Have you ever picked up a new product, excited to try it because ten different internet influencers told you it changed their skin, only for it to feel “off” right when you swipe it on? Or have you picked something up only to find that it has seemingly zero effect, while everyone else was nearly on their knees about the benefits? Such an experience is not uncommon, and while it may be possible that the product really is just a bottle of water marketed as an all-powerful essence, it may also be possible that you just need to train your skin to experience its true potential.
So, what is Skin Training? Skin Training is a unique term used here at RIMAN to define the process of consistently using a skin care item or line to the point that the benefits begin to shine through. Skin training is an exceptionally powerful concept for our INCELLDERM line; we propose a routine for skin treatment, which may replace the entirety (or occupy a majority) of your current routine, and with the sudden supplementation of new ingredients and product forms, both sensory and visual aesthetics might initially feel “off”. Such was true for our own General Manager of North America, Betty Perez, who felt that the routine was initially much heavier on her face than what she was used to. And such was true for me but in the opposite respect, as I felt the water-based booster and serum were much lighter than the oils I was used to. Regardless, both Betty and I found happiness in the continued use of the RIMAN ritual, and here’s why.
As RIMAN follows Korean beauty standards of treatment and ingredient interaction, the RIMAN ritual is going to be different in comparison to what many Americans traditionally use. Treatment in K-beauty focuses on long-term prevention and protection rather than quick problem solving. Routines often require consistency to see results, as ingredients are typically gentle in nature, and traditionally harsh actives (such as AHAs and BHAs) are kept at lower percentages to maintain skin barrier integrity.1 In this way, the switch to INCELLDERM products, which boast high concentrations of Byoungpool leaf water and gentle hydrating and anti-aging complexes, might initially feel too “mundane”. But as I have experienced, continued and regimented use will begin to pay off, as my skin began to absorb and respect the new product types I was introducing to it.
But say you aren’t switching from one type of skincare to another, and that you are familiar with and use a couple of gentler K-beauty products. Skin training is still relevant to you. Our skin, whether you have sensitive skin or not, is an ever-changing platform for product and environment interaction. Skin cells turnover as rapidly as 28 days for younger generations, and 56 to 84 days for older generations.2 Regardless of age, it will take time for the effects of penetrating products to show once a new generation of skin cells come to the surface. If a product isn’t giving you an allergic reaction or any dermal sensitization, and the only current downside is that it feels strange or different from your traditional routine, it is worth a shot to keep using it, at least for a skin cycle. While immediate results are always a desire, long term results are often achieved through patience and consistency.
Last but not least, it is possible your original routine was not beneficial for your skin to begin with. Take oily skin, for example – while oily skin is a very real and possible phenotype to have, some people have oily skin simply because they have been dehydrating their skin for so long. Over-washing your face or treating it with too harsh of chemicals can cause your pores to overcompensate by producing more sebum, giving the illusion of oily skin. The proper way to treat this is to select gentler cleansers and reduce the use of stripping products like exfoliants. Furthermore, over-stripping your skin can disturb your microbiome, which will lead to the proliferation of negative bacterial colonies on the skin’s surface that can cause dryness, oiliness, or acne. Maintaining an intact barrier with both gentle yet hydrating and barrier-reinforcing products can avoid a variety of skin concerns that may have initially been thought of as permanent issues.
Skin training is an important tool in sampling and appreciating a new beauty product or regime, and such is true for the implementation of the RIMAN ritual; if it doesn’t immediately work for you, do not fret. The gentle yet efficacious nature of INCELLDERM’s offerings ensure that with continued use and patience, results will be on the way. And if you do see immediate results upon trying the routine, that works too! Regardless, the skin you’re in is a wild thing, and sometimes it needs a little discipline to perform at its best.
