'Medik8’s new barrier-support cream is like a comfort blanket for my easily irritated skin'
By now, Medik8 needs little introduction. Its cosmeceutical formulas paired with the obvious shelf appeal of its chic bottles have garnered massive hype in the industry, and it has rightfully earned a spot in the skincare routine of pretty much every Red editor.
If you’re familiar with the brand, you’ll know that Medik8’s philosophy centres around the use of active ingredients to resurface the skin, recommending vitamin C by day and vitamin A by night. But while the transformative results of active ingredients are undeniable, the wider industry is taking a firmer stance on the importance of looking after the skin barrier, with the latest update being the revised EU retinol regulations.
So, with more of us reaching for formulas to heal sensitised skin, Medik8’s latest launch couldn’t have come at a better time...
The Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream is the perfect restorative product to use alongside any high-factor active ingredient. It’s designed to protect the skin and does a stellar job hydrating, restoring and replenishing the barrier.
Medik8 Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream, reviewed
I’m the perfect person to test this new cream. I’m not silly with my active use, but I often supercharge my routine with a chemical exfoliant or retinoid – and I’ve learned the hard way that going too hard and fast will only leave my skin irritated.
I haven’t ditched these bottles altogether, but I now ensure that a barrier-support cream is a permanent fixture in my routine, keeping my skin nourished and restored. Admittedly, I already had a suitable cream that did the job. But, as the Medik8 advocate that I am, I was instantly intrigued by what this launch had to offer.
Upon decoding the ingredients list, what captured my attention was the use of prebiotic peptides. Without getting too much into the technical jargon, Daniel Isaacs, Chief Product Officer at Medik8 is here to explain what this means for your skin.
“Prebiotics are the substances on the skin that feed the growth of beneficial bacteria to encourage a healthy flora. Probiotics are living microbes that exist on the skin and play a crucial role in stabilising the microbiome. Postbiotics are the byproducts that probiotics generate as they break down on and within the skin’s surface. They contain beneficial molecules like fatty acids, antioxidants and antimicrobial peptides,” explains Isaacs.
“The Total Moisture Daily Facial Cream features a prebiotic peptide that feeds the skin barrier by encouraging a balanced skin microbiome, while helping to boost the natural production of ceramides to replenish the physical skin barrier with essential lipids,” he adds.
The formula goes beyond prebiotic peptides, too. There’s also multi-weight hyaluronic acid to draw moisture to multiple layers of the skin, and ceramides which play a key role in maintaining your skin’s barrier function, too.
I’ve played about with enough moisturisers to know what separates the good from the great and can clarify that this blend of ingredients is one of the most restorative I’ve come across. Whether your barrier is in a moment of crisis or not, not only will the moisturiser mollify sensitivities in the short term, but it will work hard to build up your skin’s resistance in the long run. Clinical results have shown that the cream delivers a 55% rise in hydration instantly and boosts the skin barrier by 30% in the first hour. Now those are the figures I like to see.
The cream is billed as both an AM and PM formula, but I’ve slotted it into my evening routine and, already, I’ve spotted a promising difference in the quality of my skin. Not that I was dealing with a woefully broken barrier to start with, but I’ve certainly noticed a smoother, more unified and healthier complexion. In fact, with summer approaching, the results have encouraged me to forgo foundation and opt for concealer as a delicate base product.
I’m equally impressed by how the cream glides onto the skin. Truly reinventing the wheel that has positioned all barrier-support products as thick and suffocating creams, I was pleasantly surprised to discover how delicate and lightweight the Daily Facial Cream feels.
It effortlessly slips across the skin to leave a hydrated sheen, and instantly sinks in without leaving a greasy touch. You can count on this as a genuinely hard-working product, designed to fix sensitivities and encourage your skin to perform at its very best – no faffs or frills whatsoever.
I’d like to stress that you needn’t swap out your potent actives to use the cream. I see it as a necessary pairing product to keep your skin strong enough to use your retinoid or vitamin C. As the saying goes, you can’t build a house on shaky foundations – and the same goes for your skin.
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