SKINFIX | 911 OINTMENT

This review was originally part of my blog article titled, My #slugging Essentials: Skinfix 911 Ointment and Skinnies Waterless Sungel SPF 30. You can still catch the full piece here.

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This past weekend, I hosted a skincare soulmate in The Skincarma Lounge on Clubhouse — Amy Risely. Amy is the founder of Skinfix, one of my favorite clinical skincare brands. The self-proclaimed chief skin nerd is an expert in skin-barrier health and common skin issues related to a compromised barrier, notably sensitivity and eczema.

Amy and her team of skin experts are focused primarily on protecting, maintaining and enhancing the health of the skin barrier. Skinfix offers some of the best body treatments for eczema, best face serums for rosacea and best face creams for dry skin. And, the brand has a broad range of products that target skin barrier health called simply, Barrier+.

I published an article last week about the Skinfix Barrier+ collection in a piece titled, My Winter Skin Savior: Skinfix Barrier+ Lipid Replenishing Skincare.

MY WINTER SKIN SAVIOR: SKINFIX BARRIER+ LIPID REPLENISHING SKINCARE - BEST FACE CREAM FOR DRY SKIN

The Skinfix Barrier+ products are formulated to replenish and restore lipids in the skin barrier, also known as the moisture barrier or lipid barrier. The cornerstone of the Barrier+ franchise is the increasingly popular Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream — “a lipid filler” rich in vital lipids like ceramides and fatty acids, as well as plumping peptides and humectant Sodium Hyaluronate. The Triple Lipid-Peptide Cream, or TLPC, is clinically proven to help restore skin lipids and support barrier function by reversing lipid depletion — by up to 1% each day. While that sounds minimal, it adds up. Over time, it’s no joke when it comes to skin health and defending skin against dryness.

In fact, I’ve been relying on TLPC to keep my skin from drying out completely in the cold since November — when I first reviewed it in my piece on Winter Moisturizers. It’s one of the best moisturizers for dry skin that helps prevent trans-epidermal water loss — the main cause of skin dehydration and poor skin health year-round, but particularly in winter.

What is trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL)?

There’s an excellent article on the health website Skin Better titled, What Is Transepidermal Water Loss and Why Is it Important? available here. In the piece, the author defines TEWL as follows:

“The skin is comprised of three primary layers: the epidermis, the outermost layer; the dermis or middle layer; and the hypodermis, the undermost layer. When water passes from the dermis through the epidermis and evaporates from the skin’s surface, this is known as transepidermal water loss (International Journal of Pharmaceutics).
While TEWL is a process that your skin naturally regulates, certain factors that can damage the skin’s barrier function can also affect TEWL levels. Circumstances such as injury, low-humidity weather conditions and topically applied products that dry out the skin can impact TEWL.
To achieve this, combine humectant and occlusive skincare ingredients.
Transepidermal water loss can contribute to a variety of dry skin conditions, and although it is a natural process, there are ways that you can help your skin stay moisturized and hydrated. Hydration refers to the water content of the skin, whereas moisturization is the skin’s ability to retain those water molecules. Therefore, your skin needs both elements to maintain desirable levels of TEWL.
To achieve this, combine humectant and occlusive skincare ingredients. Humectants help to draw moisture to the epidermis, either from the air if it is humid enough, or from the underlying dermis in low-humidity conditions. Because water content that is drawn from the dermis can be lost through TEWL, it’s important to combine the use of humectants with occlusives. Together, these ingredients create a reservoir of moisture in the epidermis and act as a barrier on the skin to help prevent TEWL by sealing in that moisture. The occlusive agents simultaneously keep pollutants, toxins and harmful bacteria out (Skin Therapy Letter).”

MY FAVORITE HUMECTANT SERUMS FROM PAULA'S CHOICE, THE INKEY LIST, GHOST DEMOCRACY AND MORE

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While I love my TLPC, the Skinfix product I’m truly obsessed with lately is perhaps the brand’s hidden gem, the Remedy+ 911 Ointment. I first reviewed the unusually unctuous, super thick 911 Ointment in my blog article on maskne titled, Best Maskne Treatments – available to read here.

