The early part of the year and the build-up to spring is a time when a lot of people think about changing their skin routine, using new products or booking an online skin consultation to see what in-clinic treatments would suit them best.
With so many skincare products, routines and philosophies out there, it can be overwhelming to many people who want to make a change, but an important aspect to think about is not just the quality of a product but how well it works with other parts of your routine and with your skin type.
This is the philosophy at the heart of biocompatibility, the idea that for a skincare product to be effective, it must work well with the body’s systems and not cause issues such as irritation, redness, soreness or allergic reactions.
The idea behind it is that our bodies will accept some ingredients more than others, and if they are not accepted and are thus not biocompatible, they will be rejected by the body.
The results of this can vary from it simply not working, to causing chemical build-up, which causes irritation, redness, dry and patchy skin.
Most of this is known and followed by people who have an established skincare routine; you buy products that suit your skin type and drop anything that gives a bad reaction. This is biocompatibility in all but name.
However, there is another, more contentious aspect to the concept, which is not only about products having compatibility with your body, but also compatibility with each other.
The core parts of a skincare routine, the cleanser, moisturisers, serums and oils should all work in harmony, and some experts have suggested that people would get better results by buying a set from the same line rather than picking and choosing, although this itself has sparked debate.