YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE | SUPERBERRY DREAM CLEANSING BALM

This product review was originally part of my blog article titled, Seasonal Skincare Transitioning: My Fave Fw21 Cleansing Balms. You can catch the full piece here.

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Over the last several weeks, I’ve been featuring my cold weather insights in a series of blog articles that I’ve themed around the concept of “seasonal skincare transitioning” — that is, switching up your skincare routine to focus on counteracting the effects of the dry, cold air.

I kicked off the season in October with my two-part series on richer face creams for cold weather in a series titled, Seasonal Skincare Transitioning: Moisturizers I Love That Make Me Excited For Cold Weather. You can catch Part One here and Part Two here.

Each article featured four of the best face creams for dry, dehydrated skin in the cold — one for each skin type: oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin and all skin types. Just as we all need to drink enough water each day, every skin type experiences some degree of dryness and dehydration in low-humidity climates, even very oily skins.

The first in the series featured two of my favorite lipid-replenishing products for cold weather from one of my favorite clinical skincare brands, Skinfix. In my experience, the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream is among the best face creams for dry skin, especially in winter. And the Skinfix Barrier+ Triple Lipid-Boost 360° Eye Cream is perhaps the best eye cream for wrinkles, crow’s feet and dehydration in the eye area.

You can explore both of these fantastic winter skin saviors on the blog here.

PRODUCT REVIEW: SKINFIX BARRIER+ TRIPLE LIPID-PEPTIDE FACE CREAM AND TRIPLE LIPID-BOOST 360° EYE CREAM

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I followed that pair on face cream articles with another two-part series, this time on the best facial oils for dry skin. Facial oils are wonderful in winter, with an unrivaled occlusive quality that helps skin hold onto moisture longer to slow and prevent trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL. The articles were titled, Seasonal Skincare Transitioning: Facial Oils I Love That Make Me Excited For Cold Weather. Again, if you’re interested, Part One is here and Part Two is here.

In my latest exploration of seasonal skincare, I published a piece on lipids and the importance of lipid replenishment during fall and winter in an article titled, Seasonal Skincare Transitioning: Dry Skin? You May Be Low On Lipids! Skinfix Triple Lipid-Peptide Face Cream And Fig. 1 Beauty Ceramide Moisturizer. The piece answered the central question: What Are Skin Lipids and Are Lipids Good for Skin?

SEASONAL SKINCARE TRANSITIONING: DRY SKIN? YOU MAY BE LOW ON LIPIDS!
BEST FACE CREAMS FOR DRY SKIN

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Seriously, what are lipids?

Well, they’re fat substances in the skin’s layers that are responsible for keeping the skin moisturized, maintaining skin barrier strength; and they even play a role in the skin’s reparative processes. Lipids are found in plants, animals, and human skin. Human skin lipids include substances likely familiar to you: ceramides, cholesterol and fatty acids.

Our skin’s lipid composition contains a healthy balance of each of these. In general, the skin’s lipid content includes 50% ceramides, 25% cholesterol, and between 10–20% fatty acids.

What Are Skin Lipids and Are Lipids Good for Skin?

There’s an insightful article on the Dermstore website titled, The Role of Lipids—Cholesterol, Ceramides and Fatty Acids—in the Aging Process which you can read here.

Lipids in Your Skin
In a nutshell, lipids are skin’s natural fats. They are essential components of skin and play a crucial role in maintaining the strength of the skin’s protective barrier, which holds moisture, protects the skin from damage and keeps dirt and impurities out. They also aid the skin’s natural repair process. While there are many types of lipids, these three are the most prevalent—and important—for the skin.

Cholesterol: This lipid helps accelerate the skin barrier’s recovery and improve the appearance of skin elasticity. Visible skin aging is often caused by cholesterol deficiency on the skin. It’s important to note that cholesterol on your skin is different from the cholesterol found in the blood, and having more of it on your skin won’t cause your blood pressure to spike.
Ceramides: This type of lipid is proven to increase the skin’s hydration and barrier function. Ceramide deficiency is the main cause of dry skin.
Fatty acids: Abundant in young, healthy skin, fatty acids help maintain the skin’s lipid balance.

The Role of Topical Lipids
Healthy, youthful skin has an abundance of these naturally occurring lipids. As we age, lipid production declines, and this can result in rough surface texture, uncomfortable tightness, dullness and loss of facial fullness. A compromised skin barrier is also more prone to irritation and water loss. This is why it’s important to counter the effects of lipid loss with a topical treatment—but not just any topical treatment.

