Prebiotics and powder texture: the new cleansing ritual

Simpler, gentler, enriched with prebiotics, make-up removal has a new look and adapts to the consequences associated with wearing a face mask.

From now on, two words are essential in the daily routine, softness and microbiota, as our skin has been put to a lot in the last few months. Our face had to learn how to deal with new issues during the lockdown. Starting with the famous mask consequences (irritation, redness, pimples… linked to wearing the mask for long hours). The latter results from an almost tropical climate generated by our breathing and conducive to the development of previously dormant bacteria. Enough to give again importance, if we still doubted it, to the ritual of cleansing / make-up removal. But by trying to be irreproachable in terms of hygiene, we risk disturbing the skin flora. “There may indeed be an imbalance. First of all because of wearing a mask, but also because you have cleaned your skin too deeply, ridding it to excess of bacteria which nevertheless have a positive role to play”, explains Marie-Hélène Lair, Responsible Innovation Director at Clarins.

Tonic lotion is king

A mission that the French brand entrusts to its new tonic lotions (Soothing, Purifying and Moisturizing), which combine duos of plants to respond to different skin problems. But, above all, they are based on a complex microbiota, where we find the polyphenols of saffron flower and marine active ingredients: kelp, chlorella and sea water. "The interest of lotions is also that they are not rinsed: they remain on the skin, thus allowing active prebiotics to restore the right amount of bacteria and help preserve its barrier function. " A tonic virtue that is also found in Vinegar Visage, Gallinée’s bestseller, made from apple cider vinegar infused with hibiscus. Or at Fresh, where inulin, a prebiotic derived from chicory root (also a star ingredient in Cultiv brand makeup remover) comes in a two-in-one, no-rinse cleanser, the Kombucha Cleansing Treatment.

The wave of "less water"

Make-up removal also offers new rituals, in particular thanks to the “waterless” trend that is developing in the world of beauty. French brand Yodi has thus imagined three face cleansers in powder form, which also display prebiotics. All enriched with charcoal for a purifying effect, vitamin C and hibiscus flower for radiance, or a trio of natural oils for sensitive skin. “To develop the range, I worked with a dermatologist. Often, she begins by reducing the cleaning routine of her patients, which is often too extensive, ”explains Hélène Azancot, the founder of the brand. Another advantage of this powder? "It does not require preservatives which slow down the development of bacteria and therefore which could limit the prebiotics in their full action and their total effectiveness."

Now is no longer the time for extended rituals summoning an army of products. A desire for simplicity (without compromising on efficiency) that goes hand in hand with ecological awareness, this is what our facial skin needs to look good this year.