Summary:
- Skin longevity is the practice of supporting the skin’s health and wellbeing at the cellular level to naturally delay the accelerated aging process.
- Skin longevity is the opposite of the anti-aging movement. Instead of relying on extreme procedures and harsh products, it focuses on addressing the root causes of aging and supporting the skin to prevent unnecessary, accelerated aging through healthy, sustainable practices.
- Beyond skin longevity products, you can also incorporate plenty of sleep, stress management, community connection, and an active lifestyle into your daily life.
The buzzy trend is about supporting the skin’s health and wellbeing at the cellular level. Read on to discover how that’s possible and the best products and tips to boost your skin.
At Tatcha, we have always believed that aging is a gift. We are all trying to live longer, healthier lives, and that goes hand-in-hand with our mission to support the longevity of skin, too. But what is skin longevity? And how do products geared towards promoting skin longevity work? We dive into the skin health trend below.
What is Skin Longevity?
Skin longevity is the practice of maintaining skin health and wellbeing at the cellular level, naturally slowing the effects of accelerated aging.
In a modern world often focused on drastic measures to reverse visible signs of aging, skin longevity is the opposite. Rather than embracing painful, costly, and dramatic procedures, like lasers, surgeries, and peels, or using harsh products like retinol, skin longevity is focused on maintaining your skin’s overall health and resilience with simple, mindful products and advice. The focus is not on superficial signs of aging, but rather on the long-term health of skin. Additionally, focusing solely on visible signs of aging, such as wrinkles, will not address the underlying causes of aging. In contrast, skin longevity is about supporting the skin’s wellbeing at the cellular level to naturally delay the accelerated aging process. Essentially, anti-aging focuses on short-term gains, while skin longevity concentrates on the long-term health of the skin.
What Causes Aging?
Aging is very complex and individual. In a recent study tracking aging, researchers discovered there are 12 hallmarks of aging, an interconnected network of markers in the body that determine how our bodies (and skin) age. Cellular senescence – aka when cells permanently stop dividing and begin rapidly aging in place – is often one of the first markers of aging, creating a domino-like effect to kickstart the other hallmarks to occur. However, this study noted there are opportunities to “decelerate, halt, or reverse aging by therapeutic interventions.”
Biological Age vs. Chronological Age
They might appear interchangeable, but biological aging is different from chronological aging. Chronological aging is simply your age. Alternatively, accelerated or biological aging refers to the functional and physiological state of the body, which can differ from one's chronological age due to lifestyle factors, genetics, excessive sun exposure, and more.
Factors that Impact Skin Longevity
When looking at skin aging specifically, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to accelerated aging. Intrinsic aging is natural or chronological aging that occurs over time, including factors like genetics, hormones, and sleep. Extrinsic aging is caused by external factors, like sun exposure, pollution, diet, and climate. One study believes 80 percent of skin aging comes from extrinsic factors, while just 20 percent is caused by intrinsic factors.
Who Should Practice Skin Longevity?
Skin longevity is for everyone, no matter your age. The process simply allows you to improve the health and wellbeing of your skin cells, which is always a good thing. It’s for those who might be younger and are seeing the first signs of aging, but also equally for those with more mature skin and are interested in countering their skin’s potentially accelerated aging. Helping your skin’s cells act at their best is a positive thing, no matter your age or skin type.
Skin Longevity Tips
We are becoming more knowledgeable about these extrinsic factors, like understanding your skin type, choosing the best products for your needs, building your ideal skincare routine, how UV exposure affects skin health, when to apply sunscreen, and how important daily sunscreen protection is. But here are a few general tips that are directly linked to skin longevity.
Explore Culture & Community
Having an active and vibrant lifestyle filled with movement, joy, and connection has been proven time and time again to have drastically positive effects on our overall health. Community reduces stress, allows for purpose and belonging, and provides social interaction. These factors are important for our health, but the reduction of stress also contributes to our skin’s health, too.
Opt for a Skincare Diet
As we’ve seen from the Japanese islands of Okinawa, known as the Land of Immortals, a healthy, nutrient-rich diet keeps its inhabitants healthy and living long (it is home to some of the world’s longest-living women, after all). These nourishing, balanced diets, filled with locally-sourced foods, remind us how food nurtures health. It’s also a reminder that our skin is a reflection of our health and often our diet. A vibrant diet filled with nutritious foods makes us feel and look better.
Practice a Healthy Lifestyle
We’ve all heard of these classic lifestyle tips — and it’s because they are proven and effective: Sleep well, reduce stress, and remain active. They are not only beneficial for your overall health, but they can also affect your skin’s overall aging, leading to accelerated aging.
