At Skin Actives Scientific, we’re all about looking towards the future of skincare science. 

This is what led us to base our business on next-generation scientific actives like epidermal growth factor (EGF) and keratinocyte growth factor (KGF). This foresight has seen us comfortable with trends far in advance of our competitors, in a position where we’re waiting for the skincare industry to catch up with what we’re doing.

In our ongoing quest to advance skincare and push the latest greatest tech, Skin Actives Scientific has introduced some really great advanced lines over the past couple of years. And it’s paid off! Our Advanced Ageless and Advanced Restoration lines have become some of our top-selling products based on that foundation of high-tech activity. 

But at Skin Actives we were making a name for ourselves long before Advanced Ageless and Advanced Restoration. And while we may have championed epidermal growth factor from day one, it’s not as though all of our products contained it, especially not in the early days, when EGF was considered very much a niche, specialty active.

So today we are winding back the clock a little bit with a super fun DIY project for you that focuses on back to basics activity from active ingredients that you could find in skincare products for the last century.

First we’ll go through all the ingredients, and then we’ll tell you how to use tried and true actives step-by-step to make your very own True Renewal Cream.

Tried and True DIY Active Ingredients

True Renewal Cream is composed of a wide range of popular ingredients that can be found in not only our best-selling products, but also the hottest brands competing for attention on the shelves at your local skincare boutique. As we go down the list, maybe you’ll become more familiar with what the actives in your favorite products do, or maybe you’ll be inspired to experiment with some DIY creations of your own!

European Cream - The foundation of True Renewal Cream is going to be our European Cream. This is what we call a “base cream” around the shop when we’re working on a new product. Often when we’re formulating something new we’ll discuss what we want to use as the “base”, either Euro or Canvas. Longtime members of the Skin Actives Family love European Cream because of how emollient and moisturizing this smooth, unscented cream is.

Sea Kelp Coral - Those who know, know. So for everyone else, or maybe those who forgot, Sea Kelp Coral is known for its gel-like texture and its incredible nutrient density. Sea Kelp Coral is a complete nutrient medium and is incredibly antioxidant dense. When we add Sea Kelp Coral to a product it’s usually for its incredible nutrient properties. Your skin is hungry for nutrients and Sea Kelp Coral has them! Additionally, Sea Kelp Coral will sort of thin out your cream a bit, without making it watery or runny.

Magnesium Ascorbyl Palmitate - On to the main event, now we’re rolling up our sleeves and getting into the powders and oils that perhaps many of you associate with DIY skincare! Magnesium ascorbyl palmitate goes by some other names. Around the shop we often refer to it as MAP (pronounced em-ay-pee), but you’ll probably recognize it right off the bat as a stable form of vitamin C. Vitamin C is very hot in skincare right now because of its age-defying properties. On one hand you have wrinkle prevention, on the other hand MAP helps even out skin tone. This comes from its free radical fighting antioxidants. So at this point in our formulation, we have at least two sources of antioxidants, which is good.

Ceramides - Next up on the list is ceramides which is going to address two factors, both drying and redness. Ceramides can increase skin hydration while simultaneously soothing agitated skin. Additionally, ceramides can help smooth out rough skin. When we are formulating for sensitive skin around SAS we use ceramides as a go-to for the way it works with sensitive skin and its soothing properties.

Organic Rosehip Seed Oil - Moving right along, we’re now adding in this concentrated source of essential fatty acids. We’re always talking about healthy oils here at Skin Actives, and rosehip seed oil is a go-to. Oils are your friend, healthy oils that is, correctly applied and used to feed your skin. Your skin requires oils, not just for protection and lubrication but for the vitamins and nutrients they contain. Rosehip seed oil contains essential fatty acids that are rich in nutrients that your skin needs, so you’ll find it in a solid number of our products.

Retinyl Acetate - Looking to get the skin clearing benefits of a retin product, but without the harshness of prescription retinoids? This is why we use it at Skin Actives. A gentle form of vitamin A, retinyl acetate works to clear pores. Additionally, retinyl acetate supports collagen synthesis which we did an entire blog about here. Want to get more collagen synthesis with your True Renewal Cream, add in a vial of EGF as extra credit!

Making Your DIY Beauty Product Is Easy

It feels like it’s been a while since we’ve served up a DIY project for your Skin Actives Family, and this one is perhaps a little more challenging than the last couple we sent out! We’re hoping that you find this one accessible, but with enough interesting steps to sort of push your skill set. Write us at info@skinactives.com and let us know how it goes!

This recipe actually produces more than 4oz of cream! So you’re going to need a bigger jar! We recommend 6 oz for this one. 

For this project you will need:

Ingredients

• European Cream - 4 oz
• Sea Kelp Coral - 15 grams
• Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate (MAP) - 6 grams
• Ceramides - 1.2 grams
• Retinyl Acetate - 1.2 grams
• Extra credit: add in a vial of Skin Actives Epidermal Growth Factor!

Tools

• A clean surface to work
• A clean and sanitized mixing bowl
• A microwave and a microwave safe measuring cup 
• A clean and sanitized mixing tool, supplemented by a few of the spatulas you find packed into your SAS order when you purchase actives.
• A kitchen scale.
• A clean, sanitized jar with at least 6 oz capacity, to store your finished cream.

Follow these steps when putting together your True Renewal Cream:

1. In a clean mixing bowl, stir 6 grams of Magnesium Ascorbyl Phosphate into 15 grams of Sea Kelp Coral until MAP is dissolved.
2. Add 4 oz of European Cream to your mixture.
3. In a microwave safe measuring cup, combine 1.2 grams of ceramides and 5 mL of Rosehip Seed Oil.
4. In short, 5 second bursts, warm and stir the ceramides until they lose their crystalline texture and disappear into the oil. The oil should become warm, but not hot, you don’t have to overheat, do just enough work to give the crystals a head start for when they disperse into the cream. Please be very careful at this step, Skin Actives Family!
5. When the crystals are no longer apparent, mix this blend into your cream.
6. Mix 1.2 grams of Retinyl Acetate into your cream.
7. Extra credit! Take a vial of your favorite Skin Actives high-tech protein and gently stir into your cream. 
8. Empty your True Renewal Cream from your mixing bowl into your sanitized jar.
9. All finished! Time to clean up, you’re ready to go.

Well that was great fun, wasn’t it? We hope that you’ll join us back here for more exciting DIY projects! In the meantime don’t miss out on our twice weekly blogs, and other great DIY projects. If DIY is your passion, check out Dr. Hannah Sivak’s ingredient glossary and take your formulations to the next level.