.
Biomimetic skincare mirrors nature's blueprint for healthy skin.
Our skin naturally has ways of hydrating itself, protecting itself against pollutants, producing sweat and sebum (which contain many important acids and oils for the skin), defending against environmental factors, and so much more. Many of these processes and functions rely on certain ingredients the body and skin already produce (or ingest as part of our diet), and biomimetic skincare is all about using those same naturally-occurring ingredients, or ingredients that effectively mimic these functions.
Is Biomimetic just a buzzword?
At Graydon Skincare, we value using ingredients that amplify all the good things our skin does for us. However, most skincare products are biomimetic by default–as ingredients that mimic the skin’s natural functions are some of the most common and popular ingredients in all skincare. Not to mention that products that work with your skin rather than against it are more effective at giving us the healthy glowing skin we all want.
Would you be shocked to learn that hyaluronic acid, peptides, niacinamides, ceramides and retinol are all considered biomimetic skincare ingredients?
While we can’t knock how fantastic and essential these ingredients are for the skin, they certainly aren’t new or unique like some skincare companies would like you to think when you hear them promoting their biomimetic products. Instead, it’s a new angle for marketers to make their products stand out.
It’s a new angle for marketers to make their products stand out.
For example, Graydon Skincare has been using biomimetic ingredients in our products for years because of how effective and well-received they are by the skin to replenish and support its own functions. We haven’t marketed ourselves as biomimetic, even though we are, because we think any well-formulated skincare product should be biomimetic as a result of choosing quality, effective ingredients.
Curious how biomimetic ingredients show up in our skincare? Supermoon Serum uses biomimetic ingredients like copper-rich malachite and vegan hyaluronic acid that are recognizable and similar to ingredients found in the body.
Hyaluronic acid, peptides, niacinamides, ceramides, and retinol are all biomimetic!
So yes, biomimetic is definitely a buzzword–but not because biomimetic ingredients aren’t valuable! They’ve just been part of skincare formulas for decades!
Nothing Beats Expertly Formulated Skincare
When it comes down to it, we all know it’s not about how well our products have been advertised to us, but how they work to take care of our skin. And that is all about the formulation and ingredients. That’s why learning more about biomimetic ingredients themselves and how they interact with your skin can help you make more informed choices about which products you want to buy.
Keep reading to see how some of skincare’s most popular ingredients mimic natural functions of the skin.
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid naturally occurs in your skin, particularly the dermis, which is the middle layer of skin between the epidermis (the top layer) and the hypodermis (the deepest layer)—though these layers have hyaluronic acid too. The hyaluronic acid in your skin regulates the balance of water in the skin, and plays a huge role in your skin’s structure. Another benefit is that hyaluronic acid is a humectant, which means it holds water in the skin to keep you hydrated and prevent transepidermal water loss. This is why hyaluronic acid as a skincare ingredient promotes plump, hydrated skin and increases skin elasticity.
At Graydon Skincare, we use a vegan hyaluronic acid.
Peptides
Peptides are short chains of amino acids, and many of the peptides included in skincare are synthetic versions of the amino acid sequences our bodies naturally produce.
Peptides are known for their ability to sink deep into the skin and the specific forms commonly included in skincare help to encourage collagen and elastin production, leading to firmer, plumper, and healthier skin. Since collagen can’t be absorbed topically (and natural production slows down as we age), peptides are a way to encourage collagen production via skincare. That is why peptides are the ingredient for youthful skin.
We use a plant-based peptide in our products called Hibiscus Esculentus as a natural, vegan option for this powerful biomimetic ingredient.
Ceramides
Ceramides are fatty acids that are crucial in the formation of the skin's barrier function. In fact, about 30-40% of your epidermis is made up of ceramides! Because ceramides are an invaluable part of your skin barrier, they help with keeping the bad stuff out and the good stuff in–they protect the skin from infection and pollutants, and keep moisture in so your skin doesn’t become dry.
The ceramides in your skincare improve the overall health of your skin, right down to the cellular level. At Graydon Skincare, we use a particular kind of ceramide, called ceramide NP, which helps supplement the skin’s natural ceramide production to combat dryness.
You can find this powerful biomimetic ingredient in Skin Stuff, a lightweight moisturizer that protects the skin barrier in both dry and acne-prone skin.
Happy, Healthy Skin
Biomimetic skincare is nothing new. Beauty companies have been using ingredients that mimic what the body produces for years–but biomimetic skincare is only starting to emerge as a trend now.
The big reason for this? Savvy skincare lovers aren’t drawn to labels like “clean” and “non-toxic” anymore in a market saturated with these kinds of products. This oversaturation makes the idea of biomimetic skincare sound revolutionary and appealing–especially if you’re a marketer trying to find a new spin for a beauty product.
While biomimetic ingredients are great and make for effective, well-formulated products, the truth is that they’re already in most of the products we have on our bathroom counter. Hyaluronic acid, niacinamide, peptides, retinol–all popular skincare ingredients–are already biomimetic!
Instead of seeing biomimetic skincare as the latest trend, use it as a reason to get curious about the ingredients in your skincare that keep your skin happy and healthy!
