Epigenetic cosmetics
Your skin is not determined solely by the genes you have inherited. It also evolves based on your environment and your lifestyle.
That is the whole principle of epigenetics - and it is on this idea that Skin Diligent was built.
In cosmetics, there is a lot of talk about star active ingredients.
But your skin never receives an active ingredient alone. It receives an entire formula.
The retinol, vitamin C, or peptides highlighted on the bottle generally represent only 1 to 5% of the product. Everything else is composed of emulsifiers, humectants, solvents, preservatives, and texture ingredients.
At Skin Diligent, we call them the "invisibles."
They are less visible in marketing discourse, but not to your skin.
Because this is precisely what epigenetics teaches us: a cell adapts its functioning to all the signals it receives from its environment.
And for a skin cell, skincare is part of that environment. Not just its star ingredient. Its entire formula.
That is why Skin Diligent defines epigenetic cosmetics as a way of formulating that takes into account the overall environment of the skin cell, rather than building a product around a single star active ingredient.
What is epigenetics?
Epigenetics studies how our cells use the information contained in our DNA based on the signals they receive.
If DNA is a musical score, epigenetics is the conductor: it helps determine which parts will be played, when, and with what intensity.
The DNA itself does not change. What can evolve is the way our cells use certain information it contains.
Small chemical mechanisms can thus influence the activity of certain genes. And these mechanisms evolve according to the signals received by the cell and its environment.
The example of identical twins illustrates this particularly well.
In 2005, researchers compared genetically identical twins of different ages. Among the youngest, their epigenetic profiles were very similar. Among the oldest, they diverged more.
Yet they still had the same DNA.
Same genetic heritage, but after several decades of different lives and exposures, their cells no longer interpreted it in exactly the same way.
Scientific source: Cohort study published in 2009 in the British Medical Journal, led by Professor Kaare Christensen.
Epigenetic cosmetics and longevity: what is the difference?
For us, these are two dimensions of the same approach.
Epigenetics helps us understand how the skin responds to its environment.
Longevity leads us to ask what we are seeking to preserve over time.
Anti-aging focuses primarily on visible signs today: wrinkles, firmness, radiance, texture.
Longevity adds another question:
What will your skin still be able to do tomorrow?
Healthy skin is not just about its appearance. It must also maintain its barrier, retain water, renew itself, repair damage, defend against external aggressions, and preserve the balance of its microbiome.
With age, some of these functions gradually become less effective.
This is why we speak of skin longevity when we combine two dimensions: visible results today and the preservation of the skin's essential capabilities over time.
The concept is similar to that of healthspan in medicine: it is not simply about living longer, but about staying healthy and functional for longer.
For the skin, the idea is the same.
Anti-aging focuses on what we see. Longevity also focuses on what the skin is still capable of doing.
Epigenetics helps us decide how to formulate.
Longevity reminds us why we formulate.