Supporting Circularity Through Biotic Skincare

A couple of years ago, I became increasingly aware of the growing pollution in our seas. Sadly, it’s estimated that by 2050 there will be more plastic, by weight, than fish in the oceans. Having worked in the beauty industry for over 20 years, I began to feel that doing good for our planet and communities should never be an afterthought. I also became increasingly concerned about green-washing, over-consumption, and high levels of ineffective ingredients packed with superfluous packaging I found in almost every product.

But sustainability is more than just the ingredients and this prompted me to start investigating how to create more circular and meaningful beauty. A true, value driven circular lifestyle brand.

As you might have guessed from the name ‘Circulove’, the concept of circularity and giving back was what inspired us from the beginning. Circulove was born out of a desire to do good for people and the planet in a sustainable way. Circularity focuses on cycles instead of the “take-make-waste” model. Circularity is also sharing good; supporting local fishermen, women cooperatives and small entrepreneurs for shared value creation.

Our commitment from day one has been to create circular, biotic skincare products with no compromises in efficacy or traceability.

If there is a recent movement in skin care, it has to be biotic and biome-friendly skin care. Having suffered from over sensitive, rosacea skin for all my life, I personally was intrigued by biome-friendly, skin-compatible ingredients that support long lasting results - not just quick fixes.

The billions of microbes living on you are called your skin microbiome. Optimal skin condition depends also on the microbes living on and in it. A healthy, balanced microbiome equals healthy, balanced skin. Your skin is better able to stay hydrated, deal with inflammation, protect itself from environmental stressors, deal with skin conditions, and age healthier.

Constant use of harsh facial cleansers and antibacterial soaps strip your skin of these healthy bacteria and consequently damage your skin's natural bacterial ecosystem. This in turn makes your skin stressed and dry, causing skin issues like breakouts, acne, eczema, rosacea and psoriasis.

So, what can you do to build back your skin's natural defenses and healthy function? Enter biotic skincare.

Biotic skin care is the broad term in which we categorize products infused with biome-specific ingredients, like pre-, pro-, and postbiotics. Combining all these together into formula helps to more effectively balance and feed the skin’s microbiome. A healthy skin microbiome not only protects you from damage and dryness, it also leads to a more radiant and healthy skin.

Our products contain fermented oat, clover flower, tapioca and willow bark. Our slow-fermentation process with Lactobacillus produces beneficial probiotics and postbiotics. Fermented ingredients keep the skin’s pH healthy and balanced. Fermentation also creates new skin-enhancing properties like peptides, vitamins, probiotics, and enzymes.

Each product also utilizes pure, food-grade oils like raspberry, strawberry, blackcurrant, hemp and rosehip that are 99,8% pure with the majority being co-products from the organic food industry. These oils are rich in antioxidants, omegas and essential fatty acids to support your skin barrier. Combining these oils with probiotics helps to keep your skin moisturized and plumped for a youthful tone and texture.