For decades, the cosmetics industry has turned the various stages of life into an easy way to organize its ranges and products. Labels announcing formulas for young or mature skin have served as guidance at the moment of purchase, linking each age group to specific ingredients and skin concerns. Yet, the knowledge about the skin has evolved and today it allows addressing its characteristics from a broader perspective, in which both biology and environmental factors as well as daily habits come into play.
A change that also requires rethinking how we build our beauty routine. Before incorporating a serum or replacing one cream with another, it is wise to identify what we want to improve, what our skin tolerates and what ingredients can help us achieve it. A more conscious choice does not necessarily mean using more products or resorting to more potent formulas, but rather understanding the function of each cosmetic and when it makes sense to incorporate it.
Age as reference, not as diagnosis
The classification of cosmetics by decades has traditionally simplified the choice of treatments, but it does not always reflect the real characteristics of each skin. Dr. Carlos Morales Raya, dermatologist specializing in laser, aesthetics and acne and founder of Morales Raya Clinic, argues that “we will progressively move from the concept of cosmetics “by age” to cosmetics by needs or by objectives.” Indeed, age remains biologically relevant, but it does not establish a boundary that automatically determines what the skin needs. The dermatologist Elena Martínez Lorenzo summarizes it by explaining that “this concept is increasingly less important. The skin ages, and with age it is clear that changes occur—loss and disorganization of collagen, loss of elasticity, thinning—but there is no exact biological moment when we turn 30, 40 or 50 and our skin begins to require particular ingredients.”
For his part, Arturo Álvarez-Bautista, chemist, PhD in Nanomedicine and scientific director and head of innovation of Arturo Alba, offers a more critical view of this classification. “As a marketing tool it is very convenient. As a dermatological criterion, considerably less so. Two 45-year-olds can have radically different skins: one may show photoaging, stains and loss of elasticity; the other, sensitivity, rosacea and a compromised barrier function. Prescribing them the same cosmetically just because they were born during the same government would be a fairly rudimentary classification.”
Preliminary diagnosis is essential
The first step in building a routine should be to identify the state of the skin and the needs that one wants to address, such as hydration, sensitivity, barrier function, sebum production, pigmentation, texture, and sun damage. Dr. Carlos Morales Raya proposes “identify the type of skin, its current state and what we want to prevent or improve.” From there, the routine should be tailored to each case, with proper cleansing, hydration when necessary, and daily photoprotection as fundamental pillars. Marjorie Garcerant Tafur, physician of Medicine and Surgery, specialist in Nuclear Medicine and Aesthetic Medicine and medical director at Bexclinic Madrid, emphasizes the importance of evaluating before recommending: “I would look fundamentally at barrier, hydration, inflammation or sensitivity, sebum production, pigmentation, sun damage, and the structural quality of the skin.”
The expert believes that this is the direction in which cutaneous diagnosis should evolve: measuring before recommending. Before choosing an active ingredient we should know what problem we are trying to correct. This is a point where Arturo Álvarez-Bautista agrees. For the professional it is important to assess “the state of the barrier and the level of hydration. Then, sebum production, sensitivity and inflammatory tendency, pigmentation, presence of acne, texture, sun damage, wrinkles, and loss of firmness. And, of course, how much sun a person receives and what photoprotection they use. From there a routine is built. Not the other way around.” Therefore, consulting a professional and having them analyze our specific needs beyond age is important.
What the skin really needs
A 25-year-old may need ingredients traditionally associated with anti-aging routines, while another 50-year-old may not tolerate certain treatments or may not need them. The dermatologist Elena Martínez Lorenzo uses as an example women aged 40 or 50 who still have acne and oily skin and who need products to control both issues. Conversely, she warns that “reaching 50 does not automatically make retinol, peptides, vitamin C or acids necessary. It will depend on what we want to treat, on tolerance, and on the characteristics of that skin. It’s also necessary to differentiate between needing and being able to benefit. A 50-year-old may benefit from a retinoid for photoaging, but if they have reactive skin it may not be our top priority.”
For Carlos Morales Raya, the versatility of some ingredients explains why traditional labels fall short. “A retinoid, for example, can be used to treat acne, texture irregularities, hyperpigmentation, and signs of photoaging. Therefore, a 25-year-old with acne may have a perfectly justified indication to use it, even if they don’t have a single wrinkle.” To this, Arturo Álvarez-Bautista adds that “a 25-year-old with significant sun damage, hyperpigmentation, or acne may benefit from actives that we have traditionally placed in the anti-aging drawer.” The expert sums it up by saying, “more actives does not mean more results, and more irritation has never meant more rejuvenation.”
The exposome and the importance of personalization
Genetics and the passage of time are not the only factors shaping skin evolution. Cumulative ultraviolet radiation, pollution, tobacco, hormonal changes, climate, stress, rest, diet, and cosmetic habits also intervene. This collection of environmental exposures and lifestyle-related factors is known as the cutaneous exposome. Dr. Marjorie Garcerant Tafur believes that “all of this constitutes part of what we know as the cutaneous exposome. We age with the years, but also with everything our skin has been exposed to.” In Arturo Álvarez-Bautista’s view, knowledge of ingredients must go hand in hand with discernment. “We have moved from buying ‘a cream for the 40s’ to talking about retinoids, ceramides, peptides, azelaic acid, antioxidants, hyperpigmentation, or barrier function. That enables much more personalized cosmetics. The next step, however, will be to learn that knowing the name of twenty actives does not equal knowing how to formulate or knowing what a skin needs.” The professional concludes that “we are moving away from age-based cosmetics and we must avoid falling into cosmetics based on collecting ingredients.”
Dr. Ana Revuelta, aviation medicine physician, aesthetic physician, pharmacist and nutritionist, and medical director of the Ana Revuelta Clinic in Madrid and Renare Farma Clinic, advocates simplifying our routine. “I would start by simplifying and observing. Is my skin dry or dehydrated? Is it sensitive? Do I have excess oil, blemishes or lack of glow? From there we can choose the appropriate actives and textures. First we diagnose the need and then we choose the cosmetic, not the other way around.” Therefore, seeing a dermatologist is key. As Elena Martínez Lorenzo explains, three questions should be considered: “how is my skin; what do I want to treat; what active has evidence to do it.”
