As our skin evolves over time, it requires tailored care focused on hydration, firmness, and protection from environmental stressors.

Aspen Dew Illuminating Essence addresses these needs by serving as a multi-functional skincare product that replaces multiple items in a routine, making it ideal for anyone seeking simplicity without compromising on effectiveness.

Let’s dive into each benefit and explore how Aspen Dew meets your skin’s needs with powerful ingredients and thoughtful formulations. Plus, discover additional tips for enhancing your overall skin health.

1. Facial Toner: Prep and Balance Skin pH

• Why Toners Matter: Toners play a key role in balancing the skin’s pH after cleansing, which can be disrupted by tap water and harsh cleansers. A balanced pH is essential for skin resilience and moisture retention.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Aloe vera is rich in polysaccharides that soothe and hydrate, while rose oil offers mild antibacterial properties and a refreshing effect.
• Pro Tip: For best results, apply Aspen Dew on slightly damp skin to lock in additional moisture. This enhances the absorption of the following ingredients and preps your skin for hydration.
• Lifestyle Tip: Consider reducing the number of cleansing steps to prevent over-stripping natural oils. Gentle, non-foaming cleansers or oil cleansers are especially beneficial for mature skin.

2. Retinol Alternative: Gentle Cell Renewal

• Why Retinol Alternatives are Important: Retinoids promote cell turnover, helping improve texture and tone. However, they can sometimes cause dryness and sensitivity, particularly in skin that’s prone to dryness.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Dew bean extract is a plant-based retinol alternative that supports smooth, fresh-looking skin without irritation.
• Pro Tip: Incorporate Aspen Dew into your nighttime routine to take advantage of your skin’s natural repair cycle, allowing dew bean to work effectively while you sleep.
• Lifestyle Tip: Nourish your skin from the inside out by eating foods rich in Vitamin A and beta-carotene, like sweet potatoes and carrots, to support healthy skin renewal.

3. Wrinkle Cream: Support Firmness & Reduce Fine Lines

• Why Supporting Firmness is Essential: As skin changes over time, it may lose its natural elasticity, which makes ingredients that support firmness a key part of maintaining skin health.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Edelweiss extract is rich in antioxidants that promote elasticity and smoothness by supporting collagen, fortifying the skin’s natural structure.
• Pro Tip: Pair Aspen Dew with a gentle facial massage to boost circulation and encourage deeper penetration of edelweiss into the skin. Use upward motions to help lift and firm.
• Lifestyle Tip: Adding collagen-boosting foods like bone broth to your diet can support skin's elasticity, helping it retain a more lifted appearance.

4. Antioxidant Cream: Protect Against Environmental Stressors

• Why Antioxidants are Crucial: Environmental stressors such as pollution and UV rays can accelerate visible skin changes by generating free radicals. Antioxidants neutralize these harmful molecules, helping to prevent damage.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Superoxide dismutase is a powerful enzyme that breaks down free radicals, while edelweiss offers extended protection against oxidative stress.
• Pro Tip: Apply Aspen Dew in the morning to ensure antioxidant protection throughout the day. Follow with SPF 30+ to maximize defense against the elements.
• Lifestyle Tip: Consider an antioxidant-rich diet by incorporating berries, green tea, and dark chocolate to support skin health from within.

5. Vitamin C Serum: Reduce Dark Spots & Hyperpigmentation

• Why Vitamin C is Essential: Dark spots and uneven skin tone often develop due to sun exposure and slower cell turnover. A brightening vitamin C serum helps create a more even, glowing complexion.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Bearberry extract is a natural source of vitamin C and arbutin, both which works to fade hyperpigmentation without the risks associated with harsher alternatives. 
• Pro Tip: Consistency is key! Apply Aspen Dew twice daily to allow bearberry extract to work gradually, reducing dark spots over time.
• Lifestyle Tip: Supplement your routine with Vitamin C-rich foods like citrus fruits and bell peppers to naturally brighten skin from the inside out.

6. Hyaluronic Acid: Deep Hydration & Plumping

• Why Hydration is Key: Hyaluronic acid can hold up to 1,000 times its weight in water, making it essential for maintaining a hydrated, plump appearance.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Sodium hyaluronate, a smaller molecule form of hyaluronic acid, penetrates deeper to provide lasting hydration and visibly smooth fine lines.
• Pro Tip: Apply Aspen Dew on slightly damp skin, followed by a moisturizer to seal in the hyaluronic acid’s moisture-boosting benefits.
• Lifestyle Tip: Stay hydrated throughout the day by aiming for at least 8 glasses of water. Adding hydrating fruits like watermelon and cucumbers to your diet can also benefit your skin.

