How to prepare your skin for the arrival of summer?

In order to best prepare your skin for the arrival of the warmer weather, it is essential to adopt certain beauty routines:

• Exfoliating one's skin.

  Exfoliation allows for the renewal of the skin by eliminating dead cells on the surface of the epidermis. It is an essential step for an even tan. Moreover, treatments penetrate better on exfoliated skin. However, it is important to use a gentle scrub in order not to sensitise your skin before sun exposure.

• Use antioxidants.

  Antioxidants are a family of molecules that enable the skin to combat oxidative stress caused by external factors such as UV rays. This way, the skin is better protected against these external aggressions responsible for premature ageing. Moreover, antioxidants brighten and even out the complexion and reduce the formation of pigmentation spots.

• Hydration and nourishing one's skin.

  Generally, we think about moisturising our skin after sun exposure, but not before. However, hydrating the skin can counteract the water loss that is exacerbated by sun exposure. To seal in the hydration, it's important to nourish your skin to strengthen the skin barrier and prevent transepidermal water evaporation.

• Facial skin.

  A few weeks before sun exposure, start exfoliating your facial skin 1 to 2 times per week. Our regenerating facial scrub gently exfoliates the skin with fine particles of apricot kernels. It contains squalane which regenerates the hydrolipidic film due to its richness in lipids. Thus, the skin is rid of its dead cells and is nourished.

  To boost your skin's hydration, apply our hydrating serum every evening. It is composed of 3% hyaluronic acid (INCI: "Sodium Hyaluronate,") known for its highly hydrating virtues (it can retain up to 1,000 times its weight in water), as well as 2% pro-vitamin B5 (INCI: "Panthenol") which reduces insensible water loss. In the morning, opt instead for the antioxidant serum, which thanks to vitamin C (INCI: "Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate"), neutralises the free radicals generated by sun exposure. It will help your skin to be better protected against photo-ageing.

  In order to lock in hydration, it is crucial to nourish your skin to strengthen the skin barrier and prevent transepidermal water loss. Therefore, apply our nourishing facial moisturiser morning and evening. It is composed of squalane, plum oil (INCI: "Prunus Domestica (Plum) Seed Oil"), as well as shea butter (INCI: "Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter") which are lipid-replenishing active ingredients.

Note : Don't hesitate to adapt your moisturising cream to your skin type. For instance, if you have oily skin, you should rather opt for the purifying moisturising cream enriched with zinc PCA and bamboo extract.

• Body skin.

  For your body, carry out a weekly scrub with our nourishing body exfoliant which gently removes dead cells thanks to the micro-grains of apricot kernels (INCI: "Prunus Armeniaca Seed Powder"), while nourishing it with sweet almond oil (INCI: "Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil"). The latter, due to its high vitamin E content, possesses powerful antioxidant properties that strengthen the skin barrier. Thus, the skin is better protected against external aggressions.

  Don't forget to then apply daily anourishing body cream. It contains10% of squalane, shea butter and plum oil, which are highly lipid-replenishing active ingredients. They strengthen the hydrolipidic film, thus protecting the skin from external aggressions (UV rays, swimming pool water, etc...).

It goes without saying that it is essential to consistently protect your skin from the sun's UV rays with the daily application of a sunscreen. Moreover, with rising temperatures, certain parts of the body are directly exposed to the sun's rays (arms, legs, etc...). Therefore, pay special attention to these areas by applying a body sun care product every time you go out, especially when heading to the beach.

• Believing that UV sessions prepare the skin for the sun.

  Clearly, UV rays do not in any way prepare the skin for the sun. On the contrary, artificial UV rays are much richer in UVA than natural light. Consequently, the risk of premature ageing and skin cancers is increased. Furthermore, the pigmentation achieved following a UV session does not result in a thickening of the epidermis and follows a different mechanism than that of natural tanning.

Thus, UV sessions do not prepare the skin for the sun!

• Believing that self-tanners prepare the skin for the sun.

  Unlike artificial UV rays, self-tanners allow for a tan without posing any health risks. However, the mechanism differs from that of natural tanning. The DHA, which is the main substance in self-tanners, reacts with the amine functions carried by the amino acids present in the dead cells of the corneal layer to form pigments, known as melanoidins. The browning effect on the skin results from this reaction, known as the Maillard reaction.

This method of tanning without sun exposure does not trigger the production of melanin and therefore has no protective effect against UV radiation.

Foods rich in vitamins and beta-carotenes should be prioritised (spinach, green cabbage, carrot, orange, papaya, apricot, etc...). Beta-carotene is a carotenoid that acts as a precursor to vitamin A. It has a significant effect on skin ageing by capturing free radicals formed by UV rays to neutralise them, in addition to stimulating the production of melanin.

However, studies caution against the excessive use of vitamins, particularly through dietary supplements. Oral administration of beta-carotene, and vitamins A and E in humans appears to result in a higher mortality rate or an increased risk of diseases. This is explained by the fact that not all free radicals are harmful, some are even beneficial. Therefore, it is not desirable to eliminate all free radicals, as this influences proper homeostasis, leading to the emergence of tumours, among other things.

• RICHTER K. Oxidative stress in aging human skin. Biomolecules (2015).