Our 611 Skincare Routine

Overview

When it comes to sensitive, acne-prone skin, climate plays an important role. With our 611 Advanced Formula skincare line, we have devloped a family of products that will fight your skin concerns with a few effective steps. Especially during the water months, heat and humidity impact our skin in a huge way, so we've also prepared a blog that covers everything that you need to know about its influence.

Creating your ideal skincare routine can be stressful, but our 611 Advanced Formula skincare line keeps things simple. At AXIS-Y, not only do we care about your skin, but we also care about your well-being, because stress is one of the worst triggers for skin issues. So don’t panic! Relax and let’s go over a basic 3 step skincare routine to achieve healthy and glowing skin.

Table showing the which products can be used for which purpose

Step 1: Cleanse

The first step includes:

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Eye makeup remover
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Gel or foaming cleansers
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Cleansing masks or scrubs
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Toner 
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Thorough cleansing is the first step to effective skincare. Cleansing products work to:

Remove environmental pollutants, sweat, sebum, and any makeup residue

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Prep the skin for the following steps
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Cleansed skin is better able to absorb the active ingredients contained in other skin care products.

Quinoa One-Step Balanced Gel Cleanser and Daily Purifying Treatment Toner lying next to each other

How To Cleanse and Tone

1. Eye Makeup Remover

While some gel or foam cleansers remove makeup (like our Quinoa One-Step Balanced Gel Cleanser), you may still need to use an eye makeup remover for hard-to-remove eye makeup that is often waterproof.

NOTE: To gently remove makeup from the eyelashes and from the delicate area of the eyes, use eye makeup remover with a cotton pad and gently wipe around your eye area.

2. Gel/Foaming Cleansers

The difference between a makeup remover and a face cleanser is simple. Makeup remover’s purpose is to remove heavy or waterproof makeup. A Cleanser's job is to cleanse excess oil, dirt, residue and light makeup from your face.
Use a gentle cleanser for your skin. Look for cleansers containing ingredients like: Decyl Glucoside Sodium, Cocoyl Glutamate, and Cocamidopropyl betaine.

Our Quinoa One-Step Balanced Gel Cleanser was formulated specifically for sensitive and acne-prone skin with very gentle cleansing agents like Decyl Glucoside and Sodium Cocoyl Glutamate. This cleanser has a pH of 5.5 that is matching our skin pH (4.7-5.75). The closer a product's pH to our natural skin pH, the happier our skin’s microbiome is.

Man using a foaming cleanser on his face, smiling and laughing

NOTE: Cleanser should be washed off with lukewarm water. Do not use hot or extremely cold water, especially if you have sensitive skin, as these extreme temperatures can cause skin irritation.

3. Deep Cleansing

Woman wearing green mugwort clay mask looking into the camera

Deep cleansing includes products that work not only on the surface of your skin, but also deep within to unclog your pores, refresh your skin, and even reduce inflammation. There are so many factors that cause your pores to get clogged from fine dust to humidity, which is why you it is helpful to deep cleanse 2-3 times per week.

NOTE: While it is recomended to do this 2-3 times a week, it may be reduced to 1 time a week depending on your skins condition.

Recently we launched our Mugwort Pore Clarifying Wash Off Pack that clears the pores of impurities and manages rough skin by gently exfoliating dead skin cells, and also soothes inflamed and irritated skin with its antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antifungal properties.

HOW TO USE A MUGWORT PORE WASH OFF PACK

Apply it evenly all around your face avoiding eye and mouth areas on dry and clean skin.
Allow to dry and harden for approximately 15 minutes and rinse off with lukewarm water.

4. Toner

Toner refreshes your skin and restores its natural pH (4.7-5.75), which can be damaged by tap water (pH=>7). A change in skin pH can lead to irritation of the skin, and cause issues like dryness and acne.

HOW TO USE TONER

Soak a cotton pad with the toner and gently wipe it over your skin, avoiding the direct eye and mouth area.
TIP: Avoid the direct eye and mouth area if BHA and/or AHA is included.

HOW TO CHOOSE A TONER

These days you can find toners containing AHAs and BHAs (mild chemical exfoliators).
If you have sensitive and acne-prone skin, look for toners that include AHAs and BHAs like: Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid, Mandelic Acid, Salicylic Acid, and Citric Acid.

