The trouble with most guys is that they don’t care. Upkeep is simply a means to hygiene. Serums? Sunblocks? They mean nothing but goop that’s waste on skin. We get it. Routines are a bore, but they really are essential. Furthermore, it is the choices that we make when we are young that end up becoming habits. And these habits might as well bite us in the ass 10, 20 years down the road.
Hopefully by now, you’re paying attention. Yes, getting started in your 20s is key to long term, anti-ageing results, but getting started in your 30s is cool, too. Develop a simple daily routine. For starters, wash, tone and moisturise. But for better results, learn to biohack your skin. How? We turn to the expertise of Eugene He, founder of Ceramiracle (best known for age-defying nutricosmetics) and self-professed skin tech geek who tells us why we should care.
What are your four commandments to real good skin?
Proper hydration – drink adequate clean, filtered water. Keep your surroundings well-ventilated and use a good moisturiser.
Sleep at least seven hours. Lack of sleep increases cortisol, which in turn increases production of sebum that leads to oily skin, enlarged pores and acne.
Avoid sugar. It forms free radicals called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) in your blood, degrading collagen structure in your skin and causing dullness and wrinkles.
Sunscreen. UV rays not only prematurely age your skin, they also cause pores to be excessively enlarged. As men have generally thicker skin, any form of damage tends to be irreversible so prevention is key.
Men don’t care. What basics should they at least bother with?
Cleanse and moisturise to keep the skin hygienic and healthy. You might get away with a cleanser if you live in a pristine, temperate climate. But in weather like Singapore’s (it should be “in weather”), you do not want to know what grows on our skin at every end of the day.
It is said that we can hack our system for better skin. What is that?
That’s biohacking for you. It is the practice of using scientific knowledge and technological advancements to optimise or overclock certain processes in the body.
Why is biohacking so important?
It is predominantly a practice used to improve cognitive functions, but with that, it can also optimise skin health. In this age when multitasking and stress are inevitable, biohacking can help us achieve our goals without compromising our well-being. It requires daily commitment for actual and measurable results.
What’s safe and what’s not?
Biohacking is a very broad practice. It can be as safe as consuming a single known vitamin to as dicey as introducing microchips to the body.
No cream or supplement will stop the natural process of ageing. But that doesn’t mean anti-ageing formulae are without merit.
We can’t stop ageing, but we can definitely resist the symptoms that arise with it. I like to use wine as an example. A 20-year-old merlot can be balanced and exquisite when kept in the right conditions, while a 20-year-old bottle of forgotten wine can make you real ill.
Nutricosmetics promise beauty from the inside out. How do the benefits of nutricosmetics go beyond a good diet and surface products?
Our individual nutritional requirements are very different due to our lifestyle and genetic differences, therefore there is no one diet that fits all. Even so, our diet might not provide enough nutrients to promote a positive change to our skin. For example, we consume an average of 0.3mg ceramides daily. To achieve clinically proven skin moisturisation activity from ceramides at 30mg a day, we will need 10 times the volume of food that we eat.
I suppose this is where Ceramiracle comes in. How has the brand changed the game?
Ceramiracle was created to bridge the knowledge gap between basic skincare and nutricosmetics. With advancement in science and technology, increase in lifespan and wealth, people have developed higher expectations for the results they can get from skincare products. Ceramiracle represents the luxury we are used to with traditional skincare, infused with clinically validated ingredients, presented in a new formal to truly represent the meaning of nutricosmetics.
What prompted the idea for First Light?
Our First Light series, which includes a supplement and serum, began more than a decade ago when I was working on a biohacking formula to combat chronic ageing issues. I discovered a pretty nifty “side effect” – improvement in skin quality. With those findings, the final supplement formula was eventually piloted in 2015. The serum, on the other hand was inspired by the vernix caseosa, the white waxy coating of a newborn that’s responsible for supple skin.
How do they work?
The supplement contains nutrients like ceramides, superoxide dismutase and hyaluronic acid that all deplete as we age. Such are difficult to obtain through diet and they each function to optimise our skin health. Ceramides are the glue of our skin that hold collagen together. Age, stress and sugar intake don’t help, and our skin eventually wrinkles and dries. Hyaluronic acid acts like a reservoir for moisture and superoxide dismutase is a powerful antioxidant required for cellular repair and energy production. Your skin will get firmer and more radiant, without much need for a moisturiser. Take it before sleep so the results can be seen in the morning when you wake up.
The serum is a botanical interpretation of the vernic caseosa infused wakame stem cells, which has been clinically proven to have a DNA protective effect within 24 hours of application. It is a fuss-free, one-step solution, eliminating the need for toners, additional moisturisers or essences. Free from water or fragrance, with more than 95 per cent active ingredients, making a little go a long way. Immediately after application, your skin is visibly hydrated and soft to the touch.
For how long should one carry on with it?
It is designed to be an essential daily skincare routine, so continue with it for as long as you like.
Discover more about the brand at ceramiracle.com