7. Niacinamide Serum: Enhance Barrier Function & Even Skin Tone

• Why Niacinamide is Essential: Niacinamide, or Vitamin B3, strengthens the skin barrier, reducing dullness, redness, and visible signs of environmental stress.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Niacinamide in Aspen Dew promotes elasticity and supports ceramide production, improving moisture retention and tone.
• Pro Tip: Use Aspen Dew daily to reap the cumulative benefits of niacinamide, helping to reduce the appearance of enlarged pores and uneven tone.
• Lifestyle Tip: Add niacinamide-rich foods like nuts, seeds, and whole grains to your diet to support your skin’s barrier function from within.

8. Facial Mist: Refresh & Hydrate Skin 

• Why Mists are Beneficial: Mists provide quick hydration boosts and help lock in the benefits of other products when layered.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Phytoceramides help strengthen the skin’s moisture barrier, while aloe vera and sodium hyaluronate keep skin soft and refreshed.
• Pro Tip: Use Aspen Dew throughout the day to replenish moisture, especially in dry environments or after sun exposure to cool skin.
• Lifestyle Tip: Keep a facial mist at your desk or carry it with you to rehydrate skin on the go, which is especially helpful in dry indoor spaces like office buildings and in airplane cabins.

9. Ceramide Serum: Strengthen & Restore Skin Barrier Health

• Why Ceramides are Important: Ceramides are lipids that occur naturally in the skin barrier, crucial for retaining moisture and protecting against environmental damage.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Glycosphingolipids, or plant-derived ceramides, enhance resilience and moisture retention, fortifying the skin barrier.
• Pro Tip: For optimal barrier protection, apply Aspen Dew as the first layer of hydration, followed by an oil serum to reinforce the barrier and lock in moisture.
• Lifestyle Tip: Consuming healthy fats, like avocado and omega-3-rich fish, supports your skin’s natural lipid levels, which can help keep your skin’s barrier strong.

10. Calming Elixir: Reduce Redness

• Why Calming Ingredients are Needed: With age, skin can become more sensitive and prone to redness. Calming ingredients help soothe inflammation and provide relief.
• Ingredient Spotlight: Aspen bark extract is both anti-inflammatory and antiseptic, while aloe vera and edelweiss calm and nourish sensitive skin.
• Pro Tip: Use Aspen Dew as a post-sun treatment to cool and calm reddened skin. Apply chilled for an extra-soothing effect.
• Lifestyle Tip: Avoid extreme temperatures on your skin, like hot water or direct sun exposure. Incorporate anti-inflammatory foods like turmeric and ginger to calm your skin from the inside out.

Streamline Your Routine with Aspen Dew

Aspen Dew Illuminating Essence is more than just a single skincare product— it’s a  10-in-1 facial treatment, designed to nourish, protect, and revitalize your skin.

By incorporating Aspen Dew into your daily routine, you’re not only saving time but also ensuring that your skin receives comprehensive care to stay resilient, radiant, and healthy.

For those looking to simplify their skincare regimen while maintaining a luminous, refreshed appearance, Aspen Dew Illuminating Essence offers a convenient, powerful alternative that delivers exceptional results in a single bottle.

By now, we've all heard it a million times, antioxidants are one of those "must have" ingredients we all need to have in our skincare.

But why? What's all this fuss about antioxidants and should you care?

In short, the answer is yes. Antioxidants matter as much in our skincare as they do in our diet. Your mother's advice about eating all your vegetables is sound. Here's how it pertains to skin health.

What are antioxidants?

Antioxidants are active substances that help your skin neutralize the negative effects of free radicals. They also work to prevent oxidation and subsequent oxidative damage of other molecules.

Antioxidants are a key ingredient in helping to prevent premature skin aging. This is an important distinction, antioxidants do not treat existing wrinkles, they work to curb the effects of environmental factors that lead to fine lines and wrinkles.

Because antioxidants help neutralize free radicals, incorporating an antioxidant serum into your skincare routine will help curb the loss of firmness and elasticity and help keep premature wrinkles from forming.

Examples of antioxidants are polyphenols, certain vitamins (Vit E and Vit C), minerals, and others like Superoxide Dismutase (SOD) and Coenzyme Q10.

Polyphenols are some of our favorite antioxidants because they occur abundantly in nature and are found in many whole-plant ingredients.  

