OneSkin Review: Topical face, eye, hair & body supplements + SPF with a difference
Created by a team of female scientists, OneSkin is a skincare company that is focused on tackling skin aging for both cosmetic and health purposes.
Because science now shows us that age and sun-damaged skin with signs of inflammation like dryness and redness actually has the potential to accelerate aging in our bodies and even impact our lifespan if allowed to continue unchecked. More on that shortly.
In studying skin aging, the OneSkin team set out to tackle this at a cellular level through their range of topical products.
The OS-1 Peptide
A couple of years back on my channel, I interviewed one of the co-founders of OneSkin Carolina Reis Oliveira and she explained their proprietary OS-1 peptide is plant-based but designed to mimic a key cell messenger in human skin.
Peptides are short chain amino acids that can act as signals between cells, nudging them into action.
As early as your 20s, your skin starts accumulating senescent cells, often described as “zombie cells” that secrete pro-inflammatory substances that degrade collagen production.
OneSkin say their OS-01 peptide targets the zombie cells, preventing them accumulating and leading to collagen degradation while adding in antioxidants and other ingredients designed to protect your skin from environmental damage.
Can the peptides penetrate the skin barrier?
OneSkin claim their research proves their peptide penetrates the skin barrier and is formulated to do so.
In a clinical trial when they applied the cream topically to a skin sample (grown in their lab) then analyzed the dermal layer they found an amount of peptide had made it through the skin barrier.
OneSkin’s OS-1 Face Topical Supplement – My mum’s experience
My mum (who is in her 80s!) used OneSkin’s face supplement daily for six months and absolutely loved the feel of this product on her skin.
Considering the price (£115/$120 for 50ml) it is, as it should be, a sophisticated formulation that is non-scented and easily absorbed into the skin.
It has a lighter consistency rather than an oily one but my mum prefers this as she doesn’t like to have shiny skin.
She stopped using face powder while she was using this product because she felt it helped balance her skin, and it felt hydrated without being oily.
Those were the more immediate effects, but over time we did see textural changes in her skin, particularly in the rougher skin around her eye area which we thought looked visibly smoother after six months.
Price is the obstacle to my mum using it long-term, but we continue to buy it every now and then as a skin treat!
Lower-cost alternative
For a lower-cost option, try No7’s Future Renew Serum. It also contains a proprietary plant-based peptide which performed well in a clinical trial, as the scientists behind it explained to me when I interviewed them.
Eye Supplement
The eye serum from OneSkin is a more concentrated version of the topical face supplement. Costing $109/£105 for just 20ml it is a tall ask of consumers to buy both products.
I did try the serum on my hooded eyelids for 8 weeks. Like the topical supplement it is nicely formulated, non-irritating, glides on and sinks in. But while my eyes looked well moisturized, I didn’t note any skin tightening benefits over that period.
In other words, this is a nice to have if you have a big skincare budget – otherwise I would stick with the face supplement.
Body Supplement
At £95/$99 for 250ml you could be tempted to use the body supplement on your face.
There is a lower concentration of the OS-1 peptide and it’s an oilier formula but dryer, more mature skin may lap this up!
My mum is currently trying out the body supplement on one of her arms.
After 10 weeks, there is a clear difference in skin hydration between her right (treated) arm and left (untreated) one.
However, that is of course largely down to the fact she hasn’t been moisturizing the left arm!
The scientists at OneSkin have been researching how the breakdown of our skin barrier as we age affects our health. It’s been shown that a build up of inflammatory cytokines (signaling molecules that trigger inflammation) in our skin can negatively affect our wider health because they can make their way into the blood stream.
So along with the anti-inflammatory peptide that is central to their range, they have also included ceramides and fatty acids within their formula that have been proven to strengthen the skin barrier.
With added antioxidants this is very nicely formulated product that will visibly improve the hydration of dry, aged skin.
The big question is, would another less expensive moisturizer with similar ingredients do just as good an overall job?
The truth is I’m not sure anyone could say that right now because it’s not clear whether the moisturizing ingredients or the peptide is doing the heaviest lifting.
To me, this is the most cost effective product in the range to try out and I would indeed be sorely tempted to use this on my face too!
Lower cost options
As a low cost alternative, good old Aveeno body moisturizer has a lot of skin-barrier-friendly ingredients in a non-irritating formula. Its star ingredient is oat kernel oil, also present in the OneSkin body lotion.
Atopalm was used in research exploring if improving skin barrier function could lower inflammation in the body.
The moisturizer contains three types of lipids – cholesterol, free fatty acids, and ceramides – associated with helping strengthen the skin barrier.
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco actually found in a clinical trial that after applying the affordable moisturizer twice daily for one month, blood levels of inflammatory cytokines on trial participants were reduced.
Hair and Scalp Serum
OneSkin have just added to the range a scalp serum which uses their own peptide and it’s of huge interest to me because within my family we have had big success with a similar serum from Calecim which uses biological growth extracts and peptides.
Like the Calecim product, OneSkin’s scalp serum can be microneedled into the scalp using a dermaroller to open the hair follicles.
And just as inflammation accelerates the breakdown of the skin, it also wreaks havoc in the scalp. The theory behind OneSkin’s new hair serum is that by reducing senescent cells in hair follicles which contribute to inflammation, the follicles regain function leading to increased hair growth and volume.
From past experience and discussion with experts, a serum like this is typically best used on thinning hair. For areas of scalp that have been bald for several years or more, the reality is the follicles may have died.
The idea is you use this serum once or twice daily – and it has been shown in their clinical trial to deliver results even without using a dermaroller. Results should be seen from 3 months. It’s currently priced around $150 for a three-month supply at the time of writing when using the 15% discount code CLARE15 here or via the product carousel above.
OneSkin have sent us the scalp serum for independent review so we’ll be putting this product to the test and reporting back. We’ll also explore frequency longer-term because in our experience once you start to see results you are likely able to cut back on frequency of use and save money!
SPF
OneSkin’s SPF is available in separate formulas for the face and body, using non-nano zinc oxide, so larger molecules less likely to penetrate the skin and enter the bloodstream.
The face product is SPF 30, and you can buy it in either tinted or untinted. They have a helpful guide on their website that’s worth taking a look at for the level of cast reported by customers of different skin types using the tinted or untinted formulas.
It’s a smart sunscreen because it contains the proprietary peptide along with some other nice-to-haves like antioxidants to help further product the skin.
The sunscreens are again nicely formulated, not drying though I didn’t find it particularly moisturizing either.
They’re unscented, lightweight and more liquid in consistency so spread easily and evenly and are comparitively low on cast, especially the tinted option. The tint is quite dark so if you have very light skin tone you might be better with the untinted, conversely if you have a darker skin tone that would be the one to try.
The downside is price it’s £45/$56 for just 40ml so that does put it at the upper end of the market.
Bottom line
And the bottom line is if you’re a OneSkin fan and money is no object then this is a nice addition wich is going to give you protection and another layer of the peptide.
However, as this is a physical sunscreen the absorption of that peptide is going to be reduced in the sunscreen compared with the face supplement.
If you’re choosing between one or the other, you’d likely be better going for the topical face supplement and using a lower cost sunscreen on top.
The body SPF is pretty faultless as a well-formulated sunscreen but at £52/$54, money may better spent on either the body and/or face supplements, while using a lower cost mineral SPF on top. You’ll find my sunscreen recommendations in this article here.
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