Make Your Skincare Routine a Mindfulness Practice
We’ve learned that a stressful lifestyle can, unfortunately, cause skin to age faster. One way to counter stress is to incorporate mindful practices into your daily routine. This can also extend to your skincare routine. While you are taking care of your skin, you can also make it a mindful practice, be conscious and intentional about every single sweep of the hand. By completing each step with intention, you commit to giving time back to yourself, instead of taking it away, so you can appreciate the present moment.
Benefits of Skin Longevity Products
Here’s another wonderfully beneficial tip for long-term skin longevity: Skincare products geared towards this health trend can provide a handful of targeted benefits. Let’s highlight a few of our favorite benefits of using skin longevity products.
A Healthy Skin Barrier
One of the ultimate markers of skin health is a vibrant skin barrier. It not only makes the skin look radiant, but it also protects against environmental aggressors, dehydration, and irritation. Formulas designed to support the skin barrier can also encourage skin to be more self-sufficient and resilient, making it naturally balanced and stronger.
Delays Visible Signs of Aging
Getting to the root causes of aging is one of the main goals of skin longevity skincare. This can slow down the aging process by reducing unnaturally aging cells. For example, products that can target senescent cells – aka zombie cells – can keep them from going dormant unnecessarily. These skincare products allow skin to become visibly firmer and smoother when unnatural accelerated aging is eliminated.
The Best Skin Longevity Products
We’re thrilled to introduce you to our newest innovation: The Longevity Serum.
The Longevity Serum
Skin Strength & Resilience Treatment
This product is not available in your location.
The scientists at the Tatcha Institute blended some of the same botanicals utilized by the Okinawans for centuries to create the Okinawa Cellescence Complex. Barrier-strengthening noni juice extract, skin-evening shikuwasa lime extract, exfoliating shell ginger extract, bioactive lipids, and resilient prebiotics come together to create The Longevity Serum.
With continued usage, The Longevity Serum addresses cell senescence to visibly delay signs of skin aging, shields skin from inflammaging, boosts surface cell turnover for smoother, softer skin, visibly firms, and strengthens the skin. All for the goal of skin as strong and resilient as you are.
Skin Longevity Routine
While some skincare products can feel like an ordeal to incorporate into your daily routine, The Longevity Serum easily plays nice with your skin — and other products. We recommend using this routine morning and night.
1. Purify
Select your facial cleanser of your choice. To help narrow down the choices, select by your face type.
2. Polish
Nearly all skin types thrive with exfoliation — particularly The Rice Polish, which contains both gentle chemical and physical exfoliants (via rice bran) for an otherworldly feel and look. Just as is the case with facial cleansers, our Rice Polishes are customized to skin type, so find the one that fits you specifically.
3. Plump
Soften, firm, and hydrate with The Essence, a multitasking elixir that improves the effectiveness of your other skincare.
4. Treat
This is where your Longevity Serum steps in to save the day (and your skin). Massage in one to two pumps both morning and/or night for all the ultimate skin-longevity benefits.
5. Nourish
Follow up with a moisturizer to lock in those impressive results. As with many things at Tatcha, our moisturizers are perfected by skin type, so discover which formula(s) are right for you by narrowing down your specific needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
You might hear the phrase ‘skin longevity’ and assume it’s a synonym for ‘anti-aging’ and geared just for more mature skin. But skin longevity is about keeping your skin looking and behaving at its best, despite modern-day challenges (like pollution, sun exposure, and lifestyle choices). Skin longevity is for everyone, no matter your age (although it’s probably ideal for those with beginning signs of cellular senescence, perhaps in your mid-20s and beyond). If you’d like your skin to match how well you feel, skin longevity products and tips are for you.
Lifestyle choices are powerful not only to the body but also to the skin. Sleeping well, eating a wonderfully nutritious diet, minimizing stress, avoiding sun exposure, and avoiding pollution are incredible, and your skin will likely glow as a result. But these can also be difficult tips to follow – and strictly – into your everyday life. Using skincare products designed to boost skin longevity can help support a more progressive lifestyle, where you don’t have to be as strict in your everyday life to still have radiant and youthful-looking skin.
Multiple steps can be helpful, and some are downright necessary, like cleansers, moisturizers, and sunscreens. However, if you’d like to minimize your skincare ritual, it’s possible to include products that multitask, like The Essence (visibly firming, plumping, and providing antioxidant protection), and a serum (most accomplish multiple benefits in one single product application. Take The Longevity Serum, for example, which can be applied right after cleansing if you’d like a simpler routine, that delays signs of skin aging, shields skin from inflammaging, boosts surface cell turnover, visibly firms, and strengthens the skin.) The trick to minimizing a routine is discovering clever products that can accomplish multiple goals in one formula.
Skin and skincare are all about the journey, not the destination. While glowing and youthful-looking skin is the goal, the secret to maintaining that is consistency. Consistency will keep your skin looking good, as we’ve seen in many cultures, particularly Japan, where caring for the skin is not just a sporadic task, but a daily ritual.