• Flavonols: Flavonoids (from Aspen Bark)
• Flavones: Apigenin (from Roman Chamomile)
• Flavanals: Catechins (from Green Tea)
• Tannins: Ellagic acid (from Cranberries)
• Phytoalexins: Resveratrol (from Bearberries, Plums, Cranberries and Grapes)
• Hydroxycinnamic Acids: Ferulic acid (from whole grains, grasses, vegetables and fruits)

What are the benefits of antioxidants in skincare?

By interrupting the inflammation cascade triggered by free radicals, also known as the free radical cascade, antioxidants help curb oxidative damage to skin cells.

They do this by binding one of their electrons to free radicals effectively neutralizing it so that they can not oxidize cellular DNA and collagen-producing fibroblasts in the skin’s dermal layer.

Antioxidants also help mitigate the production of certain enzymes such as collagenase, elastase, and hyaluronidase that degrade collagen, elastin, and hyaluronic acid levels in the skin.

Are the effects of antioxidants immediately visible?

No. Just like taking a multivitamin, the effects of antioxidants on the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, and pigmentation are visible in skin health over the long term. That’s why having a consistent skincare routine is key.

What should I look for in an antioxidant product?

Antioxidants are reactive and must be appropriately packaged in dark glass containers and stored in a cool, light-free environment when not in use.

A quality antioxidant serum like our Alpine Phytonutrient Serum will contain a synergistic blend of various antioxidants to squelch the effects of the many free radical types that can form from the inflammation cascade.

Let’s talk about plants, specifically alpine plants. From low oxygen levels, limited rainfall, windy peaks, and high elevations, alpine botanicals have had to adapt to extreme environments. They are also exposed to roughly 30% more UV rays than plants at lower elevations. 

These harsh conditions have led alpine botanicals to produce phytochemical defenses to protect themselves from these environmental stressors, including damaging UV rays. 

Powerful botanical constituents like polyphenols, pigment-rich carotenoids, flavonoids, and phytoceramides all work to help alpine extremophiles shield themselves from harmful UV rays.

Unlike alpine botanicals that have evolved to thrive in extreme conditions, too much sun exposure on our skin can cause a host of problems. From oxidative damage to increased inflammation, UV exposure can lead to premature skin aging and collagen breakdown or worse. You can read all about the effects of UV rays in our previous post, “5 Ways UV Rays Damage Your Skin.”

The good news is that the phytonutrients from alpine botanicals have been shown to help revitalize sun-stressed skin. They provide critical micronutrients that improve skin barrier health at the deepest level and help support the skin’s own defense mechanism against environmental assault.

To help fortify and restore your skin from the damaging effects of  UV rays, consider incorporating alpine adaptogens into your skincare routine. 

The following five alpine plants have been specifically selected to support skin barrier health, helping it to bounce back more quickly from environmental stressors like UV exposure.

Fortifying & Restorative Alpine Adptogens

Edelweiss Flower Extract

Edelweiss flower extract (Gnaphalium Leontopodium) is rich in antioxidants and has anti-inflammatory properties that can help fortify the skin from UV-induced oxidative stress and inflammation. With 2X the free-radical scavenging power of vitamin C, Edelweiss is an alpine powerhouse that should be in every recovery skincare routine. You can find it in our Aspen Dew Illuminating Essence.

Bearberry Leaf Extract 

Bearberry leaf extract (Arctostaphylos Uva-Ursi) contains arbutin, a natural skin-lightening agent that can help reduce the appearance of UV-induced hyperpigmentation, combat photoaging, and age spots. 

Alpine Sea Buckthorn

High-altitude Sea Buckthorn oil (Hippophae rhamnoides) contains a wealth of nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and E, as well as essential fatty acids. These nutrients can help promote skin recovery, soothe reddened angry skin, and fight photo-aging. You can find Sea Buckthorne in our Alpine Phytonutrient Serum.

Moringa

Highly nutritive Moringa seed oil (Moringa Oleifera) contains powerful antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals that can help boost skin recovery, promote skin renewal, combat premature photoaging, and moisturize skin at the deepest level.

Rosehip Seed Oil

Rosehip seed oil (Rosa Canina) is non-comedogenic and is quickly absorbed by the skin. It is packed with antioxidants, essential fatty acids, and vitamins A and C, which can help improve skin texture, reduce fine lines & wrinkles, and promote a healthy skin barrier. An excellent choice for acne sufferers.

Takeaway on alpine adaptogens

Incorporating these powerful alpine ingredients into your daily skincare routine can help fortify your skin from the damaging effects of UV radiation and assist in restoring healthy happy skin after you’ve been in the sun. You can find all of the above alpine botanicals in our Vibrant Skin Duo.

