LÉ Blog

Tis the Season for Bundling! Kits can be a great value buy for people who are looking for a skincare routine starting point. But prices can vary from $15 to $450 so what’s a good starting point and what should you be looking for? Above is a snapshot of the kits we’ll go through. We selected these as examples of the type of kits you'll find out there and how we're comparing them. Read on to find out how we choose from these four. The Chemists' Selection Criteria: Products in the kits have to c...

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In our entrepreneurship journey, we have had the opportunity to meet with many other awesome founders. We want to use our platform to shine a light on the great work that these founders are doing. We first met the founders and power couple of Young King Hair Care Stefan & Cora through the Target accelerator program. Young King is a hair care line for multicultural boys (a category often neglected) that's really for anyone with textured hair and kinky curls. Here's the full interview on Stefan...

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We talked about what an awesome and multi-functional ingredient vitamin C, L-ascorbic acid (L-AA), is. It’s no surprise that many brands have their own take on vitamin C making the L-AA landscape quite vast. But not to fear! L-ascorbic acid products can actually be broken down into three types. So today, let’s walk through the different product types and learn how to incorporate them in your routine. You can check out products mentioned in this article here. Classic Water Based Serum Water-ba...

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We decode a lot of ingredients on Instagram, but one of the hardest categories to decode and do a deep dive on are proprietary ingredients. The other frustrating thing is that most proprietary molecule products usually come with a premium price tag. But there is one specific scenario that justifies premium serums — a well done testing plan with solid results. Makings of a Proprietary Ingredient There are many stages to validating a good ingredient. Generally speaking, you test on a petri dish...

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Let’s take a closer look at another one of the chemists’ favorite active ingredients: niacinamide (aka. vitamin B3). This is a prolific ingredient you can find in absolutely every type if skincare product imaginable — cleansers, serums, moisturizers, sunscreens, you name it. This is because it's a truly a jack-of-all trade ingredient with multiple proven skin benefits. Let’s take a look at all the things niacinamide can do for you! Barrier function First and foremost, niacinamide can improve ...

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You can find AHAs in a wide range of products from cleansers to night creams. Just what are AHAs anyway? AHA stands for alpha hydroxy acid — a class of water-soluble weak acids that has a long history of use and proven skin benefits. Some commonly used in skincare are: glycolic, lactic, malic, citric, mandelic, and tartaric acid. It's one of our "big 4" actives that we swear by. We love AHAs so much, we developed a whole line of booster masks starring our favorite AHAs. So let's take a look a...

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We all love that summer sun, but too much of that toasty goodness can make unwanted uneven skin tone, hyperpigmentation rear its ugly head. As summer winds down, it’s the perfect time to tackle those uneven patches, discolored spots, and brighten skin. Check out our book Skincare Decoded for a dedicated chapter on hyperpigmentation and routine building to tackle hyperpigmentation. A Biology Primer on Pigment Formation To tackle hyperpigmentation, let's take a closer look at the biology of ski...

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Head over to How to Combine Actives Like a Pro Pt 2 for more. Shopping for a "big 4" product? Checkout community-favorite products here. Finding that first effective ingredient that makes a visible difference to your skin is a bit like opening pandora’s box. Encouraged, you probably can’t wait to get your hands on all the top of the line actives on the market. But wait! Not every combination works and turns out the relationship can be complicated. So let’s figure out how to combine and handle...

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Why is it so hard to figure out my skincare routine? You’ve probably heard from just about everyone in the world who’s a celebrity, aesthetician, or even that special aunt on their personal skincare secrets to getting picture perfect, #iwokeuplikethis skin. Factor in all the marketing noise and constant product launch overload and welp, most of us are now huddled in a corner somewhere between “I give up. I’m lost.” and “I don’t like my skin, why doesn’t it ever get better?” The real problem t...

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