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SKINCARMA LOCK & BLOCK: THE BEST WAY TO KEEP SKIN HEALTHY & HYDRATED IN DRY, COLD AIR!

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

As I alluded to, during the chilly fall and winter months, it is essential to switch up your skincare with products formulated for preventing dehydration and trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL.

Notably, I’ve been hearing a lot about TEWL this season, more than in seasons past. And that’s a really, really good thing. It means that skincare marketers are increasingly focusing on skin health and the compromising effects that dehydration can have on the health of your skin. Dehydration and sun damage are two of the leading causes of skin aging.

I know it sounds crazy, but what is trans-epidermal water loss? Well, simply, it’s the loss of moisture through the epidermis, or skin barrier — and the leading cause of dehydration. When the air around us gets colder, it dries out. In a freak of nature that doesn’t favor humans, this low-humidity air literally draws water out of our skin to compensate and replenish itself.

What Is Trans-Epidermal Water Loss and What Causes Trans Epidermal Water Loss?

For a deeper dive (no pun intended!) into trans-epidermal water loss, or TEWL, there’s an excellent article on the health website Skin Better titled, What Is Transepidermal Water Loss and Why Is it Important? It’s available to read here.

In the piece, the author explains 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).”

Throughout my series on seasonal skincare transitioning, I’ve talked about what I refer to as the Skincarma Lock & Block strategy. What I’m referring to are the two measures necessary for preventing trans-epidermal water loss and subsequent dehydration. They are locking water in the skin with humectants and blocking the escape of moisture through the skin barrier with occlusive products like heavier facial oils and creams.

The Skincarma “Lock and Block” Prevents Dehydration

To start, preventing dehydration in the first place requires drinking enough water. That differs for each of us based on our weight, the foods we eat, and the climate we live in. It’s even more important during colder periods.

A good rule is to drink one ounce of water each day for every pound of body weight. So, if you weigh 150 lbs., you’ll need to drink 150 ounces of water each and every day to keep your body and your skin optimally hydrated.

Then, employing skincare to treat and prevent dehydration requires what I refer to as a “lock and block” strategy.

It begins with a dedicated humectant serum applied to the skin in both your AM and PM routines that helps to lock water in. Follow with a moisturizer composed of a healthy balance of both humectants and oils to block and prevent the trans-epidermal water loss that can lead to dehydration.

SEASONAL SKINCARE TRANSITIONING: THE BEST PRODUCTS FROM THE ORDINARY AND NIOD THAT GET ME EXCITED FOR THE COLD!

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With my series on cold weather face creams, facial oils and lipid replenishers, I thought it would be interesting to talk about cleansers next — and specifically, the importance of an emollient-rich, non-stripping cleanser on a dry, cold day.

What that means is a cleansing balm!

I love, love, love a soothing, pampering cleansing balm on a chilly evening. Personally, I make the transition to a cleansing balm around this time each year, when my skin can become irritated and sensitized by the dry air around me. There’s nothing worse than aggravating sensitized skin more with a stripping cleanser. And with a cleansing balm or cleansing oil, there’s no need to.

Last year around this time, I published my first piece on cleansing balms titled, The Best Cleansing Balms for Dry Skin, Oily Skin and Sensitive Skin. You can still catch the full article here. I featured three of the best cleansing balms for sensitive skin, dry skin and all skins in winter.

THE BEST CLEANSING BALMS FOR DRY SKIN, OILY SKIN AND SENSITIVE SKIN - DRUNK ELEPHANT SLAAI, BANILA CLEAN IT ZERO

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Among these were the uber-popular Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser, the best exfoliating cleansing balm and pretty much the only exfoliating cleansing balm I know of.

I also included the iconic Banila Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm — the first cleansing balm I ever tried. It’s a cool, quirky formula for sure. With its thick, waxy formula, it’s effective, but hardly the most luxurious cleansing balm.

Rounding out the collection was Ayond’s Metamorph Cleansing Balm, perhaps the most luxurious cleansing balm I’ve ever come across. The stuff is pure gold!

This year, I’m featuring three new cleansing balms — new to the market and new to me. To start is the Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm, the latest addition to the brand’s Omega+ collection. It’s rich, but not so rich that it needs to be scooped out of a jar with a spatula. It comes in a convenient tube, similar to The Ordinary’s Squalane Cleanser — itself a cleansing balm, despite the oversimplified name.