Please remember that these botanical actives should be used as a part of a comprehensive skincare routine that includes proper sun protection measures, such as applying a non-toxic mineral-based sunscreen with at least SPF 30+.

Always consult with a dermatologist for personalized skincare advice and recommendations tailored to your specific skin concerns and needs.

In the meantime, make sure to spread the word about Skin Cancer Awareness Month and the importance of sun protection to help others take care of their skin too.

What are your favorite sun protection tips and skincare ingredients? Share your thoughts in the comments below, and don't forget to spread the word about the importance of sun protection!

One of the most noticeable changes in mature skin is in the way the skin feels.

A slower cell turnover and reduction in lipid production on the skin's surface means roughness and dryness are more likely. As this particular layer of the skin ages, it becomes more sensitive to UV light.

Over-cleansing, over-stripping, and over-drying your skin can compromise the moisture barrier and microbiomes (skin flora), which are really important for skin protection.

A less-is-more approach is one of the easiest ways to protect your skin from potential irritation, allergic reactions, and blemishes from congestion.

Because the skin’s lipid barrier replaces itself less frequently as we get older, it can become irritated more easily and cause increased sensitivity over time.

A less-is-more approach is one of the easiest ways to protect your skin from potential irritation, allergic reactions, and blemishes from congestion.

One way to address these issues is to streamline your skincare routine and focused on pure ingredients with no irritants.

Not only is using fewer products immensely liberating, but it’s also better for your skin health!

Read on for our streamlined skin ritual with our Vibrant Skin Duo…..

Streamline your skincare with our vibrant skin duo

Step 1: Apply Aspen Dew Illuminating Essence

The “Dew” as many fans call it, is an active product that has everything you need for healthy skin.

Moisturizing: Quad humectants for deep, progressive hydration including micro-molecular hyaluronic acid, phytocerimides, and Niacinamide (B3).

Brightening: Bearberry extract for brightening skin and the appearance of spots.

Rejuvenating: Swiss Edelweiss flowers protect from environmental stressors and helps revitalizes tired skin.

Smoothing: Aspen Bark smooths and conditions skin.

Botanical retinol alternative: Dew Bean helps reveal a fresh and radiant complexion without the associated irritation from traditional retinol.

Step 2: Apply Alpine Phytonutrient Serum

The Alpine Phytonutrient Serum delivers serious skin recovery. You get gorgeous moisture while fortifying your skin barrier, and hydrating depleted skin.

This hard-working serum absorbs instantly, leaving skin smooth, radiant, and supple. Free from harmful chemicals, preservatives, alcohol, artificial colors, or fragrances.

Defend against photo-aging: Alpine adaptogens help guard skin against the effects of premature photo-aging. 

Nourishing: High-performance alpine Sea Buckthorn Berry, arctic Cloudberry, and Rosehip provide skin-beautifying nutrients for an instantly luminous complexion. 

Plumping: Uniquely encapsulated phospholipids from Nepalese Gogi berry and acai promote hydrophilic plumping of the skin and minimize the appearance of fine lines.

Revitalizing: Superstar moringa, known as the "tree of life" instantly restores tired skin.

Calming: Arnica Montana flower targets puffiness and soothes reddened skin.

Scaling back on complicated skincare routines, and replacing them with fewer but higher quality products, is often an easy way to help resolve skin problems.

Whatever routine your choose, trust that your skin knows best! 

What do bears and beautiful skin have in common? 

Bearberry!

Also called mountain cranberry or mountain grape, bearberry is actually the fruit of the uva ursi plant. A favorite food of bears, bearberry is a natural skin lightener with botanical active, arbutin, an impressive glycoside extracted from bearberry leaves.

A distant cousin to hydroquinone, arbutin works by making the enzyme responsible for melanin production (tyrosinase) inactive.

UV exposure, stress, and hormonal changes can contribute to uneven melanin production leaving skin patchy and uneven.

Arbutin helps to correct the appearance of hyperpigmentation like age spots, freckles, melasma, and acne scars. The result is a more uniform illuminated complexion. 

In fact, bearberry extract is the reason for the 'BRIGHTEN' claim on the front of  our Aspen Dew Illuminating Essence box.

Skin Benefits of Bearberry Extract

Anti-aging actives

Rich in powerful flavonoids, bearberry extract contains sun protection filters that can help slow the signs of photo aging and reduce the effects of sun exposure.

Skin brightening