Freeze Dried Skincare Is All The Rage - Here's What You Need To Know
Freeze drying is a popular and unique method of preservation. We already have freeze-dried fruits that are chewy, and even freeze-dried ice cream that has a crunchy texture! However, the beauty industry is getting in on the game to give us freeze-dried skincare products.
Per Healthline, the freeze-drying process involves removing most or all of the water in a substance by cooling it in below-freezing temperatures and high pressure until the water freezes to ice, and then slowly applying heat so that the ice sublimes, or evaporates, skipping the liquid phase. The end result is a dehydrated product that can exist in a solid form.
But why is everyone suddenly raving about freeze-dried skincare? Surprisingly, there are actually a ton of benefits that come with using dehydrated skincare products over standard skincare, and the girlies are wising up and tapping in on the trend to maximize their own dermal benefits.
Freeze-dried skincare is more potent than regular products
The beauty world is impressed with freeze-dried skincare, and rightfully so. Dermatologist and founder of Acaderma, Shuting Hu, attests via Byrdie that freeze-dried skincare contains a higher concentration of active ingredients, hence freeze drying "allows the active ingredients to be more potent, making the product overall more effective." Freeze-dried skincare products like Georgia Louise's Pure Molecule freeze-dried booster serum come packed with power — one tablet is equal to five 30ml bottles of serum! Hu explains that due to the depletion of water in the product, the absorption of the active ingredients through the skin is optimized. So freeze-dried skincare products are apparently more effective because they can sink deeper into the skin.
Also, because the presence of water fosters a breeding ground for bacteria, freeze-dried products are relatively safer from contamination. Cosmetic chemist and founder of KKT Consultants Krupa Koestline maintains that the dehydrated products are devoid of moisture, and therefore have a longer shelf life. Their lightweight size gives them a level of portability that bottles of creams, liquid, or even serum products can't boast of.
How to use freeze dried skincare products and their cons
Although freeze-dried skincare is making waves in the beauty community, you might still be confused as to how they actually work and how to use them. After all, water is required to usher the active ingredients into our skin, so what gives?
You won't have any trouble using dehydrated skincare products, because all you need to do is add an activating solution before you use them. Most freeze-dried skincare products come with their own activating solutions, so all you have to do is follow the instructions on the label. The best part about this is that you don't even need to use a lot of the product. Because the active ingredients are far more potent in freeze-dried goods, you have to use less to get the same results.
Board-certified dermatologist Jessie Cheung explained via Byrdie that not all your favorite skincare products can be translated into freeze-dried form. Compounds like peptides that are held by fragile chemical bonds won't withstand the process. According to Cheung, you might also be disappointed if you were looking to get a product that contains a range of active ingredients because that would affect its potency. Nevertheless, the pros outweigh the cons with freeze-dried skincare products, so if you are thinking of trying it out, it's worth a shot.