It is said ‘you are what you eat.’ And most experts will agree food is just as important for maintaining glowing skin as a £500 jar of La Mer.
However, most of the ingredients that are great for our skin are nowhere to be found in a lot of the food we eat, and certainly not in the optimal quantities needed to see results. Thankfully that’s what led Erika Fogeiro to start Combeau, the French skin expert swears by Zinc, saffron and SOD B. “A healthy diet can still be lacking some skin-enhancing nutrients, hence the importance of adding food supplements to your routine,” she tells Hello! Fashion. Ludicrously attractively packaged, Combeau food supplements are an amplifier that boost the absorption level of vitamins, “It is very much a ‘virtuous circle’ which leads to quicker and better results.”
According to Erika there is no such thing as miracle products and quick fixes, “Skin is about consistency and patience, your skin takes 30-40 days to regenerate itself before this time-lapse any change will be cosmetic. Good things take time, and that goes for skincare too.” Luckily for us she has honed a simplified routine based on nutrition, practical products and most importantly… convenience. “Good skin is achievable for everyone with the right routine and we should only talk about our skins in the kindest terms, after all it is our body’s first defence and natural shield.”
Below, Erika breaks down her personal approach to looking good from the inside out:
Internal & External Sunscreen
84% of skin ageing (wrinkles, fine lines you name it) comes from visible light, blue light and UVs of course. As a skincare expert I will say it and I will repeat it: use SPF 50 everyday in combination with an internal sunshield, an ingestible skincare which will reinforce your skin barrier from the inside out.
Double Cleanse
Polluted environments and SPF actually obstruct your pores which is fine for your 9-5 but needs to be removed completely during the regenerative phase of your life i.e. your beauty sleep. Always a two-step cleanse, combining an oil-based formula, first and water-based formula after. I like Oh My Cream ! Make-Up Removing Balm, it's unbelievable and Kiehl's calendula cleanser. Final touch is a spray of Evian Thermal Water to counterbalance the hard water coming from the tap.
Supplement Yourself
Topical creams and treatments can not cover every concern. Most of the nutrients your skin and wellness needs are not found on our plates, due to the current structure of the food industry. Even when we manage to source the ad hoc products (organic, raw, unrefined) we rarely manage to cook them for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Currently the variety of food supplements is overwhelming which is why I created Combeau. All the seven ingredients most essential to your skin wellness are micro encapsulated in our formula.
Be Kind to Your Skin
The basis of your skincare routine should remain the same, and the foundation is very much these three simple gestures I described above. The variable part of the routine is concern-orientated, based on your skin look and feel. It is tremendous to keep this connection with your skin. It's our body’s biggest organ, it deserves attention. Protect it, it will protect you back. Adjust your routine to your hormonal circle, and lastly to your environment.
Simplify Your Routine
Build a sustainable routine which is based on your auto-analysis of your skin. Listen to it and then create small rituals that are sustainable over time. Combeau is very much fuelled by this approach, you can’t commit to swallowing ten different pills at breakfast but two with well-curated ingredients is an achievable outcome. Likewise for your skincare routine a 10-step routine won’t last. A simple clean and ‘protect from the inside out’ will.
Acknowledge your ‘Skin Phase’
We often hear about skin types, but what we do all have and rarely address is skin phases. Our skin health is a precarious balance, our skin as an organ is an ever-changing ecosystem. Food supplements’ duty is literally to bring you a constant intake of the right nutrients to preserve your skin balance. It is the foundation of your skin resilience, and homeostasis. A good food supplement not only brings your skin necessary intakes to an optimal level but also boosts your skin capacity to produce what it needs… collagen.
Boost Your Absorption
A great question which I actually got recently from a customer on Instagram was ‘if I’m doing everything right nutrition-wise, how is combeau going to help?’ Optimum intake is necessary whether it comes from your food or your supplements. What our supplements work on is to bring your absorption to a higher level.
Say Yes to Saffron
There are new studies everyday coming out stating the interconnection between mental health and food intakes. You can’t be mentally healthy if you eat poorly. Our stomach is our second brain and this is why combeau leverages the power of saffron. Our patented saffron is proven to regulate hormonal balance and hormone-induced emotional unbalance and therefore improve our mental wellness. We are pioneering this field but it will be shaping the industry with no doubt in the next decade.