PRODUCT REVIEW: PAULA'S CHOICE OMEGA+ EYE CREAM - BEST EYE CREAM FOR WRINKLES

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Next, and also in a tube, is the Cocokind Oil to Milk Cleanser. I’ve just begun to explore skincare from the clean, California-based brand. The brand’s Revitalizing Eye Cream is superb and the Cocokind Daily SPF mineral sunscreen has been a favorite for several weeks now.

Last is Youth To The People’s super rich and super new Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm. I love Youth To The People’s clean, natural, superfood-powered skincare and knew I would love their new cleansing balm. I’m excited to share it with you!

Let’s have a look at one of my FW21 cleansing balm picks in more detail below…

Youth To The People | Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm

I. Love. Youth. To. The. People.

The brand has such a cool, laid back vibe that’s reminiscent of my days in Los Angeles. And, come to think of it, Youth To The People is from Los Angeles. I’ve reviewed many, many of the cleanly formulated brand’s products — including the Youth to the People Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream and the Superfood Air-Whip Moisturizer with Hyaluronic Acid — one of the best face creams for oily skin.

PRODUCT REVIEW: YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE ADAPTOGEN DEEP MOISTURE CREAM – BEST FACE CREAM FOR DRY SKIN

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“We believe in youth. The optimism in it and the courage to act to protect our future. We believe in being Good To The People. Our Giving arm is a foundry for people who care about people and the planet. Giving initiatives support non-profits and activists working to amplify diverse voices and increase inclusivity, build a more just world, and save the planet. Giving takes action. As the charitable arm of YTTP, Giving invests in shaping a better future for everyone.”

— Joe and Greg, co-founders

NEW EYE CREAMS I LOVE FROM YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE, ALGENIST, REVIVE AND MORE - BEST BRIGHTENING EYE CREAM

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But perhaps my favorite of the brand’s products is the new treatment toner — the Youth To The People Mandelic Acid + Superfood Unity Exfoliant. In classic Youth To The People fashion, the formula is a winner in my book — and one of the most gentle exfoliating toners with AHA’s, ideal for those with sensitive skin.

The Superfood Unity Exfoliant is a powerhouse treatment toner formulated with sensitive and sensitized skin in mind. The formula blends two gentle, effective exfoliating acids, the PHA Gluconolactone and the least aggressive of the alpha hydroxy acids, Mandelic Acid. I use it liberally without ever having to worry that things can go awry, that it will irritate my skin like a harsher Glycolic Acid toner often does.

SEASONAL SKINCARE TRANSITIONING: TREATMENT TONERS I LOVE THAT MAKE ME EXCITED FOR COLD WEATHER

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So I was, of course, beside myself to be among the first to try out Youth To The People’s new cleansing balm, the Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm. With its super rich, pampering texture and the drier weather here in NYC, the Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm literally came at the perfect time.

YTTP always nails it and the Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm is no exception. In fact, it’s exceptional! With nourishing Sunflower, Moringa and Jojoba Seed Oils, YTTP describes it as “a flash-melting cleansing balm that rapidly dissolves long-wear makeup, water-resistant sunscreens, and oils while hydrating skin long after rinsing.”

It’s got the richest texture of the three cleansing balms in the trio — much richer than the Cocokind Oil to Milk Cleanser and Paula’s Choice Omega+ Complex Cleansing Balm, both of which are light enough to dispense from a tube. You’d be squeezing this stuff so hard you’d probably sprain your wrist trying to get it out of a tube! It’s that thick and decadent.

So, as much as I loathe products in jars, there really is no other option here. And it’s that crazy thick, emollient texture that makes Youth To The People’s Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm so exceptional.

That “flash-melting” description is fun, but not really a differentiator. Most cleansing balms like the Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm are richly emollient and melt when warmed and massaged into the skin. And they very often quickly transform into something like a rich, soothing milk.

I’m not a big fan of the balms that don’t; the ones that require removal with a warm muslin cloth. I get the whole pampering experience of that, but unless I’m paying for someone else to do it, I’d rather it be easier to remove. Warm water should be enough.

Youth To The People’s Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm is a wonderful blend of non-fragrant plant oils: Sunflower, Moringa, and Jojoba Seed Oils — rich in nutrients and omega fatty acids that help replenish and fortify the skin barrier.