While I appreciate its benefits for the treatment of maskne, it was Amy who introduced me to the true miracle that is her Remedy+ 911 Ointment — as a slugging treatment.

I know what you’re thinking. Slug, what? Slugging?! That sounds crazy. Yes, it does! But slugging is legit — and one of the most intriguing skincare trends I’ve tapped into over the past several months. (Thank you, Amy!)

The act of slugging is literally one of the most effective means of maintaining skin health in dry climates and during the harsh, cold winter months.

What is slugging, exactly?

Well, slugging is the latest K-beauty skincare trend that calls for the application of a waterless, heavy ointment or balm over the skin to defend against dehydrating TEWL. As with the 7-Skin Method, K-beauty is centered around hydration and preserving skin’s optimal hydration levels as essential to skin health and, as a consequence, skin aging itself.

In K-beauty, hydration is anti-aging!

Preserving skin’s hydration levels is everything! And slugging is a cool, easy way to lock moisture in the skin. While its recent origins are in the wild world of Korean skincare, the concept of slugging dates back to the 1960s and 70s when women would apply Vaseline over their skin at bedtime to keep it moist and, whether they knew it or not, prevent TEWL.

You may recall that I conducted a split-face comparison a few years using Vaseline on one side of my face and Creme de la Mer on the other.

Over several days, I compared my results. You are welcome to check out my original blog article titled, The Skincarma Challenge: Vaseline Vs. Creme De La Mer. It’s available to read here.

The term “slugging” has its derivation in the English word slug — a synonym for snail. It would seem to be the next generation of the K-beauty phenomenon of treating dry skin with snail mucin, relied upon for its richly moisturizing and skin-nourishing benefits. (Sorry, I’m no fan of snail mucin but I love escargot!)

Generally, the best slugging treatments are rich in super occlusive petrolatum — the main ingredient in Vaseline and the third ingredient in Creme de la Mer — after seaweed and Mineral Oil. I know petrolatum gets a bad rap, but a bad rap doesn’t make it bad for skin. According to the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team, petrolatum is among the best active ingredients for skin.

Not only are my friends at Skinfix experts in the treatment of eczema, sensitivity and skin barrier health, but they’re also pros in slugging. After all, slugging is just a simple way to maintain a healthy barrier. There’s an insightful piece about slugging on the Skinfix website titled, What is Slugging? I found this most worth noting:

Is slugging good for your skin?
Yes it is! One of the leading causes of skin-aging and unhealthy skin performance is TEWL. Dehydrated skin loses the ability to bounce back from environmental aggressors. With a weakened skin barrier, skin can become dry, deflated, sensitive and sallow. That adage about drinking eight glasses of water each day? Well, water is essential to your skin health as it is to the rest of your body.
While petrolatum gets an undeserved bad rap, the tried-and-true ingredient is actually safe and gentle on the skin. In fact, the American Academy of Dermatology recommends petrolatum for the treatment of eczema in babies. If it’s gentle enough for a newborn, it’s gentle enough for you.
How often should I slug my face?
There is no hard and fast rule about how often you can and should slug. The frequency of slugging is dependent upon the needs of your skin. We recommend trying it one night and monitoring how your skin feels. If you find that your skin reacts well to slugging, appearing more visibly hydrated, plump and healthy than usual, slug again the following night. Only you know your skin and your skin’s unique needs!

WHAT CAN I USE FOR SLUGGING?

“Slugging requires a petrolatum-enriched product to achieve the level of occlusion required to prevent TEWL and lock in moisture. The Skinfix Remedy+ 911 Ointment is one of the best slugging products. 911 Ointment is an active pharmaceutical ointment clinically proven to improve skin barrier function. It is enriched with petrolatum and active levels of allantoin and cupuaçu butter to help prevent TEWL and deeply moisturize skin for lasting hydration.”

Petrolatum isn’t the only ingredient for an effective slug-fest that leaves your skin plump and hydrated. What’s needed for a successful slug is an unctuous water-free balm. The cult Egyptian Magic All Purpose Skin Cream happens to be one, and also happens to be petrolatum-free.

The Egyptian Magic formula is a rich, occlusive treatment composed of just five ingredients in all — Olive Oil, Beeswax, Honey, Bee Pollen, Propolis and Royal Jelly. Purportedly an ancient beauty secret found in the tombs of ancient Egyptians, there’s actually no magic in it!

Honey is a great ingredient for the skin, delivering moisturizing, antimicrobial and occlusive benefits to the skin. Propolis and Royal Jelly are also natural, nourishing pro-skin health actives with some antioxidant benefits. If the Queen Bee can eat it, you bet your skin will love it too!

Even the beeswax in Egyptian Magic acts as a gentle occlusive substance to prevent dryness and dehydration. All of it has a marvelously occlusive effect on the skin to minimize TEWL.

Let’s take a look at the Skinfix Remedy+ 911 Ointment, one of my slugging essentials.

WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW

ARE YOU SLUGGING YET? WATCH AND FIND OUT WHY IT’S THE BEST DRY SKIN SOLUTION!

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

Skinfix | Remedy+ 911 Ointment

I’ve been relying on the Skinfix Remedy+ 911 Ointment as an incredibly effective treatment for soothing mask irritation, or maskne. It’s one of the best maskne treatments and has become part of my arsenal. The 911 Ointment is the perfect emergency salve for soothing the more serious mask-induced irritation around the mouth and nose. In fact, since I began to rely on its skin-soothing benefits, I haven’t suffered from a serious maskne attack. That’s quite a relief!

But, 911 Ointment is also one of the best slugging treatments for face. Perhaps the most distressing symptoms of maskne irritation are the dryness, redness, chafing and peeling around the mouth. It never occurred to me to try it over the rest of my face until just this month.

911 Ointment is a rich, unctuous treatment that instantly soothes chafed, irritated skin — exactly what you need for a serious maskne flare-up and for preventing trans-epidermal water loss day or night.

The waterless balm is formulated with a deeply moisturizing and protective blend of Cupuaçu Seed Butter, Petrolatum, Sunflower Seed Oil, Beeswax and Shea Butter — all superbly pro-skin health.

But perhaps the star active in the 911 Ointment is the 0.5% concentration of Allantoin which Skinfix says, “helps promote optimal healing of minor cuts, scrapes and burns and temporarily protects chapped or cracked skin.”

Similar to Centella Asiatica and Cannabidiol, Allantoin is an effective treatment for soothing sensitive skin and calming irritation. In fact, Allantoin is rated among the best ingredients for skin by the experts on the Paula’s Choice Research Team.

What is allantoin?

Allantoin is defined by the Paula’s Choice Research Team as a “by-product of uric acid extracted from urea and considered an effective skin-soothing and skin-conditioning agent.”

Just a few months ago, there was an intriguing piece in Allure magazine titled, Why K-Beauty Ingredient Allantoin Deserves a Place in Your Sensitive Skin-Care Routine. I found this most notable:

Although allantoin has been around for a while, it's recently risen in popularity in Seoul because many Korean beauty consumers struggle with sensitive skin, Soko Glam’s Charlotte Cho tells Allure. “Allantoin is right up there next to the cica and madecassoside trends — all are skin-soothing, skin-calming ingredients used for sensitive skin-friendly products.”.
How does allantoin benefit skin?
Allantoin’s shortlist of soothing benefits include anti-inflammation and hydration, lists cosmetic chemist Ginger King, making it just the gentle ingredient needed for sensitive skin.
The versatile ingredient also acts as a skin protectant much like petroleum jelly. You can often find it in anti-acne, sun care, and lip products for this reason, as it shields skin from chapping and can help improve minor wounds.

How do you do slugging with the Skinfix Remedy+ 911 Ointment?

A little goes a long way. Simply dispense a small amount on the back on one hand. Then, on clean skin, as the last step of your skincare routine, gently smooth the ointment over the entire face, focussing on the cheeks, which tend to become dryer.

911 Ointment is the ideal slugging treatment at night before bedtime. If you’re not leaving the house during the day, when you would require a sunscreen, try slugging in the morning, too. It helps to prevent dryness and dehydration from both the cold air and the artificial heat that’s keeping you warm.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Skinfix Remedy+ 911 Ointment for $24 here.

BUY SKINFIX 911 OINTMENT