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Despite eating our fruits and veggies, most of us understand the importance of hedging our nutritional bets – more than 71% of the US population consume oral vitamin supplements daily.  Many of us take a similar approach in our beauty routine with vitamin-enriched skincare.  Some vitamins actually work better when applied topically in well-formulated skincare while others deliver few benefits.  When shopping for skincare, forget your ABC’s and target the vitamin derivative by name which is most capable of delivering the desired improvement to your skin.     Information regarding clinical research and efficacy studies for the use of topical...

Life has a way of teaching us lessons that we don’t think that we need to learn.  In challenging my bias against Retinol in skincare, I uncovered such a lesson.  Swapping out my tretinoin, I discovered some distinct advantages of Retinol over it’s prescription-strength counterparts.  For me, Retinol is the Goldilocks of Retinoids – just right. Over-the-Counter (OTC) Retinoids Retinoids are a family of compounds related to Vitamin A.   Prized for the capability of improving the appearance of wrinkles, they serving as an antioxidant, encouraging cellular turnover, boosting elastin, and more.    Varying in efficacy and function, the most widely available...

Risen to fame for the multiple skin benefits, topical Niacinamide (Vitamin B3) has elevated to a “must-have” for skincare.  The buzz stems from the ability to improve the look of wrinkles, pores, skin tone, and dullness, along with potent anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.  Outlined in a previous post, it does not pair well with Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid) or other highly acidic skincare ingredients.  Well, let me introduce the Vitamin C that loves Niacinamide -- Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDA). What is Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate (THDA)? Tetrahexyldecyl Ascorbate is a highly stable, oil-soluble form of Vitamin C, widely used in skincare and personal care...

What starts as a “free trial” offer, may end up costing you big time.  Hidden in the “fine print”, you may be agreeing to accept membership fees, cancellation fees, recurring subscription fees or additional products at inflated prices. The Federal Trade Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, provides some helpful tips to avoid “free trial” scams. Before purchasing anything online, it is best to review the fine print. Valuing transparency, about-face essentials prominently displays our Terms of Service.    The same is true for our Return Policy.  If you are not 100% happy with your about-face essentials skincare purchase, email a.f.essentials@gmail.com...