As with most, if not all, of Youth To The People’s products, the Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm formula is infused with superfoods. In this case, these come in the form of “superberries” like goji berries, maqui berries and açai berries. They’re some of the most nutritious fruits with very high antioxidant activity on the skin to prevent oxidative stress and bolster skin barrier defense against free radical damage.

What are superfoods? Well, they’re defined as “nutrient-rich food considered to be especially beneficial for health and well-being.” Broccoli sprouts, salmon, dark-green leafy vegetables and, yes, berries are all examples of superfoods.

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What Are Superfoods and What Superfoods Are Good For Skin?

There’s an outstanding article on the Live Science website titled, What Are Superfoods? which you can read here. The article explores the types of nutriment-rich superfoods and their benefits for the body. An excerpt:

Superfoods are foods — mostly plant-based but also some fish and dairy — that are thought to be nutritionally dense and thus good for one's health. Blueberries, salmon, kale and acai are just a few examples of foods that have garnered the "superfood" label.
However, there are no set criteria for determining what is and what is not a superfood, according to the American Heart Association. "Superfoods don't have their own food group," said Despina Hyde, a registered dietician with the weight management program at New York University's Langone Medical Center. "As a dietician, I think 'superfood' is more of a marketing term for foods that have health benefits."
Superfoods contain a variety of nutrients, such as antioxidants, which are thought to ward off cancer. They also have healthy fats, thought to prevent heart disease; fiber, thought to prevent diabetes and digestive problems; and phytochemicals — the chemicals in plants responsible for deep colors and smells, which can have numerous health benefits. Consuming foods that are packed with nutrients (as many so-called superfoods are) is certainly a good idea, Hyde told Live Science. But the key to a healthy diet is to consume a variety of nutritious foods in the right quantities, she added.

With regards to the benefits for superfoods on our skin, I found an insightful piece on the Allure website titled, 18 Superfoods for Glowing Skin, According to Dermatologists. In essence, the author holds to the age-old adage that we are what we eat. An excerpt:

When it comes to your skin, there's one thing we know for sure: What you eat can have a direct impact on how you look. If you're not specifically chowing down on superfoods for glowing skin and instead are constantly noshing on processed foods or those high in sugar and fat and devoid of fiber, it can show up in the form of dull skin, perhaps along with other issues like acne, dryness, oiliness, or dark under-eye circles. (We've been preaching to you for years about this.)
"A diet focused on high-quality lean proteins, fiber, healthy oils, raw fruits and vegetables, and spices is best for supporting healthy skin," Paula Simpson, nutritionist and cofounder of ZSStells Allure. "These foods tend to contain high-quality amino acids—the building blocks for firm skin—plus anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich ingredients that promote optimal skin metabolism and defense against environmental stressors."
One of those stressors is free-radical damage, "which can weaken your skin's immunity and break down its metabolic functions," says Simpson. This causes skin to eventually become uneven, and it loses that effervescent glow we're always seeking out. "It can also trigger inflammatory reactions that destroy collagen, resulting in thin, wrinkled, and blotchy skin," she continues.

Read more about the particular superfoods that are good for your skin — and great for your complexion here.

The Youth To The People Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm also contains an intriguing humectant that I’ve never seen called out by a brand before: oil-soluble Hyaluronic Acid. The anhydrous “oleo-HA” molecule is apparently ideal for use in a water-free formula like a cleansing balm.

There are also multiple antioxidant plant extracts in the Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm formula, among them Neem Extract, Turmeric Root Extract and Prickly Pear Stem Extract. All of these add to the antioxidant properties of the balm. It’s a shame that much of that likely goes down the drain when it’s washed off.

WATCH MY VIDEO REVIEW

A LITTLE PORE MAINTENANCE ON SELFCARE SUNDAY WITH YTTP!

ON MY YOUTUBE CHANNEL HERE

What I like about it: The Youth To The People Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm is the richest, most luxurious of my three FW21 cleansing balms. In fact, it’s one of the most emollient cleansing balms I’ve ever come across. It’s simply delicious!

What I don’t like about it: I hate products in jars. But really there’s just no way that anything this rich and luxurious is going to dispense from a tube.

Who it’s for: All skin types in colder weather, especially normal, dry, sensitive and combination skins. It may even be suitable for slightly oily skin in the cold.

SHOP THE BLOG: Purchase the Youth To The People Superberry Dream Cleansing Balm for $28 here.

SHOP SEPHORA FOR YOUTH TO THE PEOPLE SUPERBERRY DREAM CLEANSING BALM