Scene: It’s been a big day. One of mental and muscular fatigue. You head home—or, you’ve been home the whole time, given *these difficult times*—and start entertaining various self-care strategies. Epsom salt bath, glass of wine, a sheet mask… all three, likely.
Thinking through these activities feels almost as soothing as doing them.
Because that’s what self care does so well: it soothes; it relaxes. Wikipedia, the superlative source of truth for denizens the world over, defines self-care as “any necessary human regulatory function which is under individual control, deliberate and self-initiated.”
Self-care as a fun, indulgent activity—no more or less—is a totally valid and great thing. Your you-time, a familiar way of checking in with yourself and winding down.
Sheet masks are fairly synonymous with self-care: Plop one on, read, embark on some kind of Netflix marathon, feel dewy, move on.
But what if self-care could also be high-performance?
That’s a question we asked ourselves in creating our sheet mask, PRESS REFRESH. We figured a sheet mask could be a deep-diving, pore unclogging endeavor that complements your regular anti-acne routine—rather than just leaving you dewy for an hour, and not much else.
So! Play by play, here’s what PRESS REFRESH is all about.
Graphene tech
We’ll get right into it by explaining the mask’s structure. ‘Graphene’ sounds like the kind of technological flex typically reserved for 2k21 weaponry or perhaps an aeroplane, but nope! PRESS REFRESH’s graphene tech is made to increase the skin’s conductivity and cell metabolism, which primes its layers for deep and thorough absorption of the mask’s ingredients. How does she do it?! Well, when you saturate a sheet mask with graphene powder (as we do with ours) its teeny tiny carbon molecules are so small that they’re able to properly infiltrate the skin and act as a postal service person to deliver all of the breakout-quelling ingredients into the deepest layers of your skin.
In addition to the size of the tiny carbon molecules, graphene carbon powder actually emits the same infrared rays as your body does. This means the electro-pulses are in sync, increasing the skin’s conductivity and cell metabolism, priming its layers for deep and thorough absorption of the mask’s ingredients. Increasing the skin’s conductivity and cell metabolism also enhances some of the skin’s main functions, such as collagen production, cellular rejuvenation and damage control for future skin issues.
Another v important bonus of our mask: PRESS REFRESH is composed with a mesh-net layer within its hydrogel makeup—so your mask won’t basically pole dance around your face while you’re ~relax~.
PRESS REFRESH INGREDIENTS: a.k.a., the full package
The acids (Salicylic Acid, Lactic Acid and Glycolic Acid) work hard to melt zit-causing debris/impurities, unclog pores and exfoliate the dead skin cell layer leaving a fresh layer of new skin with a more even colour/tone. Salicylic acid specifically is an oil-soluble BHA that swims deeper into the skin to unclog angry pores while also sloughing the top layer of skin cells to reveal a fresh complexion. Our dose of lactic acid has been seen to improve firmness, smoothness and appearance of fine lines and wrinkles. Since it’s water-soluble, it doesn’t venture as deep into the skin like salicylic acid, but actually loosens the connections between dead skin cells. This helps to exfoliate the top layer while brightening, smoothing, and aiding against texture. Finally, our infusion of glycolic acid also utilizes its tiny molecular weight to penetrate the skin and vanquish dead skin cells to reveal a new surface of the skin.The acids will usually result in a tingling sensation - this is good as you know they're doing their thing!
Niacinamide, also known as Vitamin B3, is quite the well-rounded ingredient. Niacini (our newly dubbed nickname for her) works to calm and soothe redness/inflammation caused by current/recent breakouts, also easing the sting of the acids. She is also critically acclaimed to minimize large pores, even skin tone, strengthen the skin’s surface, while also minimizing fine lines and wrinkles + much more. She’s an overachiever and we are happy to come to terms with that.
Hyaluronic acid. That’s it. That’s the whole tweet. Just kidding, but hyaluronic acid needs no introduction. While all those tingly jazzy acids are working their magic, we threw some HA in there to make sure your skin is locking in optimal hydration for some plump, fresh, baby-soft looking skin. HA’s fancy footwork includes binding water to collagen, therefore trapping it into the skin so it can’t run away. The binding of the H20 to collagen is what gives the skin its plumpness when it’s locked in proper hydration. God knows we need this when it’s currently as dry as our ZitSticka humor in these winter months.
Now that we’ve got your at-home facial with PRESS REFRESH covered, is your diet what’s been killing your face’s vibe? Click here to get a diet check for the healthiest complexion.
