Skin comes in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and colors. We expect that, and it’s a good thing.

Skin-care also comes in a lot of colors, or at least it should.

But that isn’t what we have come to expect is it?

When we open a fresh jar of cream, we’ve been conditioned to expect a smooth, glowing white product. A lot of brands really build on this imagery. If we don’t see these pearly white creams, then maybe we’re accustomed to translucent gels. That’s also pretty common these days.

We’re so used to seeing our products like this, that maybe we don’t think about it until we see a product that is a different color. Then our programmed expectation kicks in, we’re upset that the product we are seeing doesn’t match our expectation. But then we don’t necessarily take a minute to consider where our expectations come from or what they mean.

Instead of simply rejecting a concept out of hand, let’s take a second and consider why things look like they do.

Reflect on the Rainbow

When you look around at the natural world, what do you see that is white? Not much. 

In nature, white is a signal of absence. 

Plants signal their nutrient-rich growth by displaying color. The darker, richer the color, the more nutrients that the plant is likely to have inside. We as humans have observed this phenomenon for thousands of years. These observations are baked into our language, the tool we use to describe reality to one another. We used the word “verdant” to describe growth that is rich, plentiful and lush. But at the heart of the word, and embedded in its definition is “verde” which quite literally means “green”.

When we are describing something pale, lifeless, or sluggish we use the word “anemic” which literally describes a condition in which a person’s health is compromised by a lack of red blood cells that diminishes their pallor and saps their energy, causing them to look pale and lacking in nutrients. 

Our culture has conflated the meaning of the color white to infer concepts about cleanliness and purity. But you may have heard a friend describe something as “white bread”, meaning that it was boring, lackluster, or otherwise unexceptional. This is because white bread is both flavorless and nutritionally devoid! And no one wants to be that. The way white flour achieves this look from the healthy color of wheat grain is through a process of grinding and bleaching that deprives the end product of its original nutritional content.

So, when you are looking at a pure white cream that claims to be aiding your skin health through the power of active ingredients, what do you think that means?

Absolutely Lush with Nutrients

At Skin Actives Scientific, we believe in science. Not just as a system of observation to understand the world around us, but as a process for positive change.

We have always believed, from day one, in creating the absolutely most nutrient-dense formulations that match the following criteria:

1. The Health of Your Skin - We’re trying to help your skin, not hurt it! And as we all know, there can be too much of a good thing! If an active is beneficial up to a certain concentration, we’ll use it at that level, and never more.

2. Effective Utilization - Your skin can only absorb so much of any given active. The individual reasons for this vary on a case-by-case basis. Sometimes it has to do with the active, sometimes it has to do with the cells that make up your skin. No matter what, Skin Actives looks at what science tells us about how much your body can actually use. There is no sense selling you waste! Conversely, there is no sense in adding an ingredient to the list if it isn’t at a high enough concentration to benefit your health.

3. Formulation Tolerances - Sometimes our DIY customers ask us about how to make a SUPER CREAM, like a cream that does everything. Well, we wish that was possible, that would make our lives so much easier! But at the end of the day, there are only so many ingredients that you can dissolve into a formulation and still have it function as a cream or a serum. 

The end result of this mission is that our creams and serums do not often come out gleamingly white or purely translucent. Our products capture a wide range of colors from very soft tans, all the way to deep browns. You may notice a scent that comes from your new Skin Actives purchase. This is the smell of the nutrients in the formulation. Have you ever smelled an apple or a tomato? Both of these are plants where you can smell the nutrition well before you taste it.

Here’s an example:

Hyaluronic acid based creams are very hot commodities right now. Check out our blog post on this trend here. Skin Actives Hyaluronic Acid Moisturizer is a fan-favorite that has been with the company for a long time. Its color is a very pleasing rich ivory tone, and it’s packed to the gills with antioxidants to purge free radicals from your skin.

Aside from Hyaluronic Acid, what’s it got in it?

Coenzyme Q-10 - This active is energetically orange.

Lycopene, Lutein, B-Carotene - these add a vibrant red.

Rosehip Seed Oil - contributes a rich Amber hue.

So do we want to make beautiful products with pleasing scents? 

YES, absolutely! And we think that when you look at the richness of the nutrient density of our products and take in their earthy aromas, you’ll experience a different kind of beauty. We’re not going to compromise the efficacy of our products to achieve that gleaming white look, no way!