BYOMA Educates Young Consumers with Skin Barrier Awareness Month

 

BYOMA, the authority on skin barrier, launches inaugural Skin Barrier Awareness Month this May – cementing the brand as the champion of skin barrier health.

On a mission to democratize and demystify skincare – BYOMA empowers everyone to make the right choices for their unique skin type with science- backed, solution focused, skin barrier - care.

When BYOMA launched in 2022, the brand recognized the need to simplify the skincare routine, taking skincare back to science while bringing skin barrier health into the mainstream. From following the top TikTok trends to purchasing single ingredient focused products, consumers were misinformed and overwhelmed. They were over- treating and over-exfoliating – breaking their barriers in search of short term, quick fixes that were causing more harm than good to their skin.

Now, two years since BYOMA launched, Founder, Marc Elrick noticed that a new generation are breaking their skin barriers, this time with super-strength actives and age-inappropriate formulas. The Gen Alpha skincare boom has become an epidemic due to lack of education resulting in mis-purchasing products.

Gen Alpha are set to become key decision makers by 2030, as the largest generation yet with roughly 2.5B people, and are currently driving 49% of Drugstore Skin Care Sales Growth, per NIQ. 50% of BYOMA’s highly engaged social community are under the age of 24 and over index with Gen Z by 2.8x the category average.

Currently, Gen Alpha are focused on the collectible nature of skincare; the bright, fun colours rather than ingredients or efficacy. Unfortunately, this has led to individuals as young as 13 years old buying products that are too harsh for their youthful skin – namely retinols and acids.

This is coupled with emerging concerning data on skin health. The rate of adult acne, especially among women has risen globally, with a 2022 study revealing a 10% increase worldwide over the past 10 years fueled by stress, lifestyle, and hormonal imbalances.

Sensitive skin has also become the new normal with 71% of consumers across 18 countries self- reported having sensitive skin – an increase of 55% in two decades.

The diagnosis and treatment of sensitive skin is still under discussion, however, has been attributed to the increased use of harsh skincare formulas causing changes in the stratum corneum. Maintaining a pH of 5.5 on the skin’s surface ensures a healthy skin barrier with minimal water loss. When the barrier is compromised– the penetration of sensitizing substances leads to an inflammatory reaction in the same way that traditional skin barrier disruptors can, by releasing a series of cytokines. Skin that suffers from increased water loss can become easily sensitized and sensitive skin often suffers from a decrease in ceramide levels. Therefore, skincare that safeguards and strengthens the skin barrier can help treat and soothe sensitive skin and repair the skin barrier simultaneously.

BYOMA educates skincare users on the difference between sensitive and sensitized skin with the goal of helping to restore broken skin barriers and sensitized skin globally. BYOMA’s top priority is to ensure platforms remain a resource for impactful learning. Part of this, is leading the charge on education. A key initiative is driving conversations around how skincare should be used at every age, so everyone feels empowered with knowledge to make the best choices for their unique skin type. BYOMA has a responsibility to educate younger skincare users to stop overtreating, over exfoliating, and overbuying skincare.

Searches for skin barrier health may have expanded but understanding hasn’t. #skinbarrier had 300 million views on TikTok in the brand’s infancy, but by late 2023 it had more than 5.7 billion. BYOMA wants to ensure that skin barrier does not become a buzzword and a trend co- opted by brands to sell products. Instead, Elrick believes that using the science of skin and educating beyond the barrier will help skincare users of all ages achieve their best skin.

The brand is launching several initiatives to kickstart Skin Barrier Awareness Month this May including:

  • Opening of the BYOMA clinical testing lab at Glasgow HQ

  • BYOMA Smart Skin Scan AI Tool, for personalized skin analysis

  • Immersive consumer pop up experiences in NYC and throughout the UK

  • Barrier Health Education and Advisory Board launch rollout begins

  • Supercharged educational content across social platforms

  • Launch of disruptive campaign to raise awareness

These initiatives are intended to supercharge BYOMA’s skin barrier building mission. By putting education at the forefront and making it more accessible, affordable and approachable than ever– BYOMA hopes to become the impartial, trusted authority on skincare. “We want everyone to have their best skin day, every day,” says Elrick.

Find out more at BYOMA.

 
Natalia Kulak