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Panacea
- We're often led to believe that the more products you slap on your face, the more effective they'll be.
- Skin care brand Panacea supports the opposite: with only a few products - a cleanser ($24), moisturizer ($36), and sunscreen ($32) - you can have soft, hydrated, and protected skin.
- It focuses on the contents, rather than the quantity of the skin care products, and uses cruelty-, paraben-, and sulfate-free ingredients to achieve natural, healthy results.
- The simple, gender-neutral products streamline your daily skin care routine so you focus on the day ahead of you.
- Right now through November 28, as a special Cyber Monday deal for Business Insider readers, take 20% off all orders with the code "HOLIDAY2018". Or, buy one Essentials Kit and get another kit for 30% off - your code will be automatically applied upon checkout.
Starting your day with purpose and intention is easier when you have fewer things trying to capture your attention all at once. This philosophy of simplicity drives decluttering guru Marie Kondo's organization empire, the morning routines of founders and executives, and clothing brands that, for once, are okay with customers buying just a few of their pieces, because those pieces are all they need.
Such simplicity is starting to extend into the beauty industry, but more so in the realm of ingredients (clean, natural, chemical-free) than the beauty routine itself. The Korean beauty world is notorious for espousing 10-step routines to hydrate, moisturize, tighten, and otherwise pamper your skin.
A new skin care company, Panacea, completely agrees that you should invest in beautiful, healthy skin, but believes you can pare your daily routine to just three (yes, three) essential products: a cleanser, a moisturizer, and a sunscreen.
Since it only has these three products, Panacea can focus with excruciating detail on the integrity of their ingredients. They're cruelty-, paraben-, and sulfate-free, containing natural ingredients like Laminaria japonica (a Japanese seaweed), fig extract, and sunflower oil.
Panacea
Panacea
The routine, to be followed during the day and night, goes like this:
1. Cleanse with the Daily Facial Cleanser.
The foaming cleanser contains a gentle cleansing agent derived from coconut oil to draw out impurities, a "Moisture Shield Complex" with hyaluronic acid to nourish your skin, and antioxidants like green tea extract and vitamin E to moisturize and soften. Users who struggle with acne have seen a noticeable difference in their skin after using this smooth, non-drying cleanser.
2. Replenish with the Daily Facial Moisturizer.
Once your skin is cleansed, the next step is this lightweight moisturizer. It also contains the Moisture Shield Complex, in addition to shea butter to soften your skin, and Amaranthus caudatus to minimize the appearance of wrinkles. It both feels and smells refreshing, and it's not oily, which is especially welcome during the summer - because grease belongs on an indulgent slice of pizza, not on my face after I walk outside for five minutes.
3. Protect with the Daily Facial SPF.
Finish the routine off with the sunscreen, which is important to wear even if it's not sunny out (UV rays still penetrate through clouds). Panacea's scentless sunscreen has SPF 25 and broad spectrum UVA/UVB protection. Like the moisturizer, it's light and non-oily, with a number of beneficial ingredients. Among others, there's Houttuynia cordata extract, a Korean herb and natural antihistamine that is high in antioxidants; Cardiospermum flower extract, a soothing anti-inflammatory; and Portulaca Extract, a moisturizing and itch-relieving antihistamine.
Panacea/Instagram
Panacea was cofounded by Terry Lee, the former COO of MeUndies, after his own battle with cystic acne. As he worked on improving his skin by trying out different products, he also began streamlining the rest of his morning routine and discovered the power of beginning each day on the right foot.
Panacea combines these two journeys - better skin care and routine with intent - by condensing the traditional, intimidating multi-step skin care process into a more manageable yet equally effective one that can be done in a few minutes.
Stepping away from the gendered world of skin care and further simplifying things, Panacea intends for its products to be gender-neutral. People of all genders can benefit from its natural skin care products because the desire for nicer skin and a good start to the day is pretty much universal. Now, you don't have to sneak pumps of your partner or sibling's cleanser or lotion.
Panacea's mission is as refreshing as its products. I think I let out an audible sigh of relief upon seeing I only needed to manage three steps every morning and night in order to get better skin. Each one feels light and soothing thanks to natural, chemical-free formulations, showing that you don't have to be aggressive or complex in the way you treat your skin at the beginning and end of your day.
Shop all Panacea products here: Daily Facial Cleanser ($24), Daily Facial Moisturizer ($36), Daily Facial SPF ($32). Or buy them together in the Essentials Kit ($74).
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