I am very excited to tell you about the products I have made in collaboration with Marie Nadeau of Marie Veronique. We are so excited to get these out into the world as we believe they are truly something everyone can benefit from and see positive changes in their skin as a result.

My clients are aware of my hesitancy of creating a product line due to the over saturation in the cosmetics industry however, these three products are a truly organic result of the demand I have seen from my clients. Over the past year I have been seeing many repeating cases of symptomatic skin coming into the studio. These symptoms were a result of a compromised barrier function due to either internal imbalance (hormonal shifts and imbalances, stress, poor diet/lacking of essential micronutrients) or from topical stress (over cleansing, exfoliation, topical steroids, etc). As it is my goal in treatment and with all my clients to assist and offer guidance in getting the skin back to a place of health, resilience, and stability I was actively searching for the best protocol to improve the barrier layer of the skin and therefore overall function and appearance. While my protocols of how to support the skin from an internal perspective and how to seek help from other practitioners were strong I felt like I was really lacking the topical support for this stage of skin repair that my clients could implement at home.

During this time it had become habitual to call Marie and explain all the cases I was seeing to brainstorm strategic ways to help them. We both are in this industry with the foundation of being deeply interested and fascinated by the functions of the skin and while looking deeply at my client charts, certain patterns were becoming really apparent.

We began discussing how wonderful it would be if there was a product which really provided the skin with the fundamental elements of this barrier layer to offer stress relief to the skin and capacity to repair and find balance. From this place we created the Barrier Restore serum which is strategically formulated to handle this task, resulting in skin that feels moisturized, hydrated, and healthy. 

Next we wanted a product to eliminate the stress which occurs from impaired barrier function. This manifests as redness, "rosacea", dermatitis, and even acne. Knowing the root causes of these unwanted symptoms, we created the Soothing gel to control the inflammation, rebalance the microbial colonies on the skin to control unwanted/pathogenic overgrowth such as P. acnes and also give the skin a really lovely glow. From this point we thought that we might as well create a trio of products so why not something that addressed stubborn breakouts, as this is something I see daily with the rise of adult onset acne. It was mandatory that we took the approach of supporting the micro biome of the skin, moving away from outdated theories of sterilizing and stripping the skin, and focused on rebalancing oil production, reducing inflammation (the most common source of adult acne) and gently clearing congestion without irritating or drying the skin. The resulting Intensive Repair serum is a gel that can be used at night to refine ones complexion and clear unwanted congestion. 

I really think of each of these as boosting serums. The Intensive Repair serum should only be used at night while the others can be used at any time. Barrier Restore should go on top of all other serums- think of this one as truly something all people could use and benefit from. As these products are formulated to rebalance the skin, you may find that you don't need much else to be applied on top- which is a great thing, signaling that your NMF levels have balanced and the skin is no longer depleted. 

To the three serums that were launched last year we have rounded out the line by adding a cleanser, a toner, a lipid complex and a mask.

All the products are biomimetic, that is, they are specifically designed to help nature achieve optimum health by supplying the building blocks required for proper maintenance at all levels of the skin, from the stratum corneum down to the dermis. Skin microbiome balance, another important factor in the skin health equation, is also very much front and center in the design process.

The line stands in the forefront of natural skin care because Marie and I believe very strongly that saying no is not enough. Criteria such as “natural” and “toxin-free” should be givens in the creation of truly functional products, not ends unto themselves. The latest findings in skin physiology and microbiology drive MV+ KH design; for example the cutting-edge products make use of microceutical co-enzymes that kick-start biosynthetic processes, and take care to follow nature’s lipid management systems as closely as possible while at the same time avoiding ingredients like essential oils and microcidal preservatives that can interfere with healthy skin function.  The result is products that have no scent, yet leave the skin feeling soothed, nourished, and ultimately, healthy.

Pure + EO Free Oil Cleanser. Oil cleansers do double duty—the oils penetrate to break up congestion deep within the hair follicle while the low-suds surfactants get rid of grime, debris and makeup. This pure oil cleanser goes even further—it supports proper barrier function by protecting the lipid barrier with antioxidants that inhibit lipid peroxidation, and maintains microfloral balance with both a pre/probiotic complex and the elimination of microcidal preservatives and/or essential oils. Excellent for all skin types, from the most sensitive to the most resilient.

Balancing HypoTonic. If the oil cleanser is a new way to think about cleansing, the Hypotonic is a new way to think about hydrating. It works by balancing the liquid content of skin cells and the lamellar structures surrounding them. Most water-based moisturizers leak into the interstices of the skin and actually leach water from skin cells, which is why conventional mists or toners can leave skin feeling more, rather than less, dehydrated. Our biomimetic design has produced a one-of- a-kind tonic, composed of humectants with distinctive similarities to the make-up of the skin’s lamellar structures. The tonic balances moisture content in the skin, leaving it feeling soft and dewy.

Intensive Repair Serum. IR addresses stubborn breakouts, commonly associated with adult onset acne. With Intensive Repair Serum we move away from outdated theories of sterilizing and stripping the skin and focus instead on supporting the microbiome of the skin so as to rebalance oil production, reduce incidence of inflamed skin (which commonly accompanies adult acne), and clear congestion, all without irritating or drying the skin. The resulting product is a gel that can be used at night to refine one’s complexion.

Soothing B3 Serum.  The serum works to strengthen skin and minimize redness issues with niacinamide, rebalances microbial colonies that assist in impeding unwanted/pathogenic overgrowth and gives the skin a really lovely glow with glycosaminoglycans.

Barrier Restore Serum. Our skin barrier protects against external assaults, but its most important task is to protect against moisture loss. BR improves compromised barrier function by replacing components lost through such stressors as overcleansing, exfoliation, repeated use of topical anti-microbials or antibiotics. Restoring barrier function returns the stratum corneum to a state where proper moisture levels are maintained, resulting in skin that feels moisturized, hydrated and healthy.

Barrier Lipid Complex. Unlike oil blends that are composed solely of various combinations of free fatty acids (most of the oil blends on the market) this lipid blend contains the right mix of lipids found in the epidermal lipid barrier; ceramides (50%), cholesterol (25%) and fatty acids (25%). Supplying the correct lipids in the correct ratios achieves the very essence of skin moisturizing.

Micronutrient + Hydro Mask. Think of the mask as a concentration of ingredients that support various processes crucial to the maintenance of skin health and the delay of skin aging. It is like topical supplementation for the skin, and as such can be used as a quick mask that is applied and rinsed off prior to a night out, or as the last step in one’s nightly beauty routine, where it is meant to be left on overnight. Topical applications can be considered a very efficient, targeted method for delivering nutrients to the skin, especially to the epidermis. It profoundly rehydrates skin while improving functionality across a number of parameters—it is basically a skin reset.