How do you choose from the movies on Netflix? You scroll through the popular page, looking at the titles, and perhaps the little catchphrases underneath. Then, of course, you look at the headliner. It’s kind of your guarantee that it will be a worthwhile watch. After all, why would your favorite award-winning actor go through the effort of making the movie if they didn’t believe in it themselves? It’s the same story when it comes to skincare. How often do you get past the star ingredient?
Seriously, take a moment to remember when the last time you surveyed all the ingredients in your moisturizer was. Did you recognize their roles? More importantly, do you realize how they work together?
VMV Hypoallergenics’ Laura Verallo de Bertotto reveals a harrowing reality. She states that specialists in contact dermatitis have noted that most patients do not look at ingredients. “And for those who do, it’s difficult to know what each ingredient is,” she adds.
But skincare isn’t a synecdoche—and it’s much more than the sum of its parts. A product is a composition of various substances that work together to deliver an objective.
Formulation Versus Ingredients
The shorthand definition is that ingredients comprise your product. But unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as that. Ingredients are only a part of the story. “While they tend to be listed from most to least, the exact percentages aren’t revealed,” explains de Bertotto. “For example, ‘fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ won’t be broken down into what constitutes that mix. Many colored cosmetics will only say ‘may contain,’ so you won’t be able to tell what’s included.”
A formulation offers a complete picture. It specifies the amounts and concentrations of each ingredient. However, formulations are not as easy to divulge. “Some brands also make it so hard to learn what’s in something that they’re using,” points out de Bertotto. Legally, formulations could also make things complicated.
Most beauty and skincare brands also often outsource their wares—hence, unable to ascertain the nitty-gritty of their source’s processes. Only those companies that manufacture their products possess full control and knowledge, including the breakdown of materials and the precision of their system. VMV, for example, makes sure formulations are never placed in vats that store allergen-containing mixtures.
Reading Labels
In a harsh world with harsher ingredients, do labels still matter when it comes to finding the most suitable products for your skin? They are, after all, the first clue you have to knowing what you’re about to put on your skin.
First, you must realize one thing: The packaging accomplishes more than just informing the consumer. It’s also a significant marketing tool. “Anything that gets prime real estate in packaging and ad copies implies a certain level of importance or specialness, but it frequently isn’t either,” de Bertotto says frankly. A lotion may banner “sulfate-free,” but it might not need sulfates in the first place.
Some products may also pitch scientifically inconclusive claims. “Instead of clinical journals, many brands use usage tests or survey results, which can be highly subjective,” she adds.
A glycolic acid could be diluted and therefore less effective, green tea could be mixed with allergens, and virgin coconut could be sourced from various farms of dubious caliber. A moisturizer may be free of phthalates, but what did it use as an alternative? It may be a top contact allergen. Learning to read between the lines is crucial, but it’s not enough.
“Us manufacturing our own products means we know this stuff, but it would be unlikely for a customer to know any of this just by reading a label,” De Bertotto admits, adding that it’s tough to know what’s a common skin allergen. And even if formulations were printed in black and white on the bottle—which they aren’t—they would be challenging to understand without a degree in chemistry or pharmacology. “A lotion may banner ‘sulfate-free,’ but it might not need sulfates in the first place.” Laura Verallo de Bertotto
Finding Your Formula
For decades, the beauty industry has been marketed to address skin type. However, this strategy has become outdated and reductive in understanding your skin’s needs.
For instance, in recent years, increasing cases of acne have been distressing members of the so-called dry-skin set. Meanwhile, those who proclaim to have oily skin have been encountering allergies. VMV does away with the old skin type distinction. Instead, de Bertotto pushes for a more specific solution. She requires customers to answer 20 questions that deep-dive into persistent complexion concerns, skin history, medication, and vitamins on your regimen, and even hobbies and occupation.
“For specific steps to figure out the proper formulation for your skin needs, we need to focus on the needs,” de Bertotto says. “If there’s acne, what type of acne might it be? Has there been a diagnosis? Could a lack of sleep or other lifestyle choices be contributing to the issue? If the concern is melasma, do you use products with fragrances—which are powerful photo-allergens? Do you garden? Plants are also photo-allergens.”
Discovering patterns and locations could also help find the resolution. Redness or rashes that appear on one side of your face could be your pillowcase. Acne around your hairline could be caused by hair products.
“It’s more complex but also more exact,” says de Bertotto. “If you identify the culprit and/or condition accurately, clarity is often remarkable and long-lasting and far less expensive. With staggering frequency, prevention alone can be dramatically effective.”
If you’re still figuring out your beauty journey, the best tip is to err on the side of safety. Every individual has different skin requirements, but logistically, most brands would find it impractical to create person-specific skincare products—or effective ones, anyway.
In VMV’s case, they create skincare lines that every person needs. De Bertotto shares that staying away from allergens, irritants, and comedogens benefits everyone. Without these in their formulations, you’ll have fewer chances of inflammation (reducing aging, acne, and flare-ups in sensitive skin). You’ll also boost skin elasticity and become better equipped to fight infection. VMV also employs only the safest and most proven effective ingredients and methods.
“The safer the product, the more it works for you as therapy or prevention or both,” she adds.
Despite these measures, de Bertotto also encourages customers to take a patch test for purposes of practicality. It’s the quickest way to learn how your skin reacts to an ingredient or a product. Note, however, that your skin goals and your skin itself change over time, so what may work now might trigger a reaction in the future.
The VMV Way
VMV Hypoallergenics was founded in 1979 by a Filipino dermatologist-dermatopathologist who began concocting solutions for acne scars, sensitivities, and photodamage for the man she would eventually marry.
This capsule of a story reveals the brand’s key difference. “Our founder helped promote a deeper understanding of the skin,” relates de Bertotto. “We focus on function and need, not trends. We focus on skin, period, and it guides all our formulations.”
“If an excellent ingredient is the safest and most effective for a need (or many needs!) then why introduce a new product?” she continues.
Despite the company’s long history, VMV is noteworthy for its well-curated and streamlined catalog. “New doesn’t mean better,” explains de Bertotto simply. “Something new can be not yet well studied. Nanoparticles, for example, make sunscreen feel fantabulous, but the jury is still out on how much of those molecules can penetrate the dermis.”
VMV is also diligent when it comes to extensive patch testing on each ingredient and the final product and performing evidence-based clinical trials. De Bertotto also confesses that figuring out allergen-free formulations and finding allergen-free packaging isn’t a walk in the park.
When choosing skincare products, De Bertotto emphasizes that taking your cue from your skin’s needs is better than getting awed by amazing marketing.
“Despite what marketing might imply, under a microscope, skin cells are skin cells,” she says. If something has already proven to be effective on a particular type of acne or organism in one skin, it should work on others—you just need to recalibrate the formula, the way you would adjust the settings on the machine and not change the machine itself.
