First Aid Beauty was started by Lilli Gordon in 2009. She is a former financial wizard who became one of the cofounders of Fresh (yes, I might be a huge fan of their Lip Treatment), and helped oversee their purchase by LVMH. She later started First Aid Beauty when she found there was a big hole in the skin care industry. And you know what? She was right.
In my mind, this is what First Aid Beauty is. It's the skin care you pull out when your skin has a problem, or to help keep any problems under control. Similar to those lotions I was taught to recommend in my medical training (yes, I was taught to tell parents to use a gentle cleanser like Cetaphil or a super hydrating lotion like Aquaphor or Cetaphil Cream for eczema. Amlactin is great for Keratosis Pilaris), these creams work the same way by first supporting your skin's barrier function. Happy barrier function=happy skin=pretty and glowy skin. I like Glowy Skin.
Except that First Aid Beauty isn't just the same thing as Cetaphil but in a fancier (and more expensive) store. They've updated the formulas by adding great ingredients like Colloidal Oatmeal, Squalane, and Ceramides. So, rather than simply supporting barrier function, they really have created a more advanced product that also soothes, does a better job of moisturizing, etc.
For the next 8 weeks or so I'll be using the new First Aid Beauty Dual Repair collection. Talking to Lilli Gordon about why she created the new product line was like deja vu from my discussions with Amanda, my esthetician. Amanda, Lilli and me are all of the same mind. We think that you don't need to have red and irritated skin to know that your anti-aging skin care is working.
It seems that many people think the only way to tell if it is working (and therefore, you will continue to spend your money) is if you have tingling, a little burn, some redness and maybe even flaking. In truth, that irritation means you have some inflammation in the area. Which causes aging. The irritation has undone any work the cream has actually done to fight aging, and you're probably paying big bucks to make your skin age more quickly. (Which, yes, makes you buy more creams. See how that works?)
If you've read my site for a while, you've probably noticed that I focus a lot of my anti-aging focus on keeping your skin happy. I want to exfoliate, but do it gently. I say to use gentle cleansers. When discussing retinoids I talk a lot about not necessarily using them every night and really paying attention to what your skin can handle. I want to have a lot of moisture, use high SPF broad spectrum UV coverage and just in general protect my skin from damage. So, the First Aid Beauty approach really works for me.
This week I'm going to be finally posting reviews for the First Aid Beauty core collection items that I've used in the past. Mark your calendar for March 12th at 4pm EST, I'll be hanging out on Twitter with Lilli Gordon (OMG!!!), so please come and join us! I've started a First Aid Beauty Pinterest Board, where I'll be adding reviews and some pretty pictures. Soon I'll be reviewing the Dual Repair Line in more detail, so stay tuned!
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Hi! I am new to your blog and am loving it! I have a question that is somewhat unrelated to this post, but since you mentioned Keratosis Pilaris... What would you recommend to treat this condition in toddlers? My almost 2 yo has it on the backs of her arms and upper leg area. :( Poor thing doesn't seem bothered by it, but of course I would like to relieve it as much as possible. I have tried cerave, coconut oil, and am currently using Avenno eczema lotion for babies. Again, I realize this isn't a blog about littles, so feel free to delete if this is inappropriate. But, given your day job I thought I would ask for your thoughts! Thanks!
ReplyDeletePretty much the same stuff as we recommend in adults will work, I have a post about it here:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.15minutebeauty.com/2014/03/keratosis-pilaris-bumpy-arms.html
But I would probably just do a little extra scrubbing with a washcloth and use Amlactin lotion. The urea and lactic acid found in it are made in the body anyways, and they're really needed to help break down the bumps.