Holistic Approach
These are the principles we hold every formula to. They're not aspirational — they're the brief every product was written against.
Holistic-Functional: Every Ingredient Matters.
Skin is a system, not a surface. We formulate for the full picture — the barrier, the microbiome, the lipid layer, the cell turnover cycle. A cleanser that removes dirt while disrupting your microbiome is doing half its job. We're interested in the whole job. Our formulas keep a very exclusive guest list of only ingredients that have a beneficial function. Everything from the base, the textures, and the actives are purposefully picked by our team because they help your skin to perform at its healthiest.
Percentages Matter. Quality Needs Quantities
We love our ingredients but in order for them to actually do their work, there’s got to be enough of them. This is where percentages come in. The ratios of surfactants, skin conditioners, and actives need to be balanced at their optimal levels to contribute the most to your skin’s health - to get the results you want without compromising your barrier.Â
Skin Strategy Over Skin Type®
Skin type is a starting point, not a sentence. Skin types aren’t static—so many external and internal changes can affect how your skin behaves and what it needs. In fact, your skin reserves the right to switch types when it pleases. And the best strategies begin with understanding the situation. That’s why we create products to handle whatever situation may arise, not just skin type.
Holi Grails
A good skincare routine requires dedication (that's on you). Good skincare products, however, involve antioxidants, vitamins, gentle exfoliants, non-fragrant plant oils and extracts, as well as cell-communicating and skin-identical ingredients (that's on us).
-
Exfoliation
There are two types of exfoliation: physical and chemical. Physical involves manual removal of dead skin cells (think scrubs), but it doesn't need to be rough. Skip the walnut shell shards. Rounded, biodegradable alternatives do the job without the damage. Chemical exfoliation utilizes acids to dissolve build up, and more efficiently cover larger surface areas – some can even deep-clean pores.
-
Vitamins
Similar to the importance of incorporating vitamin-rich foods into your diet, our products are rich in a diverse array of essential vitamins, such as A, C, E, F, K, and B, each carefully selected for their distinctive nourishing properties, vital in optimizing skin functionality.
-
Non-Fragrant Plant Oils
Botanical extracts and oils contain a potent blend of fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, and emollients, catering to the essential needs of skin cells. To prevent potential irritation for individuals with sensitive skin, we deliberately excluded added fragrance, whether synthetic or naturally derived from plant sources, from our formulations. Any subtle variations in scent are a natural expression of the ingredients themselves. If a formula smells like something, that's what's in it.
-
Antioxidants
The process of oxidative deterioration (like when a sliced apple begins to brown) is attributed to free radical-induced oxidation. In each of our formulas, we incorporate antioxidants or antioxidant-rich ingredients that combat free radicals and facilitate the repair of oxidative damage, safeguarding skin cells from what can eventually result in visible photoaging in skin.
-
Skin Identical Ingredients
Substances naturally found in the skin, such as cholesterol, squalane, and ceramides, are crucial in the integrity of the skin’s matrix and in preserving the integrity and structure of the skin's outer layer. We formulate with ingredients that mimic the compounds recognized by skin to more effectively contribute to its optimal function and appearance.
-
Cell Communicating Ingredients
These intuitive ingredients act as potent regulators and motivators, providing a high-functioning support system for skin cells to work harder. These signaling molecules help influence cellular behavior, encouraging improved performance and emulation of the characteristics exhibited by healthy skin cells to promote healthier overall skin response.
The HoliSh*t List™
Like many brands, our formulas are held to E.U. standards, making us confident in their safety, but safety isn’t our only goal. An ingredient can be harmless but that doesn’t make it the best one for the task. There are lots of technically safe ingredients that are filler, meaning they’re not bad per se, but they don’t really do anything for you either, other than take up space in a formula that a better performing ingredient could occupy. Every single ingredient in our formulas has a function and purpose, selected for having the most beneficial role in our skin’s health. Below is a list of the ingredients that don’t make the HoliFrog grade. You won’t find any of these offenders in our products:
Acrylates
Alcohol (SD)
Ethanol
Denatured
Isopropyl
Methanol
Aluminum Compounds
Benzalkonium Chloride
BPA
Butoxyethanol
Chemical Screens
Coal Tar Dyes
DEA / MEA
Detergent
Dyes
EDTA
Essential Oils
Formaldehyde
Heavy Metal
Hydroquinone
Mercury Compounds
Methylisothiazolinone
Mineral Oil
Palm Oil
Parabens
