Why what you put on your skin matters - Dr. Mark Hyman

Why what you put on your skin matters

What you put on your skin matters just as much as what you eat.

My patients are often really surprised to hear this, but then I remind them the skin is an organ that absorbs everything that goes on it, passing it along through the bloodstream.

Even when we eat the right diet for glowing skin, many of us still rely on skincare products like moisturizers, cleansers, and various cosmetics to help us look the way we want (which usually means younger).

Unfortunately, most of these products contain thousands of toxic ingredients that should never come anywhere near your skin. 

Chemicals like parabens, phthalates, synthetic colors, formaldehyde, fragrances, and propylene glycol make most mainstream skincare and beauty products look and smell nice—but also highly toxic.

Ingredients like these are related to hormone disruption, allergies, and even disease. This means that instead of supporting your health and longevity, your skincare routine could be working against it.

Which skincare products can we trust?

Many skincare companies describe their products with words like “natural’ or “clean” without ever verifying those statements. But when you examine the ingredients, you find many of the toxic additives I mentioned above. It’s just like reading food labels and seeing past the health claims that Big Food uses. Simply calling a skincare product “pure” doesn’t actually make it pure, which is why I only use skincare products that are third-party-verified by proven, independent entities. 

I believe that total wellness means the foods we eat and the products we buy shouldn’t just be good for us—they should be good for the planet, too. So I look for skincare brands that are truly transparent, sharing where they source their ingredients, how they find and harvest the plants, and what the entire process looks like—from the leaf, all the way to the moment the box lands on my doorstep. 

The cleanest skincare product I’ve found

I recently discovered a skincare product that checks all these boxes and I’ve really been loving it. It’s called The Good, by Caldera + Lab.

For all you men out there wondering, yes we should be taking care of our skin too! 

Caldera + Lab is the first U.S. men’s skincare brand to be certified by Ecocert COSMOS. They’re also a B Corporation, which means they’ve volunteered to be routinely inspected, and to maintain the highest standards of environmental and social performance. None of these certifications come easily, so when I heard that they’ve been vetted by all three organizations, I knew they were a brand with integrity. 

The Good is made by hand-harvesting wild botanicals from the Teton Mountain Range. Alpine plants have to be a lot more resilient to thrive at high altitudes, which makes their antioxidant output much more potent. Wild-harvesting plants only found in isolated environments with minimal human interaction means that these ingredients are better than organic.

Caldera + Lab even conducted an independent clinical trial (very few skincare companies do this), which showed that not only does The Good work on all skin types, it also measurably reduces fine lines, wrinkles, blemishes, and evens skin tone.

I honestly feel like my skin looks a little plumper, more vibrant, and even since I started using The Good.

Another study confirmed that every drop of The Good contains 3.4 million antioxidant units and exhibits a rare property that defends against all six types of free radicals. That means this product doesn’t just improve the current condition of your skin, it also protects your skin from future sun damage and pollution.

While there are some structural differences between men’s and women’s skin (men’s skin is about 25% thicker), women can use The Good too—my wife has already stolen mine a few times.  

The products we put on our skin should meet extremely high standards—that’s why I trust The Good. I hope you’ll check it out to take better care of your skin with a clean product you can trust. Caldera + Lab is offering my community 20% off your first purchase (either single purchase, OR subscription 1’st charge). Find out more here

Wishing you health and happiness,
Mark Hyman, MD
Mark Hyman, MD

Host

Mark Hyman, MD

Mark Hyman, MD is the Founder and Director of The UltraWellness Center, the Head of Strategy and Innovation of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Functional Medicine, and a 13-time New York Times Bestselling author.

If you are looking for personalized medical support, we highly recommend contacting Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts today.


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If you are looking for personalized medical support, we highly recommend contacting Dr. Hyman’s UltraWellness Center in Lenox, Massachusetts today.

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