By Marla Malcolm Beck, Bluemercury CEO and Co-founder
M-61 is a signature technical skincare product line I created for our beauty store, Bluemercury, to combine the best of technical skin science and power-packed naturals, while stripping out ingredients you really don’t want in your skincare. Our clients were coming in to Bluemercury for natural, paraben-free products, but they also wanted highly technical, visible results. They had seen the effects of dermatologist loved ingredients – vitamin C, glycolic acid, alpha hydroxy acids, and peptides – but wanted these ingredients in the most concentrated, purest form possible. That’s the premise of M-61.
Just this month, we announced the launch of our latest M-61 Skincare product: Hydraboost Body Butter! I designed it with our client-loved core Hydraboost formula of B5 and peptides for firming, then added coconut oil for an extra boost of natural hydration. It’s a vegan and gluten-free body butter you’ll want to use all summer long for firm, sleek skin!
Now truly is the time to embrace what’s not in your skincare. “No Lists” — lists of ingredients you don’t want to use — are now just as important as lists of ingredients that you do want to use. M-61 has two no-lists — one on the front of the packaging and on on the back.
Here are four of the ingredients we’ve let go — and you should, too:
- Parabens: Parabens are often put in skincare products as cheap and effective preservatives and to prevent bacteria growth. The problem with parabens is they have been proven to mimic estrogen in the body and have been linked to breast cancer and reproductive issues.
- Sulfates: Sulfates are a common ingredient to give products that foaming, soapy effect. However, they can strip the skin of natural oils that protect our skin, which can be super irritating.
- Phthalates: Phthalates are often put into skincare products to create a flexible hold with their plasticizing properties, but they have also been identified as reproductive and developmental toxins.
- Synthetic Fragrances: Although they smell good, synthetic fragrances are made with tons of chemicals including phthalates, which you now know are no good!
There are at least 100 ingredients on our “No List” that we don’t allow into our beauty products of either of the lines I created (both M-61 and Lune+Aster). Don’t forget to check your ingredient lists to make sure you’re only putting the good stuff onto your skin!
M-61 Skincare Bestsellers: All are Paraben-, Sulfate-, Phthalate- and Synthetic Fragrance-Free
- PowerGlow Peel: I can’t live without this 1-minute, 1-step exfoliating peel! It’s my one-thing-I’d-bring-to-a-desert-island pick. Glycolic and salicylic acids are combined to reduce pore size and fine lines, while chamomile and lavender calm and soothe skin in this power-packed at-home exfoliant formula.
- Hydraboost Eye Serum: We just launched this new eye serum this year and it’s already one of our best sellers. It’s made with the Hydraboost core formula of triple peptides and vitamin B5, aloe, and tamarind to brighten and firm the eye area, reducing fine lines, under-eye circles and puffiness. Some of our beauty experts put it around the mouth area to plump and firm the skin there, too!
- Hydraboost Cream: When your skin is super thirsty, this cream should be your go-to. It combines power-packed peptides to help promote firming and reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Vitamins B5 and E work with Hyaluronic acid to plump and replenish skin’s moisture level, while tamarind and aloe vera naturally hydrate and soothe skin. Papaya and white mulberry act as natural antioxidants to brighten and increase skin's radiance.
- Vitablast C Serum: I’ve been using Vitamin C serums every night for more than 10 years – they really give a glow like nothing else! This is my favorite one. It targets dull skin to create a radiant complexion, while promoting skin elasticity and protecting skin from environmental stressors. Antioxidant gallic acid works to naturally brighten, and vitamin E hydrates and soothes skin.
Marla Malcolm Beck co-founded Bluemercury in 1999 with her husband Barry Beck. She lives in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband and three kids, ages 12, 10, and 9. An absolute beauty junkie, Marla sees every moment as beauty in real life — from her travels, to family trips, to her daily role as CEO of Bluemercury and developer of two cosmetics lines, M-61 Skincare and Lune+Aster Beauty.
Find Marla at Twitter @BeautyCEO, and at Instagram @marla.beck.
Find Bluemercury at Twitter @bluemercury, Instagram @bluemercury, and www.bluemercury.com