Woman looking down using a cotton pad on her cheek

Make sure to start from a low concentration if you are new to these acids. For example, for sensitive skin, it is suggested to start with 0.5% Salicylic Acid.

Our Daily Purifying Treatment Toner contains the BHA Salicylic Acid (0.5%) which helps to gently exfoliate the skin without stripping it of its natural oils.

Step 2: Nourish

The next important step is moisturizing and hydrating the skin to keep it nourished.
The list of products that could be used is quite long, but here are the most basic products that treat and repair our skin:

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Essence
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Ampoule 
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Serum
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Moisturizing cream
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Nourishing products should moisturize and regenerate the skin. Moisturizing not only increases the water content (hydration) in the skin, but also protects and regulates self/automatic exfoliation, making the skin soft, smooth, and happy.

Diagram showing the order of a skincare routine from 1 to 7

AXIS-Y's Spot The Difference Blemish Treatment opened with the formula spilling out

Repair and Treatment

This is a good point to target any of those specific skin issues you're fighting. At AXIS-Y, we aim to fight problems like acne, hyperpigmentation, and blemishes.

Our Artichoke Intensive Skin Barrier Ampoule repairs and heals the skin barrier by delivering rich antioxidants, nutrients, and hydration.
Our Dark Spot Correcting Glow Serum targets dark spots and improves uneven skin tone. If a mask is more your style, our New Skin Resolution Mask, which has 2% Niacinamide is for you!
Our Spot The Diferrence Blemish Treatment works to soothe breakouts and treat blemishes, restoring the skin's barrier and clearing the skin.

Hydration

So the above products work on specific problems like hyperpigmentation and blemishes. Now how can we help our skin stay hydrated?

All skin types can be dehydrated, including oily skin.
Skin tightness can be associated with dehydration, which can result in dry and flaky skin. However when you have oily skin type, your body will try to compensate for dehydration by overproducing oil.

We can solve this problem by balancing the oil to water ratio of the skin. But the tricky part is: how do you deal with dehydrated combination skin type? Don’t worry, we've created exactly what you need. Our Cera-Heart My Type Duo Cream has two distinctive formulas that target two specific areas of your face: “T zone” and “U zone” which equate to the typical “oily zone” and “dry zone”.

An ampoule, cream, and essence toner laying next to each other

One interesting fact about the skin is that it can change depending on many factors like climate change and health conditions.

For overall deep hydration of the skin, our Water Your Skin Collection is the perfect set to keep your skin moisturized from within. The collection includes the Aqua Boosting Essence Toner, Advanced Aqua Boosting Ampoule, and Heartleaf My Type Calming Cream.

Step 3: Protect

We can’t stress this step enough. We need to protect our skin from UV rays. These harmful rays don't only accelerate aging of the skin but they can also cause skin cancer. With this knowledge, we should know about the different types of sunscreen. We prepared an in-depth blog about sunscreens you can read about here.

Table showing the different active ingredients in sunscreen, the types of UV, and the rating systems of sunscreen

Graphic showing how UVA and UVB rays cause skin damage

NOTE: If you have sensitive skin, it is recommended to choose a Physical/Mineral sunscreen.

How to choose a sunscreen

We suggest choosing a sunscreen with the highest Sun Protection Factor (SPF) and strongest protection grade of UVA (PA): SPF 50+ and PA++++

A great example is our Complete No-Stress Physical Sunscreen

It was formulated for all skin types, and is especially great for sensitive skin.

What you need to know about our Sunscreen:

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It has an SPF of 50+
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With PA++++
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It is a physical sunscreen (good for sensitive skin, good for the environment)
It has a semi-dewy finish, with minimal white cast that fades after application

Girl with a streak of white sunscreen on her cheek

How to use sunscreen

Sunscreen is the last step in your morning skincare routine. Apply it all over your face and neck by patting it in until it is fully absorbed.

Tip: Apply sunscreen 20-30 min before leaving your house for the sunscreen to be most effective.

Self-care

Face mapping will help you get an idea of your body's internal condition. Don’t forget that stress is also reflected on your skin, start with meditation or chamomile tea.

Taking small steps towards a healthy lifestyle such as exercise, meditation, and a nutritious diet in addition to the right skincare routine will lead you in the right direction to your best, glowing skin.