We’re Holistic-Functional.
The brains of our business is holistic-functional skincare that considers the convergence of skin, health, and function. Your skin is connected to the rest of your body and is with you for the rest of your life. The way you treat your body affects how your skin looks, feels, and functions, now and later.
Skin can be moody and vulnerable but it’s still your number one protector against the outside world—if your organs were organized by zodiac, skin would definitely be a Cancer. It's affected by eight hours of sleep and eight glasses of water, work stress and in-law stress, if your screen time is up or down, and that extra glass of vino.
Making your skin work, feel, and look better starts with conscious living—knowing which behaviors, attitudes, and ingredients to introduce to your routine and which to leave behind. Face the world of beauty and beyond with a clear head and face.
We’ve Done the Research.
We’re keeping the HoliSh*t List ingredients away from your face and bathroom. Our formulas' primary function is to help skin’s healing and repair response. We avoid drying, irritating, and sensitizing ingredients and will never use any that disrupts skin’s function or has been deemed unsafe by research—for you and the frogs. We only ever bring you ingredients that actively protect and enhance the health of your skin.
OUR HOLIGRAILS
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). Here are our HoliGrails, the tenets of our HoliWash formulas that make them so effective:
EXFOLIATION: There are two types of exfoliation — physical and chemical. Physical involves any kind of manual removal of dead skin cells. But that doesn’t mean it has to be rough! Ditch the walnut shell shards in favor of a wet washcloth, which can do the work gently. Chemical exfoliation uses acids to remove dead skin cells. There are many kinds of exfoliating acids and they’re used in different percentages so you can really customize what works best for your skin without irritating it.
VITAMINS: Good to eat and good to wear, you’ll find the veritable vitamin alphabet in our washes, all included for their unique nourishing abilities to help your skin function at its best. Some of our favorites include A, C, E, F, K, B…
NON-FRAGRANT PLANT OILS: Plants make some of the most powerful ingredients, full of fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, antioxidants, and emollients — you know, all the stuff that your skin cells crave. Fragrance, added or natural, can be an irritant for those with sensitive skin so we just omitted it from the start. Hope you don’t mind.
ANTIOXIDANTS: You know how a sliced apple will turn brown and mealy if left out for a while? That’s caused by oxidation done by free radicals. Antioxidants fight free radicals as well as repair the existing damage done by them, which is why we include them in our formulas, lest your skin cells suffer a similar but much slower fate as those apple slices.
SKIN IDENTICAL INGREDIENTS: This is the cushy stuff (like cholesterol, squalane, ceramides) that mimics the connective substances between skin cells and keeps them together to maintain the skin’s external structure. Obviously, your skin likes them. Must be a taste of home.
CELL COMMUNICATING INGREDIENTS: Like tiny life coaches for your skin cells, these are your skin’s support system. These cell-signaling substances intervene in bad cell behavior by encouraging skin cells to do better (and behave as a healthy skin cell would). They create a positive dialogue with other skin cells, which in turn means your skin behaves healthier as a whole.
With many skin-situations, our Holi Intentions
Holistic-Functional: Every Ingredient Matters
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 for 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. Everyone loves name-dropping fancy ingredients but if those amino acids are at .01%... that’s all they are: a name.
It’s About Skin Strategy Over Skin Type
Skincare doesn’t begin and end once you’ve figured out your skin type. 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.