Dr. Michele Squire, the skincare OG
Episode 14 DROPPING TOMORROW
Dr Michele Squire is a PhD qualified scientist and skincare science researcher - which prompted her to start Qr8 - a skincare concierge service that enables you to cut through all the marketing crap and find out what really works for your skin.
Qr8 pronounced ‘curate’ is a service designed to make it simple to get honest, independent science-backed skincare education and advice from a professional, qualified trustworthy source.
Dr Michele is all about helping women (and dudes) through a personalised skin coaching service where she helps you navigate your own skincare routine with products that are scientifically proven to work!
It’s been her side-hustle of 18 years for friends and family and now she’s bringing it us mere mortals. When it comes to offering her expert advice her business isn’t biased. It’s not based on brands, she’s neutral and open and purely based on ingredients, cosmetic formulations, science and how they all work to match what you’re trying to achieve with your skin.
In this episode we cover how to shop smarter, decipher ingredients and labels, play a little word association game and some true or false. She also tells what she puts on her face.
Ingredient decoders:
Paula’s Choice Ingredient Dictionary
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Dr Michele says good skincare and good product is NOT dependent on price. “That’s one thing you should never be swayed by. There are really great products that are really inexpensive, and there are really great products that are really expensive. Its about knowing the different in between. Don’t be swayed by price, packaging – some of the nicest things you can buy are at the chemist, the best basic formulations that will actually perform what they say they’re going to perform you can buy at the chemist for less than $20 - it’s just about knowing what those things are.”
FRAGRANCE
”Is the biggest contact-allergen in skincare worldwide. If you are in the 20% of people who have allergies/contact allergies to fragrance (can change with age, pregnancy, over-using product and over-exfoliating) you have to avoid it. It doesn’t perform and function in skincare – and if you have a limited number of ml’s in your skincare container you want to fill that with stuff that is actually going to do something for your face. I want maximum percentage of things that are going to perform a function in a delivery vehicle that’s going to be nice and kind to my skin.”
Look out for: ‘Fragrance’ or ‘parfum’ – trade secret, you don’t have to declare what combination of ingredients make up the fragrance (it’s often hundreds). There are 26 ingredients that are volatile components of essential oils that are known to cause problems in most people. They by law, have to written separately on the label. Check them out here.
Even if a product smells like ‘nothing’ it contains fragrance to mask and create that scent. Look out for allergens, look for the words fragrance and fragrance-free and go from there.
Another big point she wants us to be wary of is over exfoliating. Whether that be with chemical or physical exfoliants. “Don’t scrub your faces! Protect your barrier and barrier function to keep irritation and dermatitis at bay.”
OK so let’s get to WHAT SHE PUTS ON HER FACE:
Her core routine currently consists of:
Mild, basic gentle cleanser (milk at the moment)
Vitamin C
Antioxidant Serum
Prescription Retinoic Acid
Really basic moisturiser – emollient, humectant, occlusive
Skinceuticals C E Ferulic (NEVER CHANGES)
Biologique Recherche Lait VIP O2
And the P50 Lotion…
And if you want to spend a fortune on your moisturiser: Augustinus Bader
Read more about it here
SUNSCREEN
Depending on what journal paper / study you read photodamage (damage from UV radiation) is responsible for somewhere between 70-90% of ageing – extrinsic ageing, so ageing as a result of external aggressors (AKA the sun)!
Key takeaways:
Wear a high factor SPF – 50+
Apply ENOUGH of it – a quarter of a teaspoon just on your face. Go to the kitchen and get a measuring spoon and see what it looks like and try and get it all over face – NO Neck, your neck is ANOTHER ¼ of tsp. Makes a HUGE difference
Reapply every two hours
Check out the TGA
It’s never too late to start wearing it
“The best skincare in yours 50s is wearing sunscreen in your 20s”
Favourite SPF:
La Roche Posay Anthelios – also Kelsey’s favourite SPF (the Ultra-Light Fluid)
Q&A time
Q: Is there a one-size-fits-all product everyone should own or needs to try?
A: Vitamin C (and sunscreen), antioxidant serum or moisturiser
Q: Any technology or treatments you swear by?
A: Aquagold Fine Touch – micro injections of dermal filler (or botox)
Her face oil rec: Votary Super Seed Facial Oil
Rosehip oil going rancid? – coming soon!
Got questions for Dr. Michele? Email us! badandbusy@